Nordic walkers take pole position

By Mike Gordon                                                                                                            November 25, 2007
Advertiser Staff Writer

Grace Miji, 85, left, and Sharon Kobashigawa, 60, arrive at Kaka'ako Waterfront Park for a little pole-walking exercise.

Photos by JEFF WIDENER | The Honolulu Advertiser

Save the snotty comments. 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 older 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, a 56-year-old Kalani Valley resident.

Wilson started Nordic walking about six months ago. She was working out regularly at a gym and wanted to boost her overall 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. It opens up your rib cage."

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," said the 60-year-old Sumpf. "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. "It is very rare that you see them without them."

Although convinced for years that they were a good exercise, the 50-year-old Okamura only began selling a line of poles locally in February 2005.

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.

Okamura said that's because Nordic walking involves more muscles, but he swears that the workout isn't more difficult.

"It is not harder," he said. "Because you are using the poles and it is your upper body supporting your lower body, it doesn't feel like you are working out."

Okamura leads a group of up to 20 Nordic walkers every Thursday afternoon. They walk at Kaka'ako Waterfront Park, Magic Island and around Diamond Head.

"The bulk of my group are seniors," Okamura said. "Using the poles increase stability. They keep them active without the fear of falling."

But you can't discount the feel-good factor.

Pat Wrath, a 57-year-old Aikahi Park resident, learned how to use Nordic poles in February while waiting for the start of the Great Aloha Run. She'd walked the fun run for 18 years and almost always suffered in the days that followed as her body recovered.

"The whole week afterwards, I did not have soreness," she said. "Usually I have a hard time walking, even bending over. My legs, hips and arms. This time, I did not have that stiffness. I am not doing this race again without them."

HMSA Island Scene Magazine (Winter 2007)

Grab the Poles and go

Pole walking, Nordic walking, exerstriding, urban poling, ski walking -- all different names for the same activity. Finnish cross-country skiers working to stay in shape during the summer are credited as the first to use poles while walking in the early 1900s. By the end of the century, people were pole walking around the world.

Turning a walk into a workout

Walking is recognized and often recommended as a good form of exercise. But it can be painful for people with knee, hip or back problems. With pole walking however, the poles ease stress to the joints by absorbing and distributing the impact throughout the body. With a look and function similar to ski poles, walking poles are fitted with special tips that increase stability, power and upper body engagement with every step. Planting and pushing off the walking poles strengthen chest, abdominal, arm, shoulder and back muscles, in addition to the leg muscle benefits from walking.

Studies examining the physiology of pole walking consistently report improvements in cardiovascular and muscular fitness, strength, and endurance. In 2002, the Cooper Institute in Texas showed that people burn 20 percent to 40 percent more calories while using poles when they walk versus walking without them. Using poles to make the upper body work while you walk can boost a regular walk from 280 to 400 calories burned in an hour.

Walking with poles increases the heart rate five to 17 beats per minute more than walking without them. But surprisingly, pole walkers don't report an increase in their perceived rate of exertion. It may simply feel like walking, but pole walkers reach heart and breathing rates similar to a moderate jog without even realizing it. Getting a total body workout without feeling the extra effort makes it easy to enjoy longer and more frequent walks that can produce even greater health benefits.

It's like cross-country skiing (without the skis or snow)

Eric Okamura is a fitness professional, the owner of Fit for Life in Honolulu and an avid pole walker. He was introduced to pole walking at a conference of the American College of Sports Medicine several years ago. "I thought it was kind of strange at first," he remembers, "but curiosity got the best of me, so I tried it out." Immediately, Okamura felt and understood the head to toe physical benefits pole walking provides.

Okamura admits that walking with poles takes some getting used to and it usually takes a few times out before it comes naturally. Keeping the poles behind you and arms relaxed at an angle is the proper pole walking form. "It can be awkward to start," he says, "but once you get the technique, it becomes second nature. Soon walking without the poles is just boring." With different tips for different terrain, the poles are ready to go wherever you do. Tips designed for uneven surfaces are ideal for added stability while hiking, basket-style tips keep the poles from sinking when walking on sand, and an angled rubber tip helps absorb the impact of walking on pavement.

Trying something new

"When people make the decision to start exercising or take up a new activity," Okamura says, "it takes a real leap of faith to actually get off the couch, start doing it, and stick with it long enough to get results." And walking with poles definitely turns heads. "Some people joke and tell me I forgot my skis or that there's no snow in the forecast," he says, "but it's really starting to catch on." As a Great Aloha Run (GAR) participant in 2006, Okamura used his poles for the entire route. This year, he expects over 100 pole walkers and welcomes more.

Pole walking is an activity that almost anyone at any fitness level can enjoy. "Trying it for yourself is the best way to find out what pole walking is all about," says Okamura, who holds free pole walking clinics twice a week. "We have a good-sized group of pole walkers and we're happy to welcome more," Okamura says. "We have some experienced pole walkers, some regaining strength after surgery, and some learning the technique. But we're all part of the same program and everyone gets a good workout."

Call (808)535-1550 on O'ahu for more information.

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