As a busy mother of three, Lee-Anne Kennedy finds it challenging to fit workouts into her busy schedule. But as a person with diabetes, she knows that exercise has to be a priority in her life. She’s an avid skier, walker and former runner, but her current favourite workout is urban poling, also known as Nordic walking.
“It’s so simple to just grab my walking poles and head out the door for a workout,” says Kennedy, who is also a nurse and diabetes educator. “Urban poling really helps me keep my blood sugar in a healthy range, and it helps control my weight too.”
Using the walking poles properly is the key to getting the benefits, says Kennedy, who lives in Deep River, Ontario. Most people need only one or two lessons to develop good form.
When Margaret Helmuth needs help managing her diabetes, she counts on urban poling, too. She tried brisk walking, but it didn’t elevate her heart rate to the level her doctor recommended, and it had only a minor effect on her blood sugar levels.
Then, about two years ago, she found that urban poling offered just what the doctor ordered.
“Walking with poles never fails to bring down my sugar levels,” says Helmuth, who lives in Toronto. “And I always reach my target heart rate when I walk with my poles.”
For more information on Urban Poling, or to find an instructor in your area, visit the Urban Poling website.
Story submitted by Barb Gormley, Urban Poling Inc. Published in the January 2011 PartcipACTION Newsletter.