Losing Weight with Nordic Walking

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!