Dallas, TX is the home of the Cooper Institute. Dr Kenneth Cooper was a US Air Force doctor who came up with the Air Force Physical Fitness testing program. He believed that strong breathing while exercising improves the cellular use of oxygen to make energy. Egro …Aerobics. Dr Cooper first coined the word “Aerobics,” that we are all so familiar with.
Editor’s Note- – I was in the Air Force and we had to do the annual Fitness Test of running 1 1/2 miles in 10 minutes. ugh.
After his military time, he opened the Institute to continue the study of Fitness. Along comes 2002 and the emergence of Nordic Walking. His group did a comparison study between the benefits of Nordic Walking with poles compared to regular “just” walking.
Happy Nordic Walkers
In their Nordic Walking Study, participants were monitored and evaluated in an effort to compare oxygen consumption and energy expenditure associated with regular walking (walking without poles) and Nordic walking (walking with poles).
They found that Nordic walking significantly increased oxygen consumption, caloric expenditure, heart rate, and heart rate as a percentage of maximum heart rate for both men and women without significantly affecting the rate of perceived exertion by the participants.
Nordic walking resulted in approximately a 20% increase in oxygen consumption and energy expenditure (20% more calories burned) compared to regular walking at the same speed. Thus, the implementation of upper body muscular work while walking increases the amount of calories burned. This finding has important health implications as an individual who employs walking with poles as opposed to regular walking into their regular fitness program will significantly increase the amount of calories burned particularly over an extended period of time.
Yea! Yo made the right choice to take up Nordic Walking.
See you next time.