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Tomorrow is the 2nd Annual Great Lakes Nordic Walkers Open House at Centennial Lakes Pavilion. From 3:30-6:30pm it will be all about Nordic Walking. It’s going to be a beautiful day for a walk! here’s some fun pictures from last year to get you excited.
When asked about the difference between trekking and nordic walking poles I first have to ask “what you are planning on doing? ” Are you hiking on a trail? Will you be carrying a pack or a camera? Are you a fitness walker? Are you traveling with your poles? What is your main purpose for using the poles? What is your goal for using the poles? Your activity of choice ultimately determines your equipment, and be aware, poles are most definitely equipment that has been designed for a very specific purpose. You choose your activity and then your equipment. That way you can be confident that the equipment will perform effectively and safely to your expectations. You would’ t buy cross country ski equipment and then decide to go downhill skiing with it. Could you make it work, sure, if you are a strong skier you could telemark down on those skinny skis, but your experience will be different from what most of us . Trekking poles are designed to be used on trail. Their designated purpose is to help balance you and take the load off your joints when on uneven ground. You carry them in front of you picking them up and placing them for maximum support. Your goal is to safely and efficiently get from point A to point B. Nordic walking poles are designed for fitness. Your hands stay low, you connect to the ground and push down and back to increase your workout and maximize the benefits of walking. There’s rhythm and flow to your walk. You may be on hard surface or soft trail but your goal is to create an body workout increasing calorie burn and heart rate Can you use trekking poles for Nordic walking? and vice versa can you carry your Nordic walking poles while hiking ? Of course you can but a better question is can you safely and effectively use them for a purpose other than what they have been designed to do? If you’re serious about dong some Nordic Walking bite the bullet and buy a quality pair of poles. I promise you won’t regret that purchase. It’s spring time in Minnesota and we have two wonderful opportunities for you to expand on your Nordic Walking knowledge and skills. If you are an outdoor educator, community group leader, corporate wellness coordinator, group exercise leader, fitness trainer, Active Aging Adult programmer, Nordic Walking is a fun and affordable way to promote daily fitness activity within your programs. Tom Rutlin’s Exerstride Method Nordic Walking Instructor Training is on Wednesday, April 11 from 5-9pm at Eagan Community Center in Eagan, Minnesota. Registration is available on line or you can register the day of the event at no extra cost. Poles will be available to use for the training and special pricing will be available for purchase of poles for your programming. Nordic Walk Now Instructor Training is being offered through Normandale Community College on Saturday May 12 from 8:30am-noon. Learn Suzanne Nottingham’s low impact Nordic Walking technique using LEKI poles. Register on line for this course, 3 CEU’s available. For more information or details on these programs please email me today!
Risk and Trust. Laura and Mia took me to the top of the chutes off the tram at Snowbird. I have never skied a “chute”, like to stay away from close encounters with rocks and steeps. When I hesitated Laura said to me, “I’ve never asked you to do something that I didn’t believe you could do.” She’s right. So I pulled up my big girl panties and followed them. Because I trusted them I was willing to take the risk and it was awesome!
my chute is the towards the middle with the pine tree at the bottom of it What are you willing to risk for new adventures? What do you want to learn to do, where do you want to go? kayaking, Nordic walking, roller skiing, Boundary Waters, Apostle Islands? It’s time to make that list and commit the time! The kitchen is full of laughter and stories right now. HOW women talking about their day of skiing and their lives. What a beautiful mix of conversations. It’s one of the gifts of being the HOW Coordinator, Hoigaard’s Outdoor Women, for Hoigaard’s.
It takes a lot of planning to make a trip like this come together. We don’t do it through an agency so the details are all mine. I love it when a plan comes together. The house we’ve rented is amazing, the weather has cooperated and the ladies, all 13 of us, are skiing well. We skied Solitude on Sunday with the early arrivals, Snowbird yesterday under blue skies and spring conditions, and Brighton today . Tonight the forecast is for snow, we’re keeping our fingers crossed! My other blessing of this trip: Time with my daughter Laura. She’s here on the trip with her friend Mia. She inspires me and supports me. She even got me to ski one of the chutes off the top of Snowbird yesterday
Our next adventure is a kayaking trip on Lake Superior. Are you a paddler, want to join us? I’m waiting for you! contact me today!
The snow was awesome today! It had blown in and covered everyone’s tracks from yesterday. We skied our favorite tree runs at Moonlight Basin; Broken Heart, Single Jack, Shaft Way and Big Tree Cut Off.
It’s been so much fun to ski with my brother Bruce the past 9 days. Tomorrow he heads back to California, I’ll drive to Salt Lake City to meet up with the HOW trip, Dan will fly back to Minnesota for some business. But we’re not done yet. Next weekend we’ll ski Jackson Hole with Michelle and Brian, then back to Big Sky for the last week. It’s been 2 weeks of winter. Lots of snow, cold temps and wind. I’m hoping for a few bluebird days in Salt Lake City! “The mountains are calling and I must go.” John Muir End of week one of the 2nd annual Lemke Ski About. I have four weeks of living the dream, skiing day after day in the mountains. How do you leave home and work for four weeks? It’s not easy for me to do that.I’m very connected to my life and I really enjoy my job. Being unconnected makes me feel disconnected and I’m not sure what to do with that. This is one of my daily challenges. My day starts later here. No early morning walk, instead some stretching and a cup of coffee as I watch the day come alive. Then we gear up and go skiing. My walks come at the end of the day, a chance to stretch out my legs and enjoy walking where the peaks rise above me. I’m trying hard to not open up the computer and email at the beginning of the day. I’m eating less and eating better. I’m outdoors every single day. My head is less full of lists. So far so good.
We arrived in Big Sky Montana on Sunday evening, the beginning of my second annual “ski about” in the mountains. Thanks to Hoigaard’s I have the opportunity to live the dream of being a ski bum for the next 30 days. It’s also the perfect time to test the “30 days to a new habit” theory. I’ve been struggling with making some changes in my daily life habits. I let the excuse of a busy schedule keep me from making good food choices, following through on my shoulder PT, going to a yoga class and so much more. For the next 30 days my schedule is open. Skiing will fill in much of my day but the rest of the time is open. I am in charge of setting the priorities, making the choices and living with the outcomes. I am committed to focusing on me right now and not letting this opportunity get away from me. The good news; my darling hubby is on board with the plan for his own changes. I’ll keep you posted! wish me luck I have to admit that paper work is not one of my strengths. The time it takes to sit down to update calendars and edit events is hard to commit. It would seem that spring is just around the corner today with the sunshine and warmth on the slopes. So today was the day to get my spring community ed classes on the calendar. If you’re curious or an experienced pole walker there is a class, walking group or training for you! I’m excited about the opportunities for this spring. Along with all of the classes and walks we are hosting the 2nd Annual Great Lakes Nordic Walking Open House on Saturday April 21. It’s an excellent time to invite your friends and family to come and find out what Nordic Walking is all about. Be sure to like my page on Facebook to keep up with all the Nordic Walking in Minnesota. I’ve spent the past five days skiing in Colorado at Winter Park and Vail. I was a bit concerned about how I would do in the mountains since I’ve not done much skiing this year. I am pleased to tell you that all of my Nordic walking training paid off. Gail and I have been double poling, skipping, lunging and “picking up the pace” all fall in preparation for the ski season. We were hoping to use some of our increased strength and stamina for some Nordic skiing but winter here has been disappointing at best. Even our downhill skiing has been limited. But in the mountains my legs were strong and I skied well! My dear hubby will tell you I kicked his butt. I’m not sure about that but I did ski longer than him and was not sore at the end of the day. Tired from long days on the slopes and ready each morning to do more. Yea for Nordic walking! |
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