There are many claims about the health benefits of Nordic walking. With my scientist background, I want to see evidence for these kinds of claims. With this blog post I am hoping to provide that evidence in the form of a lay summary of a scientific article titled “Health Benefits of Nordic Walking – A Systematic Review”, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine in 2013. You can access the original publication here.

The article is a systematic review. This means that the authors trawled through all the scientific literature related to the health benefits of Nordic walking, 27 to be precise. Of these studies, 16 were randomised controlled trials, looking into the long term health benefits of Nordic walking.   Eleven of the studies were observational studies which concentrated on understanding the short term impacts of Nordic walking on health and wellbeing.

With our sedentary lifestyles and office jobs, many of us struggle to achieve the activity levels recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO); according to the WHO, anyone older than 18 years of age should fit at least 150 minutes (Yes, two and a half hours!) of moderate-intensity exercise in their week (1). The authors of the review article found that when it comes to the intensity of exercise, in healthy volunteers, Nordic walking required up to 23% more oxygen, led up to 18% higher heart rate and used up to 22% more energy compared to regular walking at the same pace. When compared to jogging, it was reported that similar oxygen consumption and heart rates could be achieved while Nordic walking at a comparable speed. Therefore, Nordic walking provides a great way of converting an easy walk to a moderate-intensity workout without the impact of running or jogging. This will help you to achieve your 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise a week.

How about the long term health benefits of Nordic walking compared to regular walking? These include significant loss of body fat and a drop in the blood pressure. Other long term health benefits of Nordic walking cited in the review include reduction in neck pain in patients suffering from chronic neck pain. The review also highlighted the benefits of Nordic walking in patients with different diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and Parkinsons disease. These include improvement in result of the 6 minute walking test, increased walking speed and distance and an improvement in the general quality of life.  However, if you suffer from any of these or other conditions you should consult your doctor before starting an exercise regime.

Interested? Come and give Nordic walking a try to reap the benefits!

Reference:

1.       http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/factsheet_recommendations/en/ (Accessed 05/06/2017)