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Ski walking to better health
Ski-Walk to better fitness without ski poles and snow mounds.

BY A CORRESPONDENT

21 September 2005: Whatever Your Fitness Level or Age, Ski Walking - Nordic Walking - Can Help You Get Fit Using Special Walking Poles. No Skis and No Snow Required.

Ski Walking for health, fitness and fun, without skis and snow, is a year-round exercise that is an exciting, effective and fun fitness sport anyone, regardless of age or fitness level, can do.

Ski Walking provides all the low impact benefits of walking, while reducing knee, hip and back strain says Pete Edwards, a leading proponent of Ski Walking who has developed his own fitness walking poles available at http://www.skiwalking.com .

"Walking with fitness poles burns up to 40% more calories and provides a more effective aerobic workout than regular walking," says Edwards, a former Ski School Director, running coach and certified personal trainer.

Edwards' fitness poles, custom made in Lillihammer, Norway, come equipped with supportive comfortable straps, ergonomically designed grips, durable carbide tips for off-road and removable natural rubber tips for use on hard surfaces.

"My Ski Walking poles have been a terrific addition to my regular exercise program," says Dr. Christiane Northrup, MD, author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom. "I love the way they incorporate my upper body during a walk, thus giving me more strength training and calorie burning for the time spent. I highly recommend them to everyone."

Ski Walking with the correct length poles and proper technique automatically improves walking posture, helping to eliminate knee, hip and back pain for many.

Edwards personally fits and guarantees the perfect length poles for each individual. Thousands of individuals have participated in his Ski Walking Clinics from Lake Tahoe, California to Warren, Vermont -- including folks with knee, hip and back issues, MS and Parkinson's.

"Ski Walking has been used at the University of Wisconsin in the rehabilitation of patients after myocardial infarction (MI). In a University of Wisconsin study, oxygen uptake increased on average 21% compared to walking without poles," Edwards says.

After learning that Ski Walking produces up to a 46% increase in energy consumption over regular walking according to the Cooper Institute, Edwards contacted Swix, the leading Scandinavian ski pole manufacturer, to produce his "VIP's" -- Very Important Poles, $69.95 per pair, available at http://www.skiwalking.com .

Article from Dance with Shadows