THERE ARE PLENTY OF JOKERS WHO SHOUT OUT WHEN THEY SEE THEM, "HEY, YOU'VE FORGOTTEN YOUR SKIS!" BUT NO. THEY ARE NORDIC WALKERS. MILLIONS OF EUROPEANS ARE NOW ENJOYING THIS NEW SPORT IN WHICH PHYSICAL EXERCISE IS TAKEN IN HARMONY WITH THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.

Many outdoor sports have seen a real upsurge over recent years, thanks to a large extent to a new nature-focused culture. Trekking, running, cayonning... All disciplines in which the surroundings have become an essential, indispensable element. And now to this group we must add 'Nordic walking'.
Equipped with high-tech poles, devotees of the sport cover tens of kilometres across valleys and mountains, fording rivers or skirting the coastline. Nordic walking has taken on remarkable popularity in North and Central Europe, and in only three years has established itself as one of the most widely practised sports on the continent: 2.500.000 Germans, 750.000 Finns, 650.000 Austrians and 600.000 Swiss are now, officially, true 'Nordic walkkers'.

Summer origins
The roots of the sport are to be found in the 1930s, when most Nordic skiers would include in their summer training programmes what they called 'stick walking' or 'stick hiking'. The idea was to improve their physical fitness as a way of building up to more intensive training. Later, in the 1980s, the discipline emerged in the USA under the name of 'pole walking', a much more effective version of traditional hiking which somehow never really caught on. Once the hands developed, it was finally reborn in Finland in 1977.

A healthy form of exercise
Nordic walking has been developed by doctors and sports professionals. By using walking poles, a large number of muscle groups are engaged (abdominals, arms, pectorals, back and neck), in addition to the lower set of mescles used in traditional walking. This all leads to an increase in cardiovascular activity and oxygenation, with a rise of around 20%, a figure which can even reach 40%. Meanwhile, the consumption of energy and calories/hour being attained. The technique substantially reduces pressure on the joints (knees, ankles, etc) and the vibrations created as the bones, making this the perfect exercise for preventing and recovering from osteoporosis.

Walking with technique
The pace should be brisk but even. An unweitten rule dictates that one should walk as fast as posible, while still being able to maintain a conversation. This is the mid-point. The right pole should always be in contact with the ground when the right heel is brought down. The shoulders should always be kept loose and relaxed. The poles are held close to the body and pointing back: the left pole is brought down level with the left foot, and likewise the right pole level with the right foot. In order to achieve effective results with Nordic walking, the following points should be borne in mind: take long strides, with fully developed movements, holding the arms as straight as possible and using them to apply force towards the rear (in other words, the hand should extend beyond the hip, in the opposite direction to one's motion).

The proper equipment
Nordic walking forces the legs to take longer strides than running, creating greater impulse. This greater impact is absorbed by the specially designed heel area of the trainers, and this specialist footwear is available in many sports shops.
The poles, meanwhile, are normally made from a mixture of carbon and glass fibre or aluminium. A replaceable rubber ferrule on the end serves to absorb the shock and noise of impact. The length of the poles is calculated by multiplyng the walker's height by 0.7.A specially designed handle with straps ensures the optimum transfer of force from the hand to the pole.
The spectacular popularity of Nordic walking has led to the creation of a range of variant sports, such as 'wogging', with weights fitted to the ankles and wrists, Nordic jogging, with a running rather than walking motion, and hill walking, in which and incline adds to the challenge. 'Aqua walking' takes place in the water, while 'beach walking' is taking off in a big way as more and more people discover how pleasurable and healthy walking on sand can be.

Useful information

Places in Málaga province to try out: The Sierra de las Nieves, the Serrania de Ronda, Sierra Bermeja, El Torcal, Sierras de Almijara Tejeda, Montes de Málaga, Valle del Genal, El Chorro, Valle de Abdalajís, the miles of beaches of the Costa del Sol.