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It’s a well-known fact that hiking is good for you. Research shows that walking can reduce the risk of heart disease, relieve joint pain and naturally reduce stress.
A study published in June in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology also found that a specific type of walking may be beneficial for people with coronary artery disease: Nordic walking. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, coronary artery disease is “the most common type of heart disease in the United States.” The study results suggest that people with the condition saw improved heart function after engaging in Nordic walking for three months.
Nordic walking uses poles similar to ski poles when moving. Unlike a regular walk, this type of walk engages your upper body muscles in addition to your lower body muscles. According to the International Nordic Walking Federation, Nordic walking began as an off-season workout for skiers and has been around since the mid-20th century.
For the study, 130 people with coronary artery disease were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The first group completed a 12-week high-intensity interval training program; the second group completed a 12-week moderate-to-intensity exercise program; the third group completed a 12-week Nordic walking program.
After the exercise program, the participants were followed for 14 weeks and their functional capacity – or their ability to move or perform daily activities that require physical exertion – was tested by measuring how far they walked in six minutes.
Additionally, the researchers had participants fill out a heart disease-specific questionnaire and a 36-question health survey. Depression levels were also measured using the Beck Depression Inventory-II, which is commonly used to measure depression after heart attacks. Participants were tested at the beginning, middle, and end of the study.
Nordic Walking achieved the best results.
While all participants saw positive health outcomes, those in the Nordic walking group experienced the greatest increase in functional capacity compared to their baseline levels at the start of the study.
In other words, those who committed to the 12-week Nordic walking program were best able to demonstrate increased physical capacity during the six-minute walk test. And functioning is “an important predictor of future cardiovascular events in patients with [coronary artery disease]”, says the study.
This is probably due to the upper and lower body muscle groups that are activated during Nordic Walking. Using upper body strength to move and stabilize the bars while also activating your lower body can increase your heart rate, increasing your cardiovascular benefits.
dr Chip Lavie, who led the study’s accompanying editorial, told Medical News Today that “adding Nordic poles to moderate-to-intensity walking is a simple, accessible option to improve walking ability, increase energy expenditure, and improve stamina.” Activate muscles in the upper body and improve other functional parameters such as posture, gait and balance, all of which could improve walking speed.”
This is important for everyone, but especially for people with coronary artery disease.
“Consistent walking is a great form of exercise that reduces cardiovascular mortality by addressing key cardiovascular risk factors: it helps lower cholesterol, lowers blood pressure, improves glycemic control, aids in healthy weight management, and often correlates.” with other healthy habits and behaviors. Tamanna Singh, co-director of the Center for Sports Cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic, previously told HuffPost.
Additionally, according to the Mayo Clinic, exercise is one of the recommended treatments for coronary artery disease.
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This is how you benefit from the advantages yourself.
Singh noted that the American Heart Association “currently recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise per week, or a combination thereof.” According to the AHA, walking counts toward your weekly moderate-intensity exercise count.
Remember these are the minimum recommendations – more exercise means more results. In fact, those who go beyond the minimum recommendations live longer, studies show.
To get started with Nordic Walking, you need a set of poles and a good running track. Nordic walking can be done in quiet, cobbled neighborhoods or on rocky, hilly terrain – it’s not just for walkers on trails.
For poles, you can buy a pair from Amazon (for example, this pair has more than 8,000 five-star reviews on Amazon) or from the American Nordic Walking Association. Make sure you get the right length – they should be about two thirds of your height.
Maintain proper posture by pushing your shoulders back and keeping your head straight to keep your chest upright and open. Use the sticks to step on the ground on either side of your feet as you walk, making sure they hit the middle of your stride. The bars should be held at an angle and you should grab the bar as it hits the ground so you have better leverage to push off. This will help activate your upper body. Repeat as you walk.
If you have coronary artery disease or other heart problems, be sure to talk to your doctor before you start.
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