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 Health and Wellness Industry:
Nordic walking around the world
It is known in more than 30 countries – in Europe, Asia, Australia and the United States. You can do it anywhere – even on the Great Wall of China. There are already more than a million people practising it.
Finns have been doing Nordic walking since the 1930s, initially as summertime training for cross-country skiers. It made its real breakthrough as a sport for the entire nation in 1997, when the sports equipment firm Exel developed the Nordic Walker pole.
The secret of the sport’s popularity is that it is suited to everyone regardless of age, gender or condition. It is easy to do all round the year, and it is safe, social and effective. With the correct technique, energy and calorie consumption increases by as much 46 per cent compared with normal walking.
Exel is not only a developer of equipment but also the sport’s commercial inventor and international image-builder. The company markets a healthy lifestyle, and also Finland. The most enthusiastic Nordic walkers are already making trips to the spiritual home of the sport from all over the world.
Photo: Nordic walking is one of the fastest-growing
fitness sports in the world.
Published 2006
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