Walkers Stay Fit With Ski Poles

Stone Mountain, Ga. - Markku Mustonen typically gets the same response when he walks with ski poles up the grassy hills leading to the top of Stone Mountain: "Hey buddy, looking for snow?"

But to the Finnish native, it's not about the snow, especially in a place that had its last "major" snowfall -- 2 1/2 inches -- nearly two years ago.

It's about the ski poles, which Mustonen and others say add intensity to walking workouts and are a great tool for becoming fit.

Taking a page from his Nordic countrymen, Mustonen is trying to get others in the United States interested in the European practice of skiwalking, also known as Nordic walking.

"Slowly, people are getting involved with it," said Mustonen, president of Skiwalk Inc., based in Norcross, Ga., which organizes the local walking group and sells ski poles. "The reaction basically is, 'Who is this crazy person?' But once you explain it to them, then they say, 'Oh, really? That makes sense.'"

The poles used by ski walkers are similar to those found on ski slopes -- they are made of aluminum, fiberglass or ultralight carbon fiber. Skiwalking poles, however, typically have rubber tips so walkers can use them on hard surfaces such as streets or sidewalks. Some skiwalking poles telescope so they can be easily taken on trips.

The poles, which help walkers propel themselves forward, help develop arm and shoulder muscles and get the heart pumping. A 2002 study by the Cooper Institute, a research organization in Dallas, Texas, that focuses on exercise, found that people who walk with the poles burn 20 percent more calories than those who don't.

It is unclear how many Americans participate in Nordic walking, but the International Nordic Walking Association estimates that more than 3.5 million people do it worldwide, mostly in Europe. Finnish kindergartners use ski poles in their schools' physical education activities. Enthusiasts also hail from other, nonsnowy locales, from the beaches of California to the deserts of Saudi Arabia.

Next: Seniors take up ski walking >