My Community Ed Classes are now beginning. We had the first class of a 3 week class in Cold Spring last week, expected 8 from the sign ups and had 11 walkers come. It was a beautiful evening and a great beginning to the season. Check out the upcoming classes on my calendar and if you don’t see one near you let’s talk!
We have one more day in Bozeman, one more day on the mountain at Big Sky, and then we head home to Cold Spring,MN on Tuesday morning. Going home. It’s all new though as we sold our home of 34 years, the property I grew up on and loved, the place my kids and lots of daycare families called home.
I’m excited about really moving in and calling this new house home. I’m also missing my house, gardens and pool.
May the lake bless me with peaceful days and gentle nights. May I find new friends and new rhythms for my days there. May my old friends and family find me and know me there.
You see it everyday! People walking along on crowded sidewalks in public places looking down, focused on the cell phone in their hand. Accidents waiting to happen. And apparently they do, statistically speaking, the number one cause of injury to walkers is texting or reading emails on a cell phone while walking. These incidents cover everything from a simple bump to a serious crash with a car.
It’s just one more benefit of Nordic Walking. With poles in your hands you simply can’t be holding a phone and surfing the web step by step. You are free to focus on life around you, avoiding dangerous things like other pedestrians, street signs and curbs.
So go ahead, put that phone in your pocket and some poles in your hands. Step out today on a healthier and a safer way of walking!
I went for a Nordic walk to the Bozeman C-oop on Good Friday to pick up strawberries and fresh asparagus for Easter dinner. It’s only 2 miles so I figured I could leave the car at home and enjoy the brisk day.
As I neared my destination a young man literally jumped out in front of me asking if I was Nordic walking?! I’ve had lots of people ask if I had forgotten my skis or was prepping for winter skiing but this was a first! I was surprised, a little unnerved and of course curious. He was quick to explain that he had seen me a few blocks back and was just so excited to actually see someone Nordic walking.
As the story goes his girl friend is in Poland on a mission assignment and she has joined a Nordic Walking club. She’s apparently quite enthusiastic about it but he just didn’t really understand what it was all about. When he saw me he pulled over, texted her and she confirmed that I was probably Nordic walking and she would like a picture.
He told me all about himself, his girl friend, where he lives, how they met and apologized over and over for this being a bit unusual but telling me that he was not stalking me, he was really a normal guy, all while he got his phone out to take a picture. I posed in front of a large pine tree and he sent the pic right off to Poland.
I hope she looks me up and we get to take a walk together when she comes home next fall.
My dear friend and fellow Nordic walking enthusiast Lindy Smith is fond of saying “Look Up” when you’re walking. She loves clouds and blue skies plus it’s a good reminder to get your chin up and look where you are going.
So last week on a beautiful blue bird day here in Bozeman, Montana I “looked up” and saw first a pair of eagles soaring above me and about a mile later the local red tail hawks playing in the wind.
I “looked around” me and saw mountains everywhere, I believe I can see 5 different ranges from my center point in the Gallatin Valley.
I “looked down” and was surprised by the first crocus of the season. Do you think the white one was on purpose or just a surprise?
Spring has sprung and wonder surrounded me every step of the way, I only needed to look up, look around and look down to find it.
One of the best ways to enhance your Nordic walk is to get off the cement and asphalt and onto a soft trail. Just like coloring outside the lines it’s refreshing for both your body and your mind. I’m not suggesting a hiking trail in the mountains but a walking path that is wide enough and comfortable for you to maintain your gait and cadence while walking. Remember you’ll need to extend your poles about 2 cm.
There are multiple physical benefits to walking outside the lines. Soft ground offers less impact with each step so it’s easier on your lower joints and back. Finding balance on uneven ground burns more calories than walking on smooth hard surfaces. Trails will often provide a wider variety of contour, offering hills both up and down to raise your heart rate. Taking off the rubber tips will connect your poles deep with the ground creating more resistance and a better upper body workout.
Even more important is what happens with your brain while walking on soft trails through natural area. Studies show that a walk outdoors among trees and grass is actually good for your brain. It will relax you, open up creative pathways, and let you escape from the pressures and stresses of everyday life for a short time. Think of day dreaming while you’re walking and enjoy the wanderings in your brain.
Look for walking trails in parks, around lakes or through meadows. Cross country ski trails nearby may be mowed for summer walking. You may have to drive out of your neighborhood but it will be worth it.
Go ahead, take off those rubber tips and go for a walk outside the lines!
Check your technique with a quick assessment of your forward movement. We would all agree that Nordic Walking involves more energy than a simple stroll around the block. During our walk we should feel that our energy is directed forward, not up and down. Check your technique with these simple self observations.
1. Do your toes push off with each step moving you forward or are you bouncing up and down off your toes. You should feel that you are rolling off your foot and propelling yourself in a gliding motion forward without a lot of wasted movement up and down.
2. Are your legs swinging from the hip socket? Loose hips may sink ships but they will help you step forward with a comfortable stride landing in the middle of your heel. Let go and settle into your hips to allow a natural rotation of the hips with each step. This will also help release your lower back.
3. Nordic walking includes a long arm that swings forward from the shoulder with the pole quietly following to the contact point with the ground. Do not lift up the pole with the elbow to bring it up and down to the contact. Just like your hips, relax your upper back and let those arms swing with a bit of natural rotation.
I’ve been sharing time on the mountain with women and loving every minute of it. Some have been dear friends from the HOW, Hoigaards Outdoor Women, group. So delightful to have them here! Others have been new friends here at Big Sky for the first time. Listening to their stories and enjoying fun on the slopes together has been both fulfilling and inspirational for me.
I didn’t know how much I was missing my time with other women outdoors. We do more than just have fun together – we nurture, challenge and support each other. We respect our different levels of experience, ability and confidence and help each other move to the next level in all three areas. We laugh and cry out loud for the sheer joy of fresh air, sunshine, trees and fast turns down snow covered hills. At the end of the day we raise our glasses high in a toast to the wonders of all we’ve experienced that day.
Do you have a group of women to play with outdoors? HOW was one way to come together, my new friends found each other thru book groups, ski lessons and biking groups. No matter how these groups begin they are sure to grow once the word gets out that there is opportunity to go outside to play with other women.
Embrace your time together! Let it nourish and refresh you in all ways. and especially enjoy all those hugs that are sure to be going around!
I’m often asked to check a walker’s technique and give them some coaching tips. We all want to get the most out of our Nordic walk and really you’re probably doing just fine. But you can always listen closely to get some feedback from your own walk.
First, listen to your tips connecting to the ground. Do they land softly or do they jab the ground? Your pole should follow your arm swing and the tip should land gently, remember that Nordic Walking is low impact. No stabbing the ground, let your pole tip find the ground and begin the follow through.
Next, listen to your actual footstep. Is it quiet? Does your heel land softly followed by your foot rolling through and off the toes in a fluid motion? Or does your heel hit and the rest of your foot slap down onto the ground. There are many factors that might inhibit a smooth transition between heel and toe. It could be that you have a fairly rigid foot and need to work on flexibility. A stiff soled shoe can also be a contributing factor. You might be over striding. Think low impact and land lightly onto each step.
Finally listen to the rhythm created by the landing of the pole tip and your heel with each step. The tip should land first with the heel right behind it. Listen for a slight syncopation of the two contacts while you walk. It helps to take the rubber tips off and walk on a hard surface to make it easier to hear.
Having trouble listening? Get a friend to take a video you Nordic walking and do a self assessment from what you see.
I often have a tune in my head when I’m Nordic walking, especially if I’m walking alone. I usually don’t sing outloud but this newest video just may have me singing the new Nordic walking hymn as I step out on my walk. The words include “going to the doctor all smiling and happy.., doctor is surprised how fit and health I am , it’s because I’m Nordic Walking!
Enjoy!
