To pick up your pace, pick up a pole

Story Highlights

• Nordic walking involves poles and is similar to cross-country skiing
• Got its start as summer training for skiiers in Finland
• Study: 20 percent more calories expended than during regular walking

By Judy Fortin
CNN

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ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Spending hours in a gym wasn't giving Susan Huynh of Los Angeles, California, the results she was looking for, so on the advice of a friend, she picked up some poles, but she didn't head to the slopes. Instead she tried a growing exercise trend: Nordic walking.

"I really like the fact the poles keep you aligned," Huynh says. "This really works all the right muscles at the right time."

The technique involves leaning slightly forward, taking long strides and moving heel to toe while keeping a relaxed grip on the poles. (Watch a Nordic walking teacher explain the sport . )

"The appeal of Nordic walking is that it is very similar to cross-country skiing," says instructor Alexandra Jurasin. In fact, Nordic walking got its start in Finland over a hundred years ago as a training exercise for cross-country skiers to stay in shape during the summer.

Nordic walking poles cost between $50 and $200. The height is adjustable, and they feature rubber tips designed to grip the pavement.

Jurasin teaches hourlong classes in a Los Angeles park for beginner to advanced Nordic walkers. She often gets heckled by onlookers wondering what she's doing. "Where's the snow? The mountains are that way," she recounts. "If the poles were in their hands I can guarantee that they'd have a much different opinion of it."

Jurasin estimates Nordic walking burns up to 400 calories an hour, compared with about 350 for regular walking.

The positive findings were confirmed by Dr. Timothy Church, a professor of preventive medicine research at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

His 2002 study of 22 men and women using Nordic walking poles revealed a 20 percent increase in caloric expenditure and a similar rise in oxygen consumption when compared with regular walking. Just as promising, the study shows the benefits came without increasing exertion.

"The poles allow you to thrust off the ground behind you," says Jurasin. "Not only do they propel you forward and you move a little bit faster, but you're utilizing a lot more muscle groups in your body."

She says the low impact workout helps decrease stress on the joints while the poles aid in stability and balance. That's one of the reasons Nordic walking is becoming more popular among those who may not be in good shape or are looking to lose some weight.

Bertha Sequida is one of them. She became a fan after trying Jurasin's class for the first time. "It was awesome. I'm still feeling my fat burning," she says.

Says Sequida's classmate, Rachael Clark: "I'm standing up straight and all of a sudden my posture is better so when my posture is better, my breathing is better."

Jurasin regards Nordic walking as an injury-free activity, with few risks "as long as people can put poles in their hands and start moving forward then you're going to start seeing some benefits."

Judy Fortin is a correspondent with CNN Medical News.