Fitness: Exploring Nordic walking

Looking to level up your walking workouts? Fitness presenter & mental fitness coach Liezel van der Westhuizen reveals how Nordic walking burns 46% more calories & boosts strength.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Seven. Note too, let's walk the talk streaming the countrywide
on the Prime Media Class.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
App eighteen minutes night is to five o'clock. These are
Fundvestdays and it is back happy birthday, Thank you so much.
Please explain to the listeners what happened the moment you
woke up on your birthday, please, because it's so apt
and so liesel.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
So, my nickname, given to me by the Sunday Times
journalist Craig Jacobs about five or seven years ago, is
the giraffe, because I when I hear hi yells, I
do tend to tower above people. So we were in
the Kruger for my birthday, surprised by my family, and
as I woke up that morning, taking my cup of coffee,
sitting on the balcony of the lodge, we were staying

(00:44):
a tower of gioffe. So I should a journey because
when giraffes are moving, it's called a journey of giraffe.
They came past and that was the first thing I saw.
I mean, what a way to wake up. If you've
been teased about your nickname giraffe, your whole life, your
business is called the giraffe brand. And then you have
giraffes waking you up the morning. It was just so
perfoncal Let's be clear, you adore girafts, you really love them.

(01:05):
This is my absolute favorite. And then we went on
the game drive. They did tell us a few things
that I thought I didn't know about them, and I
was my birthday years old when I found out those things.
But they just and funny enough, there's only fifty thousand
left in the world, so they're almost on the endangered species.

Speaker 2 (01:20):
Yeah, well, happy birthday, thank you, thank I have you back.
Today we're talking about exploring Nordic walking. What exactly is that?

Speaker 1 (01:30):
So? Nordic walking is just a really amazing way of
walking and it's one of the fastest growing sports in
South Africa. It's a full body workout that originated in Finland.
Unlike regular walking, at us especially designed poles to engage
your upper body, turning that simple walk into total body exercise.
So you actually push it down and back with the poles,

(01:51):
which help you propel forward and works your muscles in
your arms, your shoulders, your chest and your core. That's
why I say I like this way of walking because
you're getting a full body work and I thought I
get hold of Laura devol CEO of North Pole Walking,
just to tell us a little bit more about the
origins and what makes us so effective.

Speaker 3 (02:09):
Hi lisal and listeners, I am Laura devoal CEO of
South Pole Nordic Walking, and I'm thrilled to share some
exciting news about a fast growing sport that's gaining traction
right here in South Africa. Nordic walking originating in Scandinavia.
Nordic walking is the cross country skiers summer training exercise

(02:32):
by using specially designed poles to turn a regular walk
into a full body workout, engaging ninety percent muscles, burn
forty six percent more calories, and reduces thirty percent impact
on your joints. Nordic walking poles are different from trekking poles.
They have gloves attached to the poles, which ensures a

(02:55):
soft hand technique, holding the poles behind the body at
a four five degree angle, therefore no need to grip
the poles, but rather activating the arms and shoulder stabilizer
muscles to propel the body forward. The poles are made
from carbon and are super strong, light and a great

(03:17):
shock absorber, creating a closed kinetic exercise, but it's so
much more than just fitness. Nordic walking is now emerging
as a powerful tool in neuro rehabilitation. We see life
changing results for people living with Parkinson's, stroke survivors and

(03:39):
those navigating anxiety, depression, or long term stress. By tapping
straight into the dopamine center, Nordic walking increases brain activity
and rewires the neurological circuits responsible for controlling walking. Additionally,

(03:59):
the increased contact with the ground due to the poles
allows for increased stability and balance. Nordic walking assists in
stroke rehab by gate retraining. Often after a stroke, individuals
will walk with a shuffling pattern and have their arms

(04:19):
out to the site to help with their balance due
to their fear of falling. Nordic poles increases the base
of support walking with your arms in a pendulum swinging action,
creating a rhythmic, coordinating balance effect. We now have a

(04:40):
growing network of certified instructors and therapists training in the
therapeutic use of Nordic walking with the correct technique. We
are also excited to announce an instructent certification course taking
place on August ninth, a great opportunity for for fitness trainers,

(05:01):
physiosots and anyone passionate about health fun in the sun
social movement. To get involved and for more info on
to connect with the instructor near you, visit our website
www dot Southpol, Nordic Walking dot coso info at Southpole

(05:24):
dot co dot CD, or reach out to us on Instagram,
Southpole dot Nordic Walking or Facebook Nordic Walk. This way
join us in stepping into a healthier, fun future, one
pole at a time.

Speaker 1 (05:42):
That's Laura Devalsia of North Pole Walking just telling us
all about Nordic Walking, that full body workout that originated
in Finland that improves cardiovascular health. I love that it
builds upper body strength and improves core stability and reduce
the stress on your joints, making it an easy option
for people with me and ship issues. And it also
enhances posture and balance that's especially important as we age

(06:05):
or for those recovering from an injury.

Speaker 2 (06:07):
I like that actually, because as you know, I do
love walking right. I will put on a good pair
of shoes and walk distances, but I tend to walk
at a leisurely pace because and I suppose given our height,
we do tend to stride further right, and therefore we'll
cover a lot more distance a lot quicker than somebody
who's shorter than us. But I there will be times

(06:29):
will be conscious let me walk more briskly so that
my heart rate does But generally, I mean, Captain is
too beautiful. You want to stop for a second and
watch the ocean and do all sorts of things like
I did last night. But what this is actually is
a miniature version of a complete workout effectively.

Speaker 1 (06:49):
Exactly, and it's a great one to add to your tools.
And I think for tested out those the risk a
hold of Laura and you and I go and test
out Nordic walking on the prom on a better day
when it's not raining. But I know that there are
some people that are doing then Nodic walking as they
take part in the seven or two walk the Talk
at the end of July, so we'd love to hear
from you if you're one of those and you're taking part,
let us know why you love the exercise. And also

(07:09):
just to remind everyone that entries are closing soon, so.

Speaker 2 (07:13):
Bit remember we can only host a maximum of twenty
thousand people on the walk. It's happening, of course, on
the twenty seventh of July in the city of Sane.
It's going to be at Freedom Park. There are three
distances that you can choose, the shortest being four kilometers.
I think six point seven kilometer is going to be
very very popular, and then eight kilometers is the longest one.

(07:36):
You have up until the twenty third, which is literally
a week from now. But I can assure you we
are dangerously close to that maximum number. So the sooner
you go to premeiu plus dot com and register to walk,
the better it will be for you. And you're always
remind listeners. The parking rides, that.

Speaker 1 (07:58):
Is always as that is the one I remember last year.
People will go crying at this time, already going we
didn't get our park and ride. So get your park
and ride the minute you buy your tickets, rather get
that done right away, because it does. That's the one
thing that sells out very very quickly. So get the
entries in. It's eleven days, eleven sleeps or twelve sleeps away.
Before that big day, the twenty seventh, I.

Speaker 2 (08:19):
Was chatting to one was it yesterday? It was yesterday
actually when he was speaking to the sweet surprise treat supplier,
and he referred to it as a sweet surprise, and
I went, not much of a surprise, you're telling but
there will be experience as a long lost and of

(08:39):
course at the end there's always a wonderful, wonderful experience
that we're going to be creating for you. So PRIMEIU
plus dot com is where you need to go. Walk
the Talk twenty twenty five is what you're searching for.
Make sure that you are registered because entries will close
on the twenty third of July or when we reach
our capacity of twenty thousand, and we are getting close
to that.

Speaker 1 (08:59):
When you're talking tomorrow, it's workout Wednesdays, I'm talking about Thursday. Sorry,
I'm a day.

Speaker 2 (09:05):
Behind, so that the days workout Wednesday, which is why
we going Nordic Walking Blonde over here.

Speaker 1 (09:11):
Obviously I'm testing out something new. I haven't checked my
list yet because I only flew in last night, so
you know i'll have something great prep Absolutely.

Speaker 2 (09:18):
Thank you very much, lizl find Wedsdays and happy birthday
once again. Good to have you back. She'll join us
again tomorrow morning.