It is well known that walking is beneficial for your health. Research shows that walking can reduce the risk of heart disease, reduce joint pain, and naturally relieve stress.
A study published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology also found that a specific type of walking may benefit people with coronary heart disease: Nordic walking. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, coronary heart disease “is the most common type of heart disease in the United States.” The study results suggest that people with the condition saw an improvement in their heart function after practicing Nordic walking for three months.
Nordic walking involves using poles similar to ski poles as you move. Unlike regular walking, this type of walking integrates the upper body muscles in addition to the 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-1900s.
For the study, 130 people with coronary heart 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-vigorous intensity training program; the third group followed a 12-week Nordic walking program.
After the training program, participants were observed for 14 weeks and their functional capacity – or their ability to exercise or perform daily activities requiring physical exertion – was tested by measuring the distance traveled in six minutes.
Additionally, researchers asked participants to complete a heart disease-specific questionnaire and a 36-question health survey. Depression levels were also measured using the Beck Depression Inventory-II, commonly used to measure depression after a heart attack. Participants were tested at the beginning, middle, and end of the study.
Nordic walking gave the best results.
While all participants saw favorable health outcomes, those in the Nordic walking group experienced the greatest increase in functional capacity compared to their baseline level at the start of the study.
In other words, those who committed to the 12-week Nordic walking program were most able to demonstrate increased exercise capacity during the six-minute walk test. And a person’s functional capacity is “an important predictor of future cardiovascular events in patients with (coronary heart disease),” the study said.
This is likely due to the upper and lower body muscle groups that Nordic walking activates. Using upper body strength to move and stabilize the poles while activating your lower body can increase your heart rate, which increases your cardiovascular benefits.
Dr. Chip Lavie, who led the editorial accompanying the study, told Medical News Today that “adding Nordic poles to moderate-to-vigorous intensity walking is a simple and accessible option for improving walking ability, increasing energy expenditure, engaging upper body musculature, and improving 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 heart disease.
“Regular walking is an excellent form of exercise that reduces cardiovascular mortality by addressing major cardiovascular risk factors: it helps lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, improve blood sugar control, healthy weight management, and is often correlated with other healthy habits and behaviors,” Dr. Tamanna Singh, co-director of the Cleveland Clinic Sports Cardiology Center, previously told HuffPost.
Additionally, according to the Mayo Clinic, exercise is one of the recommended treatments for coronary heart disease.
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Here’s how to reap the benefits yourself.
Singh noted that the American Heart Association “currently recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of high-intensity aerobic exercise per week, or a combination of both.” Walking counts toward your weekly number of moderate-intensity exercise, according to the AHA.
Keep in mind that these are the minimum recommendations: more exercise equals more results. In fact, those who go beyond the minimum recommendations live longer, studies show.
To start Nordic walking, you will need a set of hiking poles and a good walking route. Nordic walking can be done in quiet, paved areas or on rocky, hilly terrain. It is not reserved for trail hikers.
For poles, you can purchase a pair from places like Amazon or from the American Nordic Walking Association. Make sure you have the right length: they should be about two-thirds of your height.
When you walk, maintain good posture by pushing your shoulders back and keeping your head straight so your rib cage remains straight and open. Use the poles to strike the ground on either side of your feet as you walk, making sure they touch in the middle of your stride. The poles should be kept at an angle and you should grip the pole when it hits the ground so you have better leverage for pushing. This will help you engage your upper body. Repeat as you walk.
If you have coronary artery disease or any other heart problem, be sure to talk to your doctor before starting.
The original version of this story was published on HuffPost earlier.
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