In this past month, the pace and the buzz about Balance Walking is at an all out running pace with cheers along the way.

Foundationally, the secret is no longer, as the goal has always been to provide everyone the opportunity to learn how to Balance Walk and to connect with others in communities around the world regardless of the demographic, health, fitness, location – age. One minute I am speaking by phone or email to Executives and Program Directors, then the next I am brainstorming with the local grassroots public who simply want to form Meetup groups. After only a minute, I am always asked; where do I get poles and how do I get started? The key foundational component I impress upon them is to Balance Walk with others to connect in community and in conversation.

As I speak with people, the most fun is anticipating the same series of comments: this would be great at my office, we could do this here or there, I know somebody who would be a great coach and on and on! The ideas and insights from professionals and the public have been amazing.

Even those that have been involved with a small pocket of Nordic Walkers for years are now calling me and wanting to be part of our education program as Masters (those who train other Coaches and Walk Leaders) or coaches and walk leaders. We have set this effective program in place through much planning and collaborative initiatives. We will be able to plug in virtually anywhere.

You will begin to see Balance Walkers showing up near you. If you do not see a group, simply shoot me an email tkennedy@balancewalking.com or call 770.916.5996 and I will share with you how to start a walking group. This is such fun to meet people from around the world in the 100+ email conversations and phone calls. I am positioning qualified Masters to handle the Balance Walking demands.

Renee is one of several who come with awesome experience and passion. After we met, and in less than a week, she had 53 people sign up for the Pink Pole Balance Walking program. Here is a great story that she shared the other day:

READ MORE

Let’s have some Fun and Walk Today. No need to wait. 15 minutes of Balance Walking a day can deliver nearly the equivalent of 30 minutes a day of regular walking for a multitude of health benefits for you. You can do this Indoors and in the Great Outdoors.

Let’s Go! Connect with a Community

Find a Group.

Find a Coach or Walk Leader.

As Director of Balance Walking Worldwide, my team will be using many tools that have been under development radar. We will release these tools one by one to give everyone choices that will better fit their needs.

We have launched and will encourage all new Coaches and Walk Leaders (anyone looking to start to Walk today) to set up their own Meetup Balance Walking group. This is so easy.

Give me a shout at www.balancewalking.com or tkennedy@balancewalking.com and I will answer questions and help you set up your own program. You can be a corporation, a non profit, private fitness or health coach, or someone looking for others to walk and talk with today.

Come On!

We have Renee McLaughlin, a Balance Walking coach who in less than 1 week had 53 walkers looking to get started on one of our initiatives – Pink Pole Balance Walking.

Renee started with “Blast Away the Inches with Balance Walking!” in the website www.meetup.com – one of our tools.

Renee’s opening message (after consulting with her) was right on point and her post is placed in her “about section in Meetup” (read more)

Robin T., a 2nd grade teacher

“My lifestyle is busy, and my body was unfortunately showing signs of inactivity and weight gain. My lower back was making it difficult to enjoy my students and family. I joined the Walk Club at school with my faculty friends and within the first 2 weeks my back pain WAS GONE and I had already lost 4 pounds.”
- Robin T., 2nd grade teacher & mother

“Our neighborhood Nordic Walking class has gotten the whole family outdoors together at least 3 times per week. We have significantly impacted our insulin dependence, improved family dynamics and feel great. There is even a high school program to get the teenagers on their feet whether they are track stars or in the marching band.”
- Michael, Michelle and Laura D., a diabetic family

“As a 60-year old active physician, it was immediately obvious the value of Nordic Pole Walking. Many of my patients were stuck in a rut of needing to exercise but not feeling comfortable in traditional gyms or training regiments. Nordic Pole Walking is the best low-impact, cardio activity I have come across. Our patients walk for their heart, their health and their life.”
- Dr. Art L., heart surgeon inner city hospital

“Our busy practice has totally benefited from our Foot Solutions Nordic Pole Walking classes. We have pregnant moms, mature patients and staff, all walking, sharing ideas and staying fit. It’s a win-win for women’s health!”
- Nurse Denise M. & Dr. Carol H., Ob-Gyn

The complete total body workout engages 90% of the body’s muscles and burns up to 46% more calories than traditional walking.
* Lose weight
* Strengthen core muscles
* Reduce stress to your knees, hip, and back
* Adaptable workout for all fitness levels
* all in 15 minutes

The basic concept behind Balance Walking, comes from cross country skiing. Similar health and fitness benefits can be achieved without the snow or the skis. All that is needed is a set of poles and a pair of rocker sole shoes and you are on your way to a healthier more youthful life.

Become a Balance Walking Coach for FREE!!!
Join the fastest growing activity in the US that caters to all fitness levels and goals.

What is creating all the excitement over this new activity? The benefits are endless, whether you are a top athlete or walking around with a cane. When it comes to exercise, time and location can be a roadblock. With Balance Walking, these are no longer concerns, as Balance Walking can be done anywhere and the very nature of the exercise incorporates the entire body, creating an efficient workout in less time. Get started today!

This is a great article that we discovered in the Military Times and reveals another area of use that poles can become a tool to to lessen joint strain. Those that have had hip, knee and ankle surgery find an amazing amount of relief as they march through rehabilitation protocols. Whenever you can unload a joint without creating additional strain or new strains elsewhere that is a good thing, right. You are likely to be more compliant with your Doctors therapies on the road to recovery.

Anyway enjoy the article – Military Times By Mike Gordon – Gannett News Service

The Nordic walkers have heard them all.

Where’s the snow?

Did you forget your skis?

Are you training for the Winter Olympics?

These athletes are hard to ignore. With a pole in each hand, stabbing at the ground with every stride, Nordic walking aficionados appear out of their element.

Nevertheless, the awkward-looking pursuit is gaining converts on the streets of Honolulu, where tropical snowfall is measured only in shave-ice spills.

It’s particularly appealing to people whose sore knees and feet make workouts a pain.

“I didn’t want to do any exercise that would injure my joints, like my knees, and Nordic walking takes weight off and pressure off your hips, knees and ankles,” said Betsy Wilson, 56.

Wilson started Nordic walking about six months ago. She was working out regularly at a gym and wanted to boost her effort. Now she walks with her poles about three times a week, usually for an hour.

“You have to really stand up straight when you’re walking,” Wilson said. “You have to stand tall and have good posture. It makes your whole body feel better to stand up straight. You breathe better.”

Wilson took her husband, Bob Sumpf, on one of her early walks. Sumpf, a marathoner who has run since the early 1970s, couldn’t keep up. So he bought his own poles.

“I got over the geek factor in a hurry,” the 60-year-old Sumpf said. “I think it is a legitimate form of exercise. It is better than just walking. It kind of gets you into a rhythm where you are going faster.”

The similarities to cross-country skiing are no accident.

Sometimes called ski walking,hill bounding or ski striding, the activity originally developed decades ago in Finland as an off-season workout for Nordic skiers. Today, an estimated 7 million Europeans regularly use Nordic walking poles, which can cost $50 to almost $200.

“People in Europe, when they go walking, they walk with poles,” said Eric Okamura, owner of Fit For Life, an exercise and massage studio in Iwilei, Hawaii. “It is very rare that you see them without them.”

And yes, he’s heard all the comments, too.

“There is a little dork factor associated with Nordic poles because they are so uncommon, but there are too many health benefits to ignore,” he said. “So you let it roll off your back.”

The Cooper Institute, which studies fitness and health, found that Nordic walking burned nearly 43 percent more calories than traditional walking.

Great article: America Wasn’t Born Fat, by Harley Pasternak
Right about now, a whole bunch of Americans are quitting their New Year’s resolutions to lose weight if they haven’t quit already. What a shame. Americans can’t really afford to pack on any more pounds. With more than 225 million overweight people, the Unites States is the most obese country in the world, at a cost of $117 billion a year. It’s an understatement to say we’re facing a pandemic.

Yet, dare I boldly say the solution isn’t all that complicated? The alarming obesity rate in the U.S. can be distilled to one basic truth: Americans consume more calories than they burn. It’s a fact. And, I hate to be so blunt, but America wasn’t born fat. The birth weight of the average American infant is 8.13 lbs. In fact, the standard deviation for birth weight is relatively small. Therefore, it’s safe to say, we all come into this world approximately the same size. So, where do we start to morph into chubby kids, fat teens and obese adults?

We often hear of the fat gene. Many overweight Americans plead their innocence by claiming their parents were fat and they inherited the same genetics. To some extent, there is a genetic component to metabolism (we all have that friend who can eat anything in any amount and never gain a pound). However, with the exception of some rare metabolic diseases, there is no excuse for being overweight.

Let me personalize the reasons for my frustration with obesity. Both of my brothers were born with Type 1 diabetes, a metabolic disease that requires them to inject themselves with five needles a day, multiple daily blood sugar tests, and dietary modifications. Diabetes is the number one cause of heart disease, blindness and amputation. Short of a scientific miracle, my brothers will have diabetes for the rest of their lives. Unlike Type 1, Type 2 diabetics are not born with their disease. The number one risk factor for Type 2 diabetes is obesity.

So why is America the fattest country in the world (with, subsequently, the highest number of diabetics, heart attacks, and kidney failures)? Could the soil in America contain too much of a rare enzyme that inhibits our livers ability to metabolize fat? Maybe the air we breathe in America destroys our thyroid gland dramatically slowing down our caloric expenditure. Perhaps the Unites States proximity to the North Pole causes a magnetic field over the country that causes us to store more fat. Obviously, it’s none of the above.

Through my work as a nutritionist and trainer to celebrity clients, I’ve had amazing opportunities to travel the world. In my experience, I made what seemed to be a remarkable discovery: the farther I travel from the U.S., the easier it is to find foods that are both nourishing and slimming. And, people outside the U.S. appear to be healthier and leaner.

I’ve gleaned a unique perspective on the nutrition, diet and lifestyle habits that many foreign countries have followed for centuries and its inspired me to want to educate people on just how easy it is to live healthier. And, it IS easy. Creating an overall healthy lifestyle for yourself doesn’t require a radical diet or significant life change. In fact, it can be attained through common sense decisions about the way we eat, move and live. This is the foundation of The 5-Factor World Diet.

The worlds 10 leanest and longest-living nations are Japan, Singapore, China, Sweden, France, Italy, Spain, South Korea, Greece and Israel. Why? They consume, prepare and burn their food in a manner that enables them to stay healthy and lean. Let me share examples from a few countries:

Japan
* They eat mainly rice, fish and vegetables – naturally high in carbs and fiber, low in calories and fat – and their primary protein source is fish, high in Omega-3 fatty acids; they rarely eat the red meat Americans consume in such heart-stopping portions. Rather than sugary beverages, they drink antioxidant-rich green tea.
* The Japanese prepare their food by boiling, grilling, steaming and serving it raw.
* They burn what they consume through much more active lives than Americans. For the business of everyday life, they travel by foot.
Oh, and the Japanese follow hara hachi bunme the practice of eating until 80 percent full, then waiting 20-30 minutes to determine if you’re still hungry.

Sweden
* Sweden’s year-round diet consists of dairy, dark fibrous breads and fish, fish, fish. The calcium in dairy can help the body convert from fat-storing to fat-burning mode. Dark bread like rye or pumpernickel is much healthier than the refined white bread favored by many Americans.
* The Swedes prepare their food through curing, smoking, pickling and boiling. Pickling food contains digestive-system-friendly probiotics and, while boiling may not be the tastiest, it’s effective without adding fat!
* Year-round fitness is a key component of Swedish slimness. Nordic walking (walking with long poles) burns 20 percent more calories than walking without poles. And, people in Sweden primarily walk and bike to work.
Oh, and Scandinavians make their sandwiches open-face, emphasizing the healthy fillers and not the bread.

Israel
* Israeli cuisine is a delicious hybrid of Middle Eastern styles. They consume grilled meats (mostly chicken), protein-rich legumes, and meals made with tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, lemon and olive oil. Sesame seeds – consumed by Israelis nearly every day – are not only a nutritional powerhouse, they can help lower cholesterol and prevent high blood pressure. Pita bread, the country’s preference, being thin and hallow, has a fraction of the calories of other breads.
* Israel favors grilling and baking their food. Meat dishes are prepared simply, often grilled with a mixture of spices and no fatty sauces.
* Because Israelis are required to join the army at age 18, they are instilled with a strong foundation of fitness at an early age. Burning what they eat is a lifelong habit.
Oh, and many Israeli families prefer to eat at home over a restaurant. It’s a wise practice, as they have more control over the content and size of their meals.

If Americans want to get healthier in 2010, they need to resolve to take lessons from beyond our borders. The good news is the extraordinary journey of living a healthy life doesn’t require a passport.

Harley Pasternak is one of America’s most renowned nutrition and fitness experts and author of the new book, The 5-Factor World Diet.

It is 2 weeks later and I am just getting to report back on the 10k Classic Balance Walking Event on Sept 7, 09. Balance Walkers are discovering how much fun and how easy it is to learn. The benefits for health & fitness are just too simple to pass up.

The day of the event has come and gone, but I would like to thank all the volunteers on Hwy US 41 for 6.2 miles of long successive hills handing water out and cheering. Not to forget to also mention that these hills were near to a mile in length. The weather was perfect. And those in the Balance Walking Division were so scattered throughout the Walking Division ( which at this event is beginning to out grow the Running Division ) you might pass someone from time to time with poles.

Most of the time you were keeping your head up as you weaved in and out of those in the Walking Division, passing all the walkers who were moving slower. Most everyone we passed would glance at my daughter who is 8 and they would say as she poled right by them, “way to go honey”. My daughter usually responded with a smile and “thank you and you need to get some poles from my Dad @ Foot Solutions.” What a trooper.

Rock n Roll with a New Sole & Nordic Poles. Better Health through Your Feet

Questions asked often about Balance Walking

Why do you call it Balance Walking?
Do you have classes where you can learn?
Do you have video on how to do it?
Do you need a particular walking pole?
How long do I need to walk?
Do you burn more calories than regular walking?
Do I need a particular shoe?
Can you do this indoors?
Do they have competitive races?

Hint: yes, yes and you will love it, walk and talk, this is for everyone, all ages! I see families everywhere bringing balance to their lives!

Balance Walking is a combination of several things that should be part of any health and wellness lifestyle program. Each requires observations and questions that are relevant to each individual. So let’s cover these important considerations before putting on your shoes, grabbing your poles and heading out.

You can start with or without the particular footwear that I will discuss in more detail later. The greatest benefits come to all with the combination of footwear and Nordic poles. We are excited to have a growing network of coaches and community advocates to introduce the Balance Walking program to help you begin today.

Your Program needs to consider

• Analysis of where you stand today physically
• Prescription of how to begin with a plans and goals
• Professional coaching to motivate, monitor progress and modify as you progress
• And if its Family activity know that is a great healthy way to spend time together

The Balance Walking Book – “Turn Back the Clock” briefly acknowledges 4 key training areas

• Cardiovascular
• Strength/Flexibility
• Nutrition
• Stress/Relaxation

The Book and the Coaching network will be a great way to assure your success.

Better Health through Your Feet – with Chung Shi

The Chung Shi is made for walking!

• Made for exercise
• Made for Balance Walking

Thought I would pass on what others are experiencing and saying about their Chung Shis.

Love to hear your input, so yes leave a comment.

Great Article
In the past few years, an interesting trend in footwear has been making an appearance on the feet of quite a few women about town: exer-shoes, or shoes that promise to improve the look, tone and appearance of the hips, thighs and derriere simply by walking in them.
Read the article

In keeping with posting all the Nordic Walking world has videoed, I find myself moved by several key common denominators that run through each video. All those that are Nordic Walking advocates can agree on several things that are being fulfilled as the walking trend swells to a Nordic Walking pole tsunami.

• It’s fun

• It’s a relatively easy learning curve

• It’s inexpensiveness and appeals to a wide range of people , from kids to adults, non athletes to athletes

• You are wearing and carrying your gym with you outside and inside

• Nordic Walking has been the fastest growing recreational sport activity throughout Europe and the US – unofficially 9-10million

I have recently reached out to many people all over Europe, who are much like Ildiko Szigeti and Steve Oakes of Botsport.hu (Botsportis Hungarian for’Pole Sport’). The purpose is to share insight and build alliances as this walking tsunami builds.
Botsport has produced a series of shorts  videos that cover:

• Nordic Walking events

• Nordic Walking in training

• Group participation exercises (which clearly convey the “spirit of a fun participation sport for people of all ages).