Ninth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

Health professionals are recommending exercise, often in the form of walking, to encourage the population to be physically active in order to offset the negative side effects of sedentary living. Despite the overwhelming evidence in support of exercise in reducing these negative effects, research suggests that those that are at risk of cardiovascular and metabolic complications, generally lead sedentary lives and report below average levels of physical activity. This paper discusses the recent trends and growing popularity of the activity of Nordic walking. Nordic walking has been shown to have many positive health benefits, compared to walking without poles. Adding poles increases exercise tolerance and personal exertion limits, which allows participants to walk further and longer. The aim is to examine the recent literature related to the effects of Nordic walking on prevention and management of chronic diseases, as well as to present resent case studies examining impact of Nordic walking programs in Canadian Aboriginal communities, within a workplace setting and as part of diabetes education sessions in a clinical setting. These examples provide evidence of increased participation and rate of adherence, ease of transition from clinic to community and overall improved quality of life directly related to participation in a Nordic walking program.