Walk on the wild side

Despite the suggestive name, urban poling — a.k.a. Nordic walking — is not quite as sexy as its sultry cousin, pole dancing. But it’s just as physical and just as hot.

“If you’re out for a walk in Germany and you don’t have poles, people kind of look at you funny,” says Barb Gormley, owner of CustomFit Personal Training and Ontario master trainer for the Nordic walking company Urban Poling.

The trend of walking with poles has taken off in Vancouver and is building a reputation in Toronto.

“In one of my classes we’re known as the chicks with sticks. We’re there with the dog walkers, the runners and everybody else,” says Gormley.

“There are more and more of us around for sure.”

To date, Gormley has certified between 150-200 people, some of whom are teaching up to eight urban poling classes a week, she says.

Part of the attraction is it’s easy, both on the budget and the bones.

“You don’t have to go out and buy anything fancy . . . wear what you would for a power type of walk,” she says. “It’s not an expensive sport. The poles are about $100 and you’ll have them for a lifetime.”

The titanium rods, with their rubber boot tips, absorb impact, making urban poling easier on the joints. 

“You’re offloading weight from your lower body into the poles, so people who have knee or hip problems can walk further without pain,” Gormley explains.

Leticia Kurucz, a 39-year-old with osteoarthritis in her knees, credits urban poling for her ability to walk at all.

“Around this time last year, I wasn’t able to walk,” says Kurucz, “I started [urban poling] and began noticing improvement in my knees.”

Kurucz now joins Gormley every Sunday and goes out on her own at least three to four times a week for 45 minutes to an hour.

“It’s a lot easier on the joints,” says Leigh Davis, a physiotherapist at On the Mark.it Physiotherapy & Sports Injury Clinic.

“It would be a great transition point for those with joint-related injuries,” he says. “You could move from a bike to Nordic walking and back to running or walking on a treadmill.”

But why would you want to? Like another favourite pastime, urban poling burns calories without letting on that you’re doing it.

“Your heart rate is higher, you’re working harder, but the level of perceived exertion is not higher,” Gormley says. “Nobody’s really been able to explain that to me but it’s just another bit of good news. It’s all good news.”