February 2023
Welcome to February…the month of love! Self-love is a great place to start, why not grab some me-time and learn a new way to move your body.
Make 2023 the year you get hooked on something new – Why learn to Nordic Walk?
It’s not just the physical benefits of training and toning your physical body and burning calories. It’s also great for
· improved memory, mood and motivation.
· Increased adaptability and agility to acquire new skills.
· Overcoming fears and discovering new confidence
· Improving your mental well-being
· Humans are built for growth, both physically and mentally, and trying new things is the perfect way to challenge yourself, embrace new perspectives, and experience things differently.
In fact, trying out a new sport such as Nordic Walking is proven to be extremely beneficial for both your body and mind!
The brain is a complicated little thing, but if there’s one thing we know, it’s that it LOVES to learn. So much so that it quite literally grows to “make space” for the learning process.
Research has shown that when you’re learning or practicing a new skill, your brain expands in volume in the areas relevant to what you’re doing. This expansion leads to an increase in grey matter, which translates to growth for extra neural resources (like neurons and synapses)
Studies have shown that developing and executing new motor skills can be just as cognitively challenging as other intellect-based activities (think brain teasers or crossword puzzles). In other words, a new sport such as Nordic Walking can be just as effective at helping your brain grow as more “traditional” brain challenges. Basically, just through learning a new sport or movement patterns, you could promote positive brain growth that typically wouldn’t change otherwise during adulthood. And, in addition to helping your brain grow, acquiring new skills is linked with longevity and happiness.
Essentially, when you process a positive experience, it activates the part of the brain that helps accelerate its ability to learn, meaning happiness and learning often come hand-in-hand. In turn, this causes your brain to generate positive emotions or even euphoric feelings throughout the learning process. Combine that with the boost of endorphins from doing physical activity, and you’ve got yourself a wonderful chemical cocktail of happy hormones.
A new way to teach Nordic Walking
Recently INWA (International Nordic Walking Federation, whom British Nordic Walking comes under) launched an updated manual for all its instructors. As Nordic Walking grows and develops globally, more and more research into its health benefits is being undertaken and the technique is tweaked so our Nordic Walkers can get the most out of it. I now have the new manual and have taken part in a course to update my skills as an Instructor. The ten steps remain the same, but are now grouped together differently
Foundation
Posture, lean forward, walk & rotate
Fundamentals
Drag, place, push
Swing Technique
Extend fully, release fully, swing forwards
It was great to hear about some new innovations within Nordic Walking, learn some new stretches and other ways to improve my instructing!
Signs of Spring
Has anyone spotted any signs of spring yet? The recent milder spell and appearance of the sun has got me all excited about snowdrops and daffodils poking their heads up through the frosty earth and blossom on the trees! We’ll soon have plenty of Spring eye-candy to admire during our Nordic Walks in the local countryside
Who knows what February will bring, lets get out in our beautiful countryside together!
Our regular Nordic Walking (75 mins) sessions are
Monday Motivation 6.15pm Malmesbury
Tuesday Earlybirds 8.45am Great Somerford
Tuesday Tune-Up 6pm Great Somerford
Wednesday 10am Westonbirt Arboretum
Fabulous Friday 1.15pm Tetbury
Social Saturday 9am Location varies
We currently have several Beginners Courses about to start
Wednesday 10am, Westonbirt Arboretum, 15th Feb (7 weeks) FULL
Friday 11.30am, Tetbury Goods Shed, 10th Feb (3 weeks)
Saturday 11.30am, Westmead Open Space, Chippenham, 11th Jan
(3 weeks)
Please encourage your friends and family who would find Nordic Walking beneficial to give it a go!
Don’t forget we now have Gift Vouchers available to purchase - valid for all our Nordic Walks and Courses, give the gift of health in 2023!
