A nod to Nordic walking

Siew Toh Ee first went Nordic walking in the Swiss Alps in 2013 (Photo courtesy of Siew Toh Ee)

We all know that to walk, especially briskly, is good for our health. But did you know that adding a set of walking poles to this exercise regime can do wonders for your body?

Just ask Siew Toh Ee (photos), a UK-certified Nordic walking instructor, and she will be more than happy to tell you all about it.

Nordic walking is the simple activity of walking with a set of specially-designed poles.

For the uninitiated, (like this writer was), Nordic walking is not something you can only do in northern Europe.

Quite the contrary, for you can Nordic walk practically anywhere in the world and on all kinds of terrains, from flat urban ground to jungle trails, in the snow and even on desert plains.

Nordic walking originated in Finland in the early 1900s when cross country skiers would use ski poles to walk in the summer to keep in shape for the winter months. It became so popular that Nordic walkers began being spotted all over the world.

In 2013, there were 10 million registered Nordic walkers in Europe. Now, there are millions of enthusiasts all over the world including the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and China.

An outdoor lover, Toh Ee has done Nordic walking all over the world, from the Swiss Alps to Bhutan, where she visited the high-altitude Tiger’s Nest with a group of 16 people last November.

She has also taken part in the Purbeck Nordic Walking Festival marathon, a 16-mile challenge over hilly terrain, that is held in Dorset, United Kingdom.

“That’s why we have to be fit to walk. It does not matter how old you are in a marathon, as long as you are fit,” says the sexagenarian, who is based in Petaling Jaya, Selangor in Malaysia.

She says that Nordic walking is much better than regular walking because it engages 90 percent of the muscles and tones the lower and upper body at the same time. It also burns 20 to 40 percent more calories than normal walking.

Siew Toh Ee demonstrating Nordic walking at her home in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.” (Photo credit: ELLE WONG)

“By doing Nordic walking, you will be doing a full-body workout. Using poles also helps to take pressure off your knees, hips and joints, which is good for those who are recovering from an illness or surgery,” she adds.

Toh Ee set up the Nordic Walking UK Malaysia interest group to further promote the activity in her country in November 2015.

She donates all the profits from the Nordic walking lessons that she gives to various children’s charities in Malaysia. “This way, I provide a platform for people to give back to society. Every little sum matters. Sometimes, people want to do good but don’t know how,” she says.

While in Bhutan, Toh Ee and her friends visited a remote school in the Haa Valley, which approached them to sponsor the development of their school song.

In January this year, the group also organized a pyjama charity walk to raise funds for books and pyjamas for underprivileged children.

As a whole, Toh Ee feels encouraged when people, including some cancer patients, tell her how Nordic walking has improved their health and wellbeing, and also contributed to weight loss.

“These positive testimonies really make me work harder to share the exercise with more people. It’s rewarding to be able to play a part in changing people’s lives.”

(For more info, go to facebook.com/NWMalaysia/)

Author: Elle Wong

Editor: Anne Thomas