Nordic walking: Nordic walking improves your health and condition

Summer is approaching. Many of us realized that winter is over and we still have some extra kilograms. What to do about it?

You know the endless excuses. It was Christmas, we relaxed more, we were eating more (especially “the rich and the sweet meals”), weather was not good, it was cold, it was snowing, or perhaps even a calamity hit our region.... all this did not allow us to do sports outside, etc. There are countless of excuses. However, there is only one reason. We were more comfortable and perhaps a bit lazy, too. Panic may strike us as every year. Summer is approaching, clothing won't hide our extra kilos anymore! What to do?

We offer a solution. Nordic Walking. It is rather a new sport started in Finland in the 80’s as a summer training method for cross country skiers. During Nordic Walking you use special poles and you actively engage the power of the upper body to propel the body forward. When walking with poles, 600 muscles are engaged and the upper part of your body takes 30% of the leg work over and thus prevent legs from overstrain.

Nordic Walking is a highly effective physical training for reduction of overweight also suitable for improvement of your aerobic capacity and muscle performance.

How does it work?

Nordic Walking is based on a special technique: your right arm and left foot will move in tandem. The right arm thrusts the pole and the left leg steps out. The pole tip thrusts on the level of the left heel in the moment it touches the ground. When the right leg is at the back, you stand on it and take off to transfer the centre of gravity to the left leg. Left arm is at the back, too, and you release the grip to let the strap hang on your wrist. In the second phase, arms with poles and legs change their positions and move parallelly to the trunk forward and backwards. The correct function of leg is important, too - when stepping on it, the knee must remain slightly bent.

Nordic Walking poles are special tools, very different than ski poles. Nordic Walking poles are flexible and solid at the same time, and they do not break easily, as breaking could make the walker fall and get injured. It is always necessary to set the correct length of Nordic Walking poles, i.e. approximately 70 % of the walker’s height. Fixed length poles come in 5 cm options. If a pole length is correct, your elbow should form a right angle when the pole is thrusted perpendicularly to the ground. Another specific feature of the poles are the tips. They are either special metal tips designed for unpaved or snow terrain, or rubber tips for hard and solid terrain (stone, concrete, asphalt) that help eliminate the impacts. You should also wear special gloves, suitable hiking shoes and clothing adapted to the respective climate and season. Especially cardiac patients should also wear heart rate meters.

Advantages of Nordic Walking

• It is an ideal form of physical training with 40-50% higher effect than normal walking.
• It eliminates overloading of hip, knee and ankle joints by 30 %.
• Increased activity of arm and shoulder muscles brings ideal dynamic compensation and relaxation to persons with so-called computer spine, or to people suffering in consequence of chronic overloading of shoulders and neck.
• As an effective breathing gymnastics it activates respiratory muscles of people suffering from respiratory diseases, and it improves oxygenation of the whole body.
• This activity is ideal for all age categories, including seniors with degenerative joint diseases, and for people with balance, stability and coordination disorders.
• It increases heart and lungs activities, while it does not increase blood pressure much.

Nordic Walking is included in some of the stays offered by the spa in Turčianske Teplice

Besides treatment stays, the spa offers regeneration, revitalising and relaxation stays that help eliminate adverse impacts and consequences of contemporary lifestyle (overweight, lack of movement, inappropriate diet and stress). The Gold Spa Turčianske Teplice belongs among the prominent Slovak spas.

The spa is situated in Turčianska kotlina basin and it is surrounded by a beautiful natural scenery and by Veľká Fatra mountains and Malá Fatra mountains, Martinské hole mountains and Kremnické vrchy mountains. The surrounding nature attracts people for walks, hikes and for Nordic Walking considered to be a new health and life trend of mature part of population that is aware of the preventive significance of regular physical activities.

Besides treatment, regeneration and relaxation, we pay attention to those who would like to form their figure.

Body-forming programme – a special treatment stay aimed to start up the body functions, to optimise weight and to form figure by means of a special diet programme, by suitable combination of procedures and exercises – has been added to the rich offer of treatment stays recently.

The spa in Turčianske Teplice is a place ideal for healthy and preventive holiday due to natural healing sources, balneotherapeutic treatment complex, Spa & Aquapark, erudite and qualified staff, and last but not least thanks to leisure opportunities and activities in beautiful nature around it that is so beneficial to health.