Nordic walking scheme ‘up and running’ in Ribble Valley

Nordic walking transforms a regular walk into a full-body workout, boosting calorie burn, improving cardiovascular health and balance, and reducing joint stress. The walk uses specially designed poles to engage up to 80 to 90 per cent of your muscles, compared to 50 to 70 per cent in regular walking.

By involving more muscles it can burn up to 67 per cent more calories than traditional walking, depending on intensity, terrain and technique.

Ribble Valley Borough Council health and fitness officer Catherine Argyle, who is a qualified instructor with the International Nordic Walking Association, said, "Nordic walking enhances aerobic capacity and heart function; improves endurance, resting heart rate and oxygen consumption; and distributes weight more evenly, making it ideal for people with joint pain, arthritis and lower limb injuries.

“It uses poles to provide support and stability, thereby reducing the risk of falls by improving posture and stride length.

“That is why Nordic walking is recommended by a host of health charities, including Parkinson’s UK and Age UK.

“Walking groups are an effective and practical way to improve health and social wellbeing, so if you are interested in giving Nordic walking a go, let me know.”

A Nordic walking taster session hosted by Ribble Valley Borough Council attracted a crop of walking enthusiasts, and Catherine wants to gauge interest in regular groups for different abilities and health concerns at venues throughout the borough.

Ribble Valley Borough Council’s Up and Active team has been helping the borough’s residents overcome health and fitness challenges for many years.

Activities include the popular seated exercise scheme. Best Foot Forward, a weight management programme Weigh to Go, the cardiac rehabilitation programme Heartwatch and supervised gym referrals.

Stuart Hirst, chairman of Ribble Valley Borough Council’s community services committee and a keen hiker, added: 'Regular physical activity can reduce the risk of many chronic conditions, but people avoid it for a variety of reasons, such as they don’t know how or where to start or have bad memories of PE at school.'

“But our programmes, including the new Nordic walking, are specifically designed for people of all abilities, and our friendly health and fitness team is on hand to help you get started and keep going.”