Anyone going through the change
can tell you the nitty-gritty on menopause
and weight gain – that dreaded "apple shape," the unusual
difficulty in losing this weight, and the way hormones are to blame.
Thankfully, I've been pretty lucky in this department thanks to my exercise
routine, diet, and Macafem supplement, but if I slack even for a just a week or
so, I notice the weight start to creep on at an alarming rate.
Word on the street now is that
Nordic Walking is the new thing to do for losing weight. It requires more of a
commitment, though, so I wanted to look at the pros and cons of this exercise
before taking the plunge.
Pros
One of the benefits of
Nordic Walking that immediately stands out is that it's low-impact. The poles it uses help to
take weight off the knees and generally make the walking easier. This is great
for those carrying extra weight, which may be an unfortunate reality during
menopause.
A new study from this year
has compared Nordic Walking and other forms of exercise in overweight
menopausal women. If you can get through
the science speak, their findings are interesting. The women who did Nordic
Walking lost more weight in 10 weeks and had more improvements in things that
affect cardiovascular disease, like cholesterol levels, than women who did
other exercises or didn't exercise.
The improvement in cholesterol
and other factors is not surprising, given that Nordic Walking is an aerobic
exercise, and as such, supports cardiovascular health. I'd like to see how the
weight loss of Nordic Walking stacks up against other forms of cardiovascular
exercise, like Zumba.
Cons
 |
| Nordic Walking sticks come in every color of the rainbow, but are quite expensive... |
The costs of Nordic Walking can
be prohibitive for some. The specialized walking sticks can cost around $50,
depending on the quality. This is on top of cost of the lessons from an
instructor who can teach you the proper technique, which is essential. Although
the exercise can supposedly be done in the city or countryside, it's probably
more practical to do it where you have a lot of space and won't get weird
looks, which might make it unappealing to city-dwellers.
I'm still undecided on Nordic
Walking. On one hand, it seems like a great cardiovascular exercise, but on the
other, the cost and trouble may not justify it. I'd love to hear about any
experiences with Nordic Walking!
