Walking with Poles Burns Up to 46% More Calories!

Most of us have used a “walking stick” on a hike at some point in our lives.  But nowadays, many people are raving about walking poles. Walking poles resemble ski poles and are often used by hikers on trails. Walking with poles, aka Nordic walking, has proven to be superior to traditional walking in many big ways.

In fact, the American College of Sports Medicine reports that Nordic walking burns between 22-46 percent more calories than walking without poles! To put that percentage in perspective – walking WITHOUT poles burns about 280 calories per hour; whereas walking WITH poles burns about 450 calories per hour!

What’s more – even though your heart rate increases and you burn more calories when you walk with poles, you won’t feel like you’re working any harder or exerting any more energy than walking without poles.  Oddly enough, poles can actually make walking/hiking seem easier because they help improve your balance and reduce the amount of stress on your knees and hips. Plus, poles can really come in handy when you need to move prickly, painful overgrown vegetation out of your way.

Exercise has a positive effect on the normal function of your heart and has been shown to reduce your risk of developing heart disease, which happens to be our nation’s biggest killer of both men and women. And when it comes to heart healthy exercising, Nordic walking is even better than traditional walking.

So next time you go on a hike or stroll, don’t forget to use your hiking poles! Check out this video to see Nordic walking in action at Spooner Summit…

Get more information about heart health and cardiology services at Carson Tahoe Health.

Source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/313832-does-using-trekking-poles-really-burn-more-calories/