Nordic Walking Poles - Huge Benefits For Those With Diabetes and/or Neuropathy

Last week I hosted Nordic Walking Classes at Mercy Hospital in Cadillac, Michigan during their annual Diabetes Health Expo. It was exciting to get so much positive feedback from those who had never tried Nordic Walking. And as always, the doctors and physical therapists commented about their clients' successes with the Nordic Walking Poles. Individuals that already had our Swix and Exel Nordic Walking Poles shared their personal success stories including weight loss, the need for fewer medications, improved walking posture, increased walking endurance, radical improvements in stability, decrease in blood pressure, ability to walk on uneven ground again, .......

The cardiac rehab department at Mercy Hospital utilizes our one-piece Nordic Walking Poles too. The one-piece poles prove to be safer, lighter, stronger, much more durable and much more user-friendly than cheap/flimsy 2-piece and 3-piece collapsible poles that tend to rattle, vibrate, gradually collapse or completely fail altogether. I would NEVER recommend collapsible poles for anyone with balance or stability issues. I also don't recommend collapsible poles for everyday use. One-piece poles that are sized correctly are far superior to collapsible poles.

All of our quality one-piece poles are equipped with real Nordic Walking straps - comfortable fingerless glove type straps that allow the user to keep their fingers relaxed and never have to grip or squeeze the poles. All of our poles also come with the special rubber Nordic Walking tips/asphalt paws that are removable. Permanently attached to all of our poles are durable metal tips for off-road, grass, non-paved trails, the beach, sand dunes, snow and ice.

Unfortunately thousands of seniors from coast to coast are being sold collapsible poles that were made in China. Quality one-piece poles sized correctly would be so much safer, lighter, stronger and hassle free.

Perfect length poles help us to automatically walk with a super straight back - better walking posture is biomechanically a good thing. This improved walking posture when combined with the unique 4-Wheel-Drive type action of walking with poles radically reduces the stress to the shins, knees, hips and back. Nordic Walking is low impact and yet provides a highly effective workout - burning more calories and working more muscle groups than regular walking.

At WWW.SKIWALKING.COM and the American Nordic Walking System we are dedicated to the simple fact that one-piece poles that are sized correctly will always prove superior to cheap/flimsy collapsible poles.

Nordic Walking Study - The Cooper Institute

Nordic Walking is huge in Europe and the benefits of walking with the perfect length poles and the correct technique are many. Over 10 million Europeans are walking with poles - in the cities (with the rubber tips/asphalt paws on), out in the country and up in the mountains.

Here in the USA Nordic Walking has yet to really catch on. Skiers know the huge benefits of training with poles when deprived of snow. Backpackers know that their poles often save their knees and back when hiking when poles. Seniors and anyone with a balance issue also know that walking poles radically improve balance and enable them to walk faster and farther. Skiers, backpackers, seniors and anyone with a balance issue will find that one-piece poles are superior to all the collapsible poles being heavily promoted in stores and online.

The study done by the The Cooper Institute shows that walking with poles really does help to provide a better workout too - burning more calories than regular walking. Nordic Walking provides all the wonderful health benefits of cross country skiing, but doesn't require skis or snow - just quality one-piece poles are ideal. Many of my happy customers have lost upwards of 100 pounds just by walking with their poles and changing their diet. Some have also found swimming to be an added benefit too.

Don't get scammed by all the 2-piece ad 3-piece collapsible poles flooding the market. Over 99% of the cheap/flimsy twist-lock and flip-lock poles in the big box stores and all over the internet are made in China and destined for the landfill. One-piece poles that are sized correctly will always prove to be safer, lighter, more durable and much more user-friendly than 2-piece and 3-piece poles with twist-lock and flip-lock systems.

One-piece SWIX and EXEL Nordic Walking Poles can be found at WWW.SKIWALKING.COM and the American Nordic Walking System - 16 different lengths ensure a perfect fit. One-piece poles are ideal for ALL Nordic Sports - Roller Skiing, Nordic Snowshoeing, Nordic Walking, Nordic Running, Hill Bounding, Roller Blading (In-line Skating), Classic Cross Country Skiing, Skate Cross Country Skiing, .....

When using the perfect length poles and the correct technique we are almost tricked into automatically walking with a super straight back (without having to think about it) - better walking posture is biomechanically a good thing. This improved walking posture when combined with the unique 4-Wheel-Drive type action of walking with poles radically reduces the stress to the shins, knees, hips and back. Nordic Walking is low impact and yet provides a highly effective workout - burning more calories and working more muscle groups than regular walking.

Nordic Walking and Roller Skiing In The Moonlight

It is deer season again and most of our favorite trails here in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore are pretty much closed for a couple weeks - even our #1 trail up on Alligator Hill behind town.

My personal Nordic Walking campaign has been cut back due to the fact that I'm testing ski gear - Salomon Cross Country Ski Boots and Swenor Roller Skis. I'm still teaching a bunch of Nordic Walking Classes, but I can never get enough of Nordic Walking. Every night this past week the moon light, even on cloudy evenings, made the visibility pretty decent for a short Nordic Walk and a longer roller ski.

I'm totally hooked on the Swenor Finstep Cap Classic Roller Skis. These super smooth roller skis even come with a slight Nordic camber. These roller skis are light years ahead of classis roller skis made of aluminum.

The Swenor Skate Elite Roller Skis come with a similar Nordic Camber and FASTER wheels to really get up to speed if you feel the need for speed. Total quality.

I've also been testing the following Salomon Cross Country Boots this past week:

Salomon S-LAB SKATE PRO, S-LAB SKIATHLON and S-LAB CLASSIC. WOW. Best boots ever. Even with my weird feet they all skied great right out of the box.

For poles I snagged a pair of SWIX CT1's - can't ever go wrong with a pair of CT1's.

Once we get snow I'm fired up to test the New Salomon S-LAB EQUIPE 10 SKATE SKIS and S-LAB EQUIPE 10 CLASSIC SKIS - they look great and should be fast, especially after all the SWIX base prep that I've done to them.

When teaching Nordic Walking Classes and out doing my own personal ski walking i'm always using my SWIX VIP Nordic Walking Poles - custom made for me over in Norway. They are very similar to my Alu Star classic and skate poles come winter.

My roller skiing poles and Nordic Walking poles have a lot in common. Both are made by SWIX and both are a durable and super strong one-piece design. Cheap/flimsy 2-piece and 3-piece twist-lock and flip-lock collapsible poles. Skiers know and appreciate the fact that their one-piece poles are stronger, lighter and much more durable than cheap/flimsy collapsible poles.

When it comes to Nordic Sports it is always best to go with one-piece non-collapsible poles that are sized correctly. The best straps for Nordic Sports are the fingerless glove type straps patented by the Salomon Ski Company and found on all of my walking poles and cross country ski poles.

My personal pole length:

125cm SWIX Poles for Nordic Walking

150cm SWIX Poles for Classic Cross Country Skiing

160cm SWIX Poles for Skate Cross Country Skiing

One-piece poles will always prove to be superior.

SWIX Ski Racing Poles, SWIX Ski Wax and SWIX Nordic Walking Poles - Commitment To Quality

SWIX Poles Sweeps The Podium at USA Nationals - Classic Mass Start Races

In the men's race SWIX poles and wax dominate

SWIX racing poles and ski wax stole the show at USA XC Ski Nationals last month in Alaska. The podium results and medal counts were extremely consistent.

For more additional results and cross country info here is the US Ski Team link: http://www.usskiteam.com/crosscountry

 

In the women's race its Gold, Silver and Bronze again!

Quality SWIX poles and super fast SWIX wax proved again to be the choice of champions at USA XC Ski Nationals. SWIX's demonstrated commitment to quality at USA Cross Country Ski Nationals was evident for the world to see.

If you would like assistance in waxing like those on the podium check out the SWIX Wax Wizard: http://www.swixschool.com/web/wizard.html?langInput=lang2&menuInput=subM2

SWIX's commitment to quality is also evident in their recreational ski pole and wax lines too. Dependable and user-friendly products - including Nordic Walking Poles. At SKIWALKING.COM and The American Nordic Walking System quality one-piece walking poles are available in 14 different lengths - more than any other retailer in North America. The SWIX Nordic Walking VIP's are equipped with comfortable Nordic Walking Straps patented by the Salomon Ski Company (please note that ALL six of the medal winning athletes above skied with similar straps - proven to be extremely efficient and effective. The SWIX Nordic Walking VIP's are also equipped with durable metal tips for walking off-road - on trails, the beach, grass, snow and ice. They also come with removable rubber tips/paws for pounding the pavement and other hard surfaces.

Recreational skiers and races alike know that their one-piece poles are far superior to cheap twist-lock/flip-lock adjustable length/telescoping/collapsible poles. Yesterday during ski practice we passed a snowshoer with just one pole - one of her twist-lock poles broke as soon as she hit the trail. Skiers would never use twist-lock or flip-lock poles that can vibrate, rattle, collapse unexpectedly and/or fail altogether. One-piece poles are proven to be safer, lighter and stronger than cheap twist-lock and flip-lock poles. Seniors and individuals should especially avoid cheap twist-lock and flip-lock poles.

When looking for trekking or Nordic Walking Poles be sure to ask yourself this simple question: "would these poles pass the "skier" test?" The answer will always be NO - they won't. And that is why SWIX has been committed to provide superior one-piece poles.

February is American Heart Month and the Winter Olympics are this month too. Exercise is a key component to improving heart health. Let's hope that the Olympics will help to motivate more of us to get outside and exercise - skiing, snowshoeing, Nordic Walking or just plain walking.

Nordic Walking Poles Welcome At More Running and Walking Events

Nordic Walking Poles are showing up at more and more walking and running events.

This past weekend I hosted the Glen Lake Turkey Trot 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run/Walk - sponsored by Running Fit, Coca-Cola, SKIWALKING.COM and The American Nordic Walking System. Nordic Walking Poles have always been welcome. There are no specific rules. Participants are welcome to Nordic Walk or Nordic Run with their poles.

As Nordic Walking continues to catch on here in the USA I hope that more events will encourage Nordic Walking and Nordic Running.