Pole Power Walking By Rita Marcojohn Out for a morning “Pole Power Walk” We were looking for a fast and easy at The Villages Golf & Country Club, San Jose. way to burn some extra calories when an Left to right: Maxine Morse, Edith Olson article in Prevention Magazine caught our attention. and Ronnie Vierra. Simply adding poles to a regular walk could burn those extra calories in less than two weeks—a weight- loss “silver bullet.” Well, it is that and so much more. ActiveOver50 24 As with any hobby or sport value of the walk. The poles help shuffl e,” the poles help maintain you love, you want to share it. with stability and balance while a wide stride; a great benefi t in In our case, we decided to share absorbing some of the load from mobility and image. You won’t it with the very active residents lower joints so walkers with hip, mistake Edith for one of the old of The Villages Golf & Country knee or ankle damage can walk people. Club in south San Jose. This gated longer. Without pain or worry For Caroline Cooper, “a daily retirement community comes about balance and stability, pole walk refreshes my body and my with golf courses, a country club, walkers can enjoy the walk, sights mind. Pole walking takes me swimming pools, tennis courts, and sounds of the outdoors. outdoors where I can breathe hiking trails, stables and some of For many of the residents at the fresh air and tone my cardio- the most scenic countryside in the Villages, it was Pole Walking to vascular system with gentle South Bay. the rescue. Edith Olson, leader aerobic exercise.” It is a great place to walk and and organizer of The Pole Walkers “With the support of the poles, enjoy the outdoors just about walking club, has had hip surgery I can walk continuously for about any time of the year. Since we on both hips. 45 minutes without sitting down. introduced our Pole Power Walking Clinics over nine months ago, more than 150 Village seniors Walking with poles engages upper and lower body with less have found a way to fi t pole walking into their busy schedules. perceived exertion. An upright posture increases air fl ow to Pole walking is a time-effi cient, the lungs further enhancing the fi tness value of the walk low-impact, total body workout anyone can do. Our program and technique is derived from Nordic Until age 77, she was an avid Pretty good for a 78 year old Walking, a sport that began in walker and logged four miles woman! Age has compromised Finland in the early 1900s to keep per hour walking or hiking my sense of balance but I have no the Olympic Ski teams in shape daily. Then her hips “wore out.” fear of falling because the poles during the off seasons. The recovery from replacement steady me on both sides.” In 1997, equipment advances surgery was diffi cult and her daily “On some days, I can walk made Nordic Walking a popular walks too painful to continue. easily at a normal pace through- European fi tness past time. In the Well, that was then. out but on days when my energy U.S, it is a new sport and often Now Edith at 80 years old (you level is low, I start out slowly but draws snickers from spectators would never guess) is leading pole after ‘warming up,’ I fi nd myself or snide remarks like “where’s walkers on 20 to 60 minute walks ending my walk at a normal pace. the snow?” through the beautiful Villages I simply listen to my body to What the onlookers don’t know landscape three times per week. direct my pace and stride.” is pole walking is a great workout Maxine Morse, 84, is a member So the “much more” we referred that uses all the major muscles in of the pole walker club and to above is not just about pole the body. Recent studies by the juggles her busy schedule to fi nd walking and all of its terrifi c Cooper Institute, Dallas, showed the time to walk with the group. fi tness benefi ts. It is about that Nordic walking increased She swims, lifts weights and now, discovery and delivery of a fi tness oxygen consumption and calorie pole walks, to keep her arthritis program that instantly improves burn, and can be up to 46% more at bay. She is constantly recruiting the quality and enjoyment of life. effi cient than normal walking. pole walkers as she believes the Walking with poles engages balance and stability benefi ts are Rita Marcojohn is owner of We’ve Got upper and lower body with less well worth the investment in the Your Back in Los Gatos, CA. For more perceived exertion. An upright gear. information about Pole Walking, call 408.395.1122 or visit Back2Active.com. posture increases air fl ow to the Maxine pointed out recently that lungs further enhancing the fi tness “old people take little steps and ActiveOver50 25.