Anyone Tried Nordic Walking?

Nordic Walking

We haven’t found the time to get on our exercise balls yet but have been walking every day for 45 minutes to an hour.  In researching the various ways to step up our walking routine, one that has found some intrigue for us is Nordic Walking.

Nordic Walking is a form of exercise involving walking with poles similar to ski poles. This gives your full body a workout while walking and burns significantly more calories (up to 45% more) as it includes your upper body muscles while you work against resistance with each step. Walking with poles also reduces the impact put on the joints and feet. 

Eager to find out more, we purchased “Nordic Walking Step by Step“, an ebook written by Nordic Walking expert David Downer.  It’s 126 pages are packed full with easy to understand information.  It’s a must have beginners manual.

My husband is ready to buy poles and get started, however, one thing is troubling me.  David mentions that this form of walking causes vibration through the hands, wrists and forearms.  I have some lingering effects of carpal tunnel in my right wrist due to years of data entry so I’m wondering…..

Has anyone tried Nordic Walking?  How badly does if affect the wrists?

For More Information on Nordic Walking:
Download this ebook Nordic Walking Step-by-Step by David Downer 
Visit Amazon for Nordic Walking Books and Nordic Walking Videos

Inflating Your Exercise Ball

Gaiam Total Body Balance Ball Kit

We got our exercise balls and were excited to blow them up right away.  We decided to purchase the Total Body Balance Ball Kit by Gaiam after reviewing the positive reviews on Amazon (80% gave it 4/5 stars out of 5 — 60% being a 5).  The kit includes the ball, 2 DVD’s, inflation pump and a resistence band. 

Visit Amazon now:

Gaiam Total Body Balance Ball Kit (55cm)
Gaiam Total Body Balance Ball Kit (65cm)
Gaiam Total Body Balance Ball Kit (75cm)

When we first inflated the balls they appeared to be blown up as far as they would go, but were much too small for us.  Those who gave low reviews on Amazon often voiced this complaint.  After researching on the web, I found that the material needs time to adjust and it was recommended that you wait 24-48 hours and then add the remaining air.  Indeed we were able to inflate our balls to the appropriate sizes after waiting out the 48 hours.

The next challenge was determining how to tell if the ball was inflated to it’s size.  My ball is 55cm and Bill’s is 65cm.  The best way to measure is by placing the ball next to the wall, balance a ruler on top, mark the height on the wall, and measure the height.  At maximum capacity, the balls will measure as follows:

Ball Size     

55cm (22″)

65cm (26″)

75cm (30″)

You’ll want to inflate the ball to fit your body. When sitting on the ball your feet should be flat on the floor and your knees should be level or slightly lower than your hips.  Additionally, if the ball is firmer the exercises will be more difficult – if softer the exercises will be easier.

Now that our balls are inflated, it’s time for us to go try them out.  We’ll report back on our first experience and rate the included DVD’s on our next post.

How to Select the Right Exercise Ball for You

 

The first step in choosing an exercise ball is finding the right size to fit your body.  Exercise (or stability balls) come in 3 sizes: 55cm, 65cm and 75cm.  The size reflects the actual height of the ball when inflated to it’s maximum capacity. 

Ball Size      Your Height

55cm (22″)       4’11″ – 5’4″

65cm (26″)       5’5″ -  5’11″

75cm (30″)      6’0″ -  6’7″

Remember these are basic guidelines – if you have short legs you may need a smaller ball, long legs you may need a larger ball.  If you’re heavy you may want to consider a larger ball to prevent the ball from flattening too much when you’re sitting on it.

When sitting on the ball your feet should be flat on the floor with your hips level or slightly higher than the knees. 

Look for balls with the anti-burst feature.  It’ll cost about $10 more but they’re designed to deflate slowly if punctured.  A great safety feature to keep you from landing roughly on your butt if the ball goes pop!

Cost of balls range between $8 and $50.  The cheaper balls usually don’t possess the anti-burst feature or come with a DVD to get you started.  For $20-30 you can get a good quality ball with a starter DVD and stretch bands.

Coming up ~ how to inflate your ball.

Yummy Burger Recipe

This recipe is very simple to make as well as being healthy and delicious! Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients

1 lb Honeysuckle ground turkey 99% fat free
1 Onion, chopped
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup fat free shredded mild cheddar cheese
dash of salt and pepper

• Mix ground turkey, chopped onion, bread crumbs, salt and pepper
• Mold into 8 equal patties
• Lay patties on wax paper
• Divide the shredded cheese equally between 4 patties, placing a small pile of cheese in the middle of each burger
• Press remaining 4 burgers on top sealing the cheese inside
• Coat skillet with cooking spray and bring to medium heat
• Add burgers and cook 5-6 minutes each side (or less depending on how well done you like ‘em)

Nutrition info:  Each serving contains 287 calories, 1.9 g fat, 29 carbs and 37 g protein

Top with lettuce and tomato and serve on wheat or whole grain buns. Enjoy!

Welcome to our Blog!

Hello, we are Bill and Peggy Foman. Together we have lost a total of 92 pounds (Bill 74 lbs, Peggy 18 lbs) by eating sensible amounts of healthy foods, exercising and keeping a positive spirit.  Our goal for this blog is to help others successfully reach their weight loss goals by sharing our experiences and offering helpful tips and tricks.

 Over the past year, we’ve been following a low fat, low calorie diet while paying close attention to our portion sizes and walking 4-5 days per weeks for at least 45 minutes.  We’re off to Florida in 4 weeks and want to get our bodies in shape for the beach so we’ve decided to step up our game by adding an exercise ball to the mix. 

Follow along as we get on the ball…..