Earlier this year, our Maggie's Centre Nordic Walking group was fortunate enough to meet British Cycling legend and six-times Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy. Unsurprisingly, he was very familiar with the benefits of Nordic Walking and told us he sees lots of Nordic Walkers out and about whenever he's in Germany! #NordicWalking #MaggiesManchester #SirChrisHoy #CancerPhysicalActivity

It's Anne's, Tom's and Margaret's turn to tell us what difference Nordic Walking with our Manchester Wellbeing Fund supported groups in Chorlton Water Park and Wythenshawe Park has made to their health and wellbeing: Everyone in the group is friendly and although I know several people who attend, I have made new friends and acquaintances since joining the group. Being outdoors in all weathers is definitely a mood lifter for me, and by varying the route I have become familiar

Here's why Nick, Natalie and Marjorie love coming to our Wellbeing Nordic Walking groups in Wythenshawe Park and Chorlton Water Park: We love coming to the Nordic walking group for many reasons. The welcome is friendly and the group is well organised. The warm up exercises at the beginning and the cool down stretches at the end of the session have definitely improved our suppleness over time. The routine of walking with the poles makes us more aware of our coordination and po

Next up in our series of Wellbeing group members talking about how Nordic Walking has benefitted them, Ros (regularly joining our Wednesday group in Wythenshawe Park) and Roz (walking with the Tuesday group in Chorlton Water Park): "1. It is great for me to be able to walk quite fast again despite arthritis in my hip. 2. I am trying to rebuild the muscles in my right leg and Nordic walking is helping with that. It also takes stress off my pelvis and hip joints. 3. It enables

Thankfully, the benefits of Nordic Walking for fitness, health and wellbeing have become more and more widely known in the UK and are now recognised by the NHS, Public Health England and the Centre for Ageing Better. There is a vast amount of research into the benefits, and we have probably all seen the usual figures (uses 90% of the body's muscles, burns 20-40% more energy, etc.), but to round off the picture, I asked some of the participants in my Manchester Wellbeing Fund

#NordicWalking #Walking #WalkingGroup #NordicWalkingBeginnersWorkshops #Miscellaneous #NordicWalkingTasterSessions #NordicWalkingBenefits #Didsbury #Manchester

Fletcher Moss Park, Didsbury, in February Although the first snowdrops and crocuses have started to appear across our parks in South Manchester, the muddy season is still in full swing, and for many of us the thought of slipping and sliding about while out Nordic walking (not to mention coming away covered in mud up to our knees) can present a bit of a challenge. In fact, a recent poll has found that almost half of the 2,000 surveyed participants in Britain tend to avoid spen

Although Nordic Walking has been around for a while now, there are still a lot of half-truths about the activity floating around. Let’s take a closer look at some of them… 1. It’s only for older people. It is fantastic for older people, but… Nordic Walking is an ideal activity for older adults and those recovering from certain illnesses or injuries. The list of health benefits is long: studies prove that Nordic Walking has positive effects on people suffering from cardiovascu

Nordic Walking has become quite a common and well-known activity here in Britain, so we don’t get too many bemused looks any more when out and about. Comments I used to attract include: “Have you lost your skis?” “Is this pavement skiing?” “Are you training for an Arctic race?” “Where’s the snow?” “This is just posh walking, isn’t it?” So I would stop and explain, and depending on how much time there was (and how interested people really were), I would say something like this

May is National Walking Month, and Manchester is celebrating with a big Walking Festival organised by TfGM in partnership with HOME. Here is an overview of free Nordic Walking opportunities taking place in different parts of Greater Manchester throughout the month of May (the complete schedule of guided walks can be downloaded here): Monday 1 May 1:00pm Nordic Walk in Heaton Park Bury Sport and Physical Activity Service – ‘Walk with Me’ Nordic Walking uses specially-designed

The simple answer is, NO! While both types of poles definitely have their place, they are designed for different purposes, and although you can hike or hill walk using certain makes of Nordic Walking poles, you can’t Nordic walk using trekking poles. Here’s an overview of the main differences: Theresa May photographed walking in the Swiss Alps in August 2016 (although this Daily Mail article claims she is Nordic Walking, she is not!) Purpose Trekking poles: for support and ba

Imagine the following scenario: it's a cold, grey day in February. The paths in the park are covered with mud and puddles, and soon the murky day will turn into a dark, cold evening and an even darker, colder night. Will you snuggle up on the sofa with a blanket and a cup of tea (and biscuit!), or will you put on your walking shoes and head outside? While low temperatures, frequent rain and short days are likely to turn us into hygge-loving couch potatoes, here are a few reas

Flooding in Fletcher Moss Park, Didsbury, January 2017 One of the participants in last Saturday's Beginners' Workshop told us about the following exchange she'd had with her son right before coming to the session: Mum: "I'm going Nordic Walking." Son: "Well, Mum, sorry - but it'll still just be Manchester Walking..." Made me laugh! It was especially pertinent as last Saturday was one of those relentlessly soggy days typical of Manchester in January. All of Fog Lane Park exude

So you've just completed the first part of our NordicFit+ Nordic Walking Beginners' Workshop and you're wondering how to practice - without having your hire poles available? Here's a mid-week reminder of three basic steps you can work on while walking the dog, to the shops - or anywhere really - this week: Posture First, be mindful of posture. Good, neutral, 'active' posture means, among other factors, keeping your core muscles engaged (drawing your belly button back towards

Wishing everybody a very happy new year! Hope to see you at one of our classes in 2017! #NordicWalking #Miscellaneous

#NordicWalking #Miscellaneous

Are you looking for a way to keep fit and healthy in the new year? Would you like to spend more time outdoors? Have you heard about Nordic Walking and want to know what it's all about? If any or all of the above apply to you, check out our set of six FREE Nordic Walking Taster Sessions and four Nordic Walking Beginners' Workshops taking place in Fog Lane Park, East Didsbury, throughout January! FREE Taster Sessions Taster Session 1: Friday, 6 January, 10am-10.30am Taster Sess

I Nordic walked South Manchester parkrun last Saturday, which was a fantastic experience. I love that parkrun is such an inclusive event: you can run, jog, walk or even Nordic walk; you can get all competitive and see it as a race against others or a race against yourself, or you can have a relaxed morning jog around the park (sunshine does help); you can push through to the finish line, or you can take it easy and alternate between running and walking; and you can keep to yo

Although we certainly don't need celebrities to convince us about the benefits of Nordic Walking, I thought it would be fun to do a roundup of celebrities who endorse Nordic Walking or who are keen Nordic Walkers themselves. (I would define 'celebrities', quite loosely, as people with frequent or high media exposure.) The ones I've come across are, in no particular order: Clare Balding Nordic Walking with INWA instructors Catherine Hughes and Rachel Davis BBC presenter, journ

Nordic Walking was adopted as a popular sport in Germany, where I'm from, far earlier than in the UK. I remember newspaper and magazine articles, promotional material by sporting goods manufacturers, and Nordic Walking groups and courses appearing more widely in c. 2003. It is therefore not surprising that Nordic Walking has seeped into German popular culture to a far greater extent. Reading picture books with my 2.5-year old daughter, I recently came across these two images: