Physical fitness affects the whole body, including the heart and blood vessels, the immune system, muscles, bones and mental well-being.  It’s not just about being physically active.  There’s a whole raft of other factors – flexibility, joint mobility, and muscle strength to name a few.  Here’s eight ways to maximise your physical fitness, especially after the age of 40, with the odd comment (of course) as to why Nordic walking is such a great form of exercise.

Our Guest blog this week is by Fiona Morgan, Woman's Health Physiotherapist, MCSP, HCPC. 

Fiona from Clifton Physiotherapy is originally from South Africa and has been working in the area of women's health for the last 6 years. She has made it her goal to educate as many people about their pelvic floor as possible, and for that we are very grateful! Here's what she has to say about how your plumbing works..

The great benefit of our Nordic walking classes is that you get fit at the same time as having a good walk.  It sets you up nicely for longer walks, where the terrain might be trickier and the distances longer.  You will be surprised how much easier these walks become with a pair of Nordic walking poles in your hands.

There’s a plethora of lovely walks around Bristol and we’ve picked a few of our favourites for you to enjoy with us.  Those of you training for the Bath Beat might find them particularly useful as you increase your walking distances.

Last week I wrote about fitness benchmarking and the satisfaction derived from being able to walk longer/faster/hillier as your walking fitness increases.  Lots of you have fitbits, apple watches, garmins and the such like which record steps, miles, pace, heart rate, route etc.  These are a great and I certainly have a couple of them.  But did you know that there are also some fantastic apps you can use with your smart phone which are easy to download, often free, and don’t require any fancy watches to activate.  Here are three of the best:

An amazing 75 of our club have signed up for the Bath Beat walking event at the end of April.  We have been busy writing the training programmes for the different distances - 12.5, 17, 21 and 26.5 miles – and will be sending these out next week.  It has brought to mind the meaning of fitness: what it is, why it’s important, and how to achieve it.

For some reason, January is always the time of year I think about giving my Nordic walking poles an MOT.  Whilst they’re pretty low maintenance, it’s worth checking over the straps and paws every now and then.  So here’s some tips on pole care and what to do if things go wrong.

I’ve never experienced a full-blown murmuration.  The aerial dance of thousands of starlings which takes place over parts of Britain during the winter months.  One of the best hot spots is right on our doorstep at the RSPB's Ham Wall nature reserve on the Somerset levels.  Last Tuesday I headed down there to see what it was all about.

Another year goes by and another Bristol Nordic Walking video has been made by Ros.  It’s a bit of fun – but laughter and fun is a big part of what we’re about.  Thanks for getting involved (as if you had a choice) and for bringing your good spirits and delicious food to our Christmas party at Hunters café on Monday for the video premier.  It was a fantastic gathering and you all looked fabulous, trading walking boots and waterproofs for party dresses, statement shirts and a fair few crazy Christmas jumpers.

As most of you will know, Nordic walking derives from cross country skiing.  It was used as the summer training for elite athletes who wanted to continue their conditioning programme during the off season.  In Finland in the 1970s the universal health potential of this summer style was recognised and developed.  The name ‘Nordic walking’ was coined in 1997 and in 2000 INWA, the International Nordic Walking Federation, was formed. 

It’s here again – our BNW Spring Challenge – and this time we’re heading to Bath for the Bath Beat! 

Earlier this year over fifty of us took on the mighty South Wales Three Peaks.  We had an absolute blast, not just on the day itself but in the lead up too - upping our walking, increasing our fitness, encouraging each other and comparing notes.  Here’s the blog of how it went.