NORDIC WALKING
AT GERSTUNG!

Nordic Walking at Gerstung


GERSTUNG NORDIC WALKING TRAINING
$38 (Includes Equipment Rental)
Three Essential Sessions
Minimum 3, Maximum 6 Students
Call For Appointment!
410-337-7781
 
Nordic Walking at Gerstung Video
Nordic Walking at Gerstung was featured on the local WBAL TV 11 News. Watch It!



Press Release: European Fitness Craze Comes to Baltimore
Article: From Pessimist to Specialist
Article: History of Nordic Walking

What is Nordic Walking?

Nordic Walking is fitness walking with specially designed Nordic Walking poles and offers a very efficient aerobic workout and easy way to improve your physical condition irrespective of age, sex or physical condition.

Nordic Walking has become the hottest new trend in fitness in recent years, spreading rapidly all over the world. It is a time efficient low-stress, total body workout which is fantastic for weight-loss, as well as keep you fit, toned and help you look better. It is great for your Body, Mind and most anyone can do it, regardless of age, weight, or gender.

Nordic Walking is great for people who are looking for a smart physical Activity with maximum health benefits, combined with fun and convenience. You will also enjoy Nordic Walking if you can no longer take the steady pounding of running or jogging on your joints, but want the same benefits.

Walking with your poles as little as thirty minutes a day, three times a week, can help lower your blood pressure, reduce your cholesterol, and help to relieve back, shoulder and neck pain. After only a few weeks you will notice the difference - more relaxed muscles, better conditioning and better health.

Health Benefits

Many doctors agree that Nordic walking is one of the most effective cardiovascular workouts because it works all major muscle groups in the body.

Recent studies by the Cooper Institute, Dallas, showed that Nordic walking burned more calories, increased oxygen consumption, and can be up to 46% more efficient than normal walking.

Nordic walking is also great for weight loss. By using the Nordic walking poles, you increase your heart rate on average 10-15% more than normal walking. This means you can burn well over 400 calories per hour, much more than normal walking, which only burns approximately 280. An additional energy consumption of 1500-2000 calories a week while doing physical activities reduces your risk of getting sick. You can achieve this by walking with your poles approximately 3 hours every week.

Nordic walking offers more health benefits than regular walking, jogging, biking or running.

Normal walking, even with a fast pace and good stride, only uses approximately 70% of the muscle mass in the body at any given time. Put some Nordic Walking poles in your hands, and with the proper technique, you will now be utilizing up to 90% of your body’s muscle while increasing your heart rate significantly. Just look at the picture opposite comparing heart rates between standard and Nordic Walking.

Beach photo provided by anwa.us

 


WE TRIED IT!


I've always enjoyed walking in nature. When I had my babies, I pushed them in the stroller but lamented that I could no longer swing my arms. Years later, Nordic walking has entered my awareness. I can actually use the strength of my arms to locomote. Besides being a total body workout, it is fun and something I can sustain. Though I will drive to beautiful trails and bring my poles, I can also step out of my house and begin. Thank you Mr. Gerstung for your infectious enthusiasm for the sport.
- Andrea Gauzza-Langlie
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I love Nordic Walking and have been out several times a week since completing the classes. I recently went on a 90 minute trek all over Mt Washington - wow, what a work out! I’ve also gotten lots of looks and interesting comments from passersby. Just yesterday a neighbor stopped me to inquire about the poles and is now considering taking the classes with you. I look forward to Nordic Walking with you in the near future – I’ll keep an eye on the Gerstung website for possible dates.
- Kathleen Costigan
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I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your great instruction in Nordic walking and to extol the virtues of this “new way of walking” for readers of your website. I can honestly say that Nordic walking has transformed my personal exercise regimen quite substantially and in the most positive way; indeed, regular walking without the “horsepower boost” that Nordic walking provides has lost much of its former luster. I continue to be amazed at how quickly one can cover large expanses of ground through Nordic walking, what a terrific total body workout this form of walking provides, and what fun walking has become as a result. The new feeling that I experience when engaged in Nordic walking is “walking more with the upper body.” That is a radical shift in the sensation normally experienced in regular walking and the redistribution of physical effort has the beneficial effect not only of strengthening the upper body (including the abdomen) and improving posture, but also in lessening the fatigue that may be experienced after a long walk. In fact, even after a long Nordic walk, I am really not that tired and have the desire to continue indefinitely—a physical impossibility, of course, but nevertheless a sensation that I have rarely if ever had while engaged in regular walking, and certainly not after jogging.

One of the more profound and surprising results of Nordic walking has been the ability to negotiate hills without an appreciable slowing down. When walking regularly there is a natural tendency to slow down because of the grade of the slope. During Nordic walking, however, the continuous activity of the upper body in firmly planting and pushing off from the poles ensures a steady and fairly rapid pace up the hill. This is largely because of the sustained and substantial acceleration one receives from the repeating pole plant/push off and from the mental concentration that is spontaneously required to maintain the regularity of the plant. In some ways, this mental aspect reminds me of what I was told years ago about how certain American Indian tribes used to make a “chuh” sound after every fourth step whenever they wanted to cover a large expanse of ground at a rapid pace. Normally, when walking regularly, I would not relish ascending a hill, but with Nordic walking I have found that I am eager to go up hills and never cease to be amazed at how quickly they can be negotiated.

It is only a matter of time before Nordic walking becomes more widespread in the U.S., as it apparently already has in Europe. Perhaps when a celebrity takes up this activity it will become more “socially acceptable,” but for all those who may be considering Nordic walking now, I would heartily recommend that they not delay. I think many people who are not Nordic walkers must wonder why a person is “walking with poles.” If they only knew what was actually occurring through the upper body and specific hand and arm action in planting and pushing off with the poles, not to mention the palpable acceleration and fun one experiences while walking in this manner, there would be many more converts. Thank you again, Siegfried, for bringing this magnificent form of exercise to our community.
- David Sale