Turn Walking into Awesome

Recently, I had a surprise heart quad-bypass operation, which physically has thrown me back to square one with fitness. For the last two weeks, I have been a couch potato in my pyjamas. The doctor's prescription is to build up my fitness by walking 60 minutes a day within 6 weeks. Are you kidding me.even for a retired Olympic athlete, that seems like a very tall order! But I know how to succeed! I’ve discovered what happens to cause people to fail, and how to reliably fi...Continue reading

On May 4, I had a surprise pre-emptive heart quad-bypass surgery. Now I need to recover and get fit again. The hospital prescription is to build up my walking in the next 6 weeks, to 60 minutes EVERY day... that's a challenging fitness program any day of the week! But I know how to get fit again! I am the author of THE INSIDER'S GUIDE TO LIFETIME FITNESS, and I know how to create a strong habit of fitness. In my toolbox, I have the plan and secrets to create an effective h...Continue reading

Not getting good deep sleep? It doesn't have to be that way when you learn Classic Nordic fitness walking. Boost energy during the day so you can get all your work done, then sleep like a log at night to wake refreshed. https://sales.nordicpolewalkingvictoria.ca/2022

Struggling to fit into your jeans? It doesn't have to be that way when you learn "J-style" Nordic fitness walking. More than twice the calorie burn compared to plain walking, & it takes the same amount of time. https://sales.nordicpolewalkingvictoria.ca/2022

NORDIC WALKING. Do you use it to fix a problem or prevent a problem? That depends....WHY DO PEOPLE ASK FOR HELP? Usually to solve a problem. But when it comes to health, waiting until a problem arises before asking for help may not be the best strategy. BUT THAT'S WHAT MOST PEOPLE DO! As a race, we are problem solvers! You can grapple with solving a problem! But preventing a problem is kind of abstract, easy to put off. No pain to avoid. LUCKILY, the body is forgi...ving to some extent. YOU CAN START FITNESS ACTIVITIES ANYTIME...... SO WHEN SHOULD YOU START NORDIC WALKING? Here's an example: You can use Nordic walking to ALLEVIATE THE PROBLEM of NECK/SHOULDER PAIN by strengthening back and core muscles, or you can use Nordic walking to PREVENT THE PROBLEM of neck/shoulder pain in the first place by strengthening back and core muscles. Which are you... a fixer, or a preventer? See more

THREE GREAT TOOLS FOR HEALTH? Exercise, sleep & food. Exercise, sleep and food should all feel as yummy as this recipe. I can't get enough of this dish! Supposed to serve 4 people.... hahahahaaaa; this is dinner for me! SAUTEED ZUCCHINI RIBBONS (from Complete Mediterranean Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen.....love those guys!) INGREDIENTS: 1 small garlic clove, minced. 1 tsp grated lemon zest plus 1 Tbsp juice. 4 8oz zucchini. 3 TB olive oil. salt/pepper. 2 Tbsp chopp...ed fresh parsley. METHOD: Combine garlic &, lemon juice in serving bowl. Using vegetable peeler, shave off three ribbons from one side of zucchini, turn squash a quarter turn and shave off three more ribbons. Turn and continue until you reach the seeds. (Add this core to soup later.) Whisk 2 Tbsp oil, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, and lemon zest into garlic-lemon juice. Heat remailing Tbsp oil in non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini ribbons and toss with tongs, just until most of zucchini is translucent. Do not over cook. Put zucchini with dressing, add parsley, and gently toss to coat. Season with salt/pepper to taste. Serve hot. YUM....AM I RIGHT! The path to health is lined with good clean REAL food. ENJOY, AND START TREATING YOURSELF BETTER. That's how to build good health. See more

IS NORDIC WALKING LAME OR ELEGANT? For those who think it's lame, we can calculate how much work is being done by using the "WORKFORCE FORMULA" (repetitions x weight divided by time). In 10 minutes we take approximately 1000 steps, therefore the left leg takes 500 steps and the right arm swings 500 times and the back and core muscles contract 500 times to make the arm swing back. Okay, 500 repetitions. Let's say, the weight of pushing the pole back is 3 pounds...the weigh...t of a baby bunny. So every 10 minutes the back muscles are "lifting/moving" (500 x 3) 1500 pounds. That's the weight of a big horse! The scientific prescription for health (the point at which factors like insulin start to respond) is 30 minutes. So the workload or weight lifted in 30 minutes is 4500 pounds...THAT'S THE SIZE OF A FORD f150 truck! Wow! How is that even possible? ONE BUNNY AT A TIME...and everyone can do that! One bunny at a time. (PS....when the left arm swings, those back muscles lift their own 4500 pounds!)Nordic Walking is NOT lame! IT'S ELEGANT. I overheard some visiting tourists who came to watch our city's famous TC10km run/walk in which Nordic Walking is an official category. They were talking about how they had seen something new, so "ELEGANT AND FLOWING", that they wanted to do it too. Yup, Nordic walkers! See more

NECK PAIN.... So many people exclaim that their neck feels relaxed after a Nordic walk. WHY IS THAT? FIRST, we use an easy method to set the body into good posture with the head balancing on the top instead of hanging forward. Neck muscles can relax. SECOND, Nordic walking uses 90% of the body's muscles; the 10% that get to relax are the neck and shoulder muscles. Hurrah! THIRD, Nordic walking strengthens the muscles to maintain good posture, and the neck muscles are happy! Many people who try Nordic walking say if neck/shoulder pain relief was the only benefit, they would do it. There are MANY BENEFITS TO NORDIC WALKING, and happily neck/shoulder relaxation is the first.

BEST EXERCISE? Nordic walking is one of FOUR EXERCISES THAT ARE EXCEPTIONAL. The other three are full body rowing, full body swimming, and full-body X-country skiing. What these exercises have in common is that they use 90% of the body's muscles in a repetitive way. This is a lot of muscles contracting a lot of times. THREE THINGS HAPPEN as a consequence: ONE) Those muscles gain strength and endurance. TWO) Those muscles stimulate the MITOCHONDRIA, which are embedded... in the muscles, to wake up and work. Their job is to TURN ON THE SWITCHES OF HEALTH....like insulin response, serotonin, immunity, etc, etc. The more muscles turned on and the longer time they are turned on, the better for improving health. There are so many published medical research articles describing how as little as 3 x 30 minutes each week of Nordic walking has massive impact on health. Now you understand why! THREE) Muscle movement stimulates the LYMPHATIC SYSTEM (cellular garbage remove system) to work, by squeezing the lymphatic channels that are everywhere in the body, and moving the lymph along. Otherwise it is only moved by gravity. Remember Grannie's swollen ankles? That was lymph pooling because of lack of exercise. You know what happens when you let garbage sit around...gets detrimental. Same in the body. So moving the muscles helps take out the garbage. FOUR) I said there were three things, but people ask. The CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM (heart, lungs, blood flow, oxygen delivery) is also stimulated. In the olden days the focus was PRIMARILY on raising the heart rate to the ZONE. This is still important, but not as much as they thought. Nordic walking raises the heart rate and circulation enough for normal people like you and I. NORDIC WALKING LOOKS SO EFFORTLESS AND ELEGANT....HOW CAN FITNESS BE IMPROVED? NOW YOU KNOW! See more