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.

It’s been bitterly cold at times this week and for me it’s when Nordic walking comes into its own.  This amazing exercise energises your whole body – from the tips of your fingers to the tips of your toes.  I know this from personal experience.  I used to suffer from Raynaud’s, where your fingers (and sometimes toes) go white and numb in cold weather.  Since Nordic walking this is a thing of the past – and my circulation in general has also improved.   

So you’ve discovered Nordic walking and want to buy your own poles?  Congratulations.  Having your own poles is liberating.  You can go out any time you want using a pole that is suited to your needs and a strap that fits your hand properly.  There’s also much more choice than a few years ago so it’s a great time to be buying.

This blog’s here to help you answer:

The other week I was taking an ‘Easy’ rated walk on the Downs.  If you were with me that day you may remember my encouraging you to walk the famous 0.5 mile tree avenue at a fast pace.  Someone said ‘But this is rated an easy class!’.  ‘Ah’ I said, ‘but easy doesn’t actually mean easy on your fitness – otherwise you won’t ever get fitter.  It means… well it means that the Downs is an easy place to walk because it’s generally flat’.

We have some more wonderful short Nordic walking trips for you to enjoy next year including a new one – the Surrey Hills.  Please look under Longer walks/Events on our website for further details.  Bookings for both The Surrey Hills and the Falmouth trip will open 8pm this Tuesday 6th November. 

Here's a little more information on each trip, including the date for our next Girona visit:

The Surrey Hills Fri 9^th- Sun 11^th May 2019

Put your hand up if you drop your head when you’re deep in thought whilst walking.  Or if you look down at your feet when on uneven ground.  (I’m guessing a fair few hands have gone up.)  What struck me this week is that this same altered body position is for very different reasons.

At a meeting of Bristol Health Partners last week, the speed at which people cross pedestrian crossings was discussed.  Guess what the average walking speed for over 65s is? It’s 0.8 meters per second.  This equates to an average of 2.88 km/h or 1.79 mph.  I’ve just tried walking at that speed and not only is it hard to walk that slowly but I couldn’t walk properly at that pace.  It was a flat footed shuffle.

We know that many of you are managing arthritis.  Indeed it was autoimmune arthritis that helped lead Vicky to discover Nordic walking and set up Bristol Nordic Walking in the first place. 

An exercise like Nordic walking can help reduce the pain and stiffness of arthritis because it maintains mobility and keeps muscles strong enough to support joints.  However, dietary and lifestyle choices are also important and, besides medication, there are other complimentary treatment options.