POLE WALKING – SHOULD YOU BE USING WALKING POLES? HERES WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW!Pole Walking Using walking poles, or walking sticks, is gaining popularity because it has numerous exciting health benefits when compared to walking without poles. Walking with poles helps you to look your best and feel more energetic. As a back pain specialist, I’m glad to see that walking poles take pressure off your lower back while walking, making it possible for you to get great exercise even if you have back pain. The Walking Poles that I personally use, the
LEKI Thermolite AERGON Antishock Trekking Poles can be seen at this link to Amazon Benefits Of Pole Walking Include:• Increase in calories burned up to 40%• Reduces stress on knees, hips, feet, and ankles • Can reduce stress on the knee by 25% • Improves your endurance for walking or hiking • Exercises arms, shoulders, and upper body in addition to legs • Gives you a better workout without having to walk faster • Improves balance for walkers of all ages • Allows 30-50% more mileage per day for serious hikers • Improves posture while walking • Poles are a handy protective weapon for aggressive dogs or other animals Pole walking works your arms, shoulders, chest and upper back muscles, giving you a much better full body workout than regular walking. Pole walking also takes some of the load off your lower back which is helpful if you have arthritis or other back problems. I have always recommended walking to many of my patients as an inexpensive way to lose weight or to stay firm and maintain a healthy fitness level. What is different now is that I recommend Pole Walking over walking without poles because of all the benefits listed above.
Which Type of Walking Pole is Right for You?There are basically two types of Walking Poles: Standard Poles and Antishock Poles. Standard poles are a little lighter and don’t cost quite as much as Antishock poles. The reason I recommend Antishock poles is because they have internal springs which lessen stress on your body, especially your elbows and shoulders. This is similar to the way shock absorbers lessens the stress on your body when you ride in your car.Another difference in walking poles is what they are made out of. The two major choices are aluminum or carbon fiber. My wife uses carbon fiber poles because they are a little lighter than aluminum. My poles are aluminum and I love them. Carbon fiber poles usually cost a little more than aluminum and are slightly more likely to break when strenuously used in rugged terrain.
Are Walking Poles Only For Younger Walkers?My mother is 78 years old and has been having more and more trouble walking over the last few years. She has been troubled by chronic knee pain even after bilateral knee replacements, and chronic low back pain due to spinal arthritis and spondylosis. She has also been having trouble with her balance due to diabetic neuropathy.I recommended she try Pole Walking and she was amazed how much easier it was for her to get a daily walk with the help of walking poles. Pole walking is helping her to lose weight, prevent osteoporosis and improve her circulation and overall health and well-being.
More Pole Walking TipsMy walking poles came with a small removable basket that could be put on the bottom of the poles for use in mud, soft ground or snow. Though this sounds like a nice option, I personally have never found the baskets useful, and have removed them.My poles came with hard tips that provide traction on almost every surface. My wife’s poles came with rubber tip protectors that are good for walking on asphalt or other hard surfaces. If I were going to use my poles on hard surfaces like asphalt I would want rubber tip proctors. If you are a serious hiker you can use your poles to probe for hazards when crossing streams or rivers. They can also be used as support poles for a shelter made from a plastic tarp.
Adjusting your Walking PolesMost walking poles have two or three sections so you can compact them for storage and extend them to the perfect height for you.The poles have numbers on the shaft to help you set up the best length for you. To find the right height you want your elbow to be at a 90 degree angle (forearms parallel to the ground) when you are griping the handle of your pole. You just twist the sections to loosen or tighten to change the length or your poles.
History of Pole WalkingPole walking started in Europe as a way for skiers to stay in shape during the off season. Athletes and military personnel in Finland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden have been using hiking poles for decades. Today walking with poles, also known as fitness walking, is growing in popularity all over the world because it is easy to learn and can be done year round in all climates by people of all ages.More Pole Walking BenefitsMy wife has said to me many times that she feels like her walking poles help her maintain proper posture. I didn’t think much about it until a woman stopped us while we were walking one afternoon recently and said, “It looks to me like you have perfect posture using those poles.” Only then did I realize that my wife was right about how walking poles really did improve posture.Another benefit that my wife has found walking with poles is a noticeable increase in her upper body strength. In addition to walking every day my wife lifts weights three times a week. She used to only be able to do 15 regular full length pushups. After walking with poles for two months she found she could do 25 pushups! She was amazed by this, and when you really think about it, it is pretty incredible that just by adding walking poles to the daily walk she had always done, she increased her upper body strength 66%! Using walking poles at your normal walking speed will increase your workout without going faster. This is also good if you want to push your workout a bit but walk with a partner who can’t go faster. I highly recommend walking poles as a fun way to increase the amount of calories you burn without feeling like you are working any harder. To your best health, Dr. Cliff
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