Article by Ceri Wheeldon

We have talked about Nordic Walking previously on Fab after Fifty, and the benefits it can bring healthwise.
A couple of years ago I booked myself in for a Nordic Walking session locally. I love walking and being in the fresh air, so I thought it would be the ideal exercise for me, with the Nordic element adding the upper body element of a workout to my walks. In that particular session I could not get into the swing of Nordic Walking at all. Co-ordinating the pole action with my feet seemed like an impossible task. For some reason, although I knew that when you placed your right foot forward, that had to be coordinated with the left pole being placed in front of you, for some reason I just could not do it. I found the right foot, right pole kept creeping in!

Fast forward a couple of years. Nordic Walking was on the activities list on a Warners Leisure weekend break that I went on at Littlecote House Hotel. The friend I was with was keen to try, and so I booked on the session too. I’m glad I did.
Mike, our instructor, started the session by ensuring that the poles were adjusted to the right length for each of us (something that didn’t happen on my previous session), and also explained why it was important to have the ‘feet’ of the poles facing the right way (towards your body) , in order to help propel us as we walked, and demonstrated the angle we needed to place our poles at as we walked in order to get the action and rhythm right. His instruction made all the difference. Off we set. This time I really enjoyed it. I didn’t suffer the awful coordination of my previous attempt, and finished the session feeling really positive about the experience, and wanting to continue when I got home.

Importance of right instructor when trying Nordic Walking

It made me realise how important it is to find the right instructor in any new activity. Based on my first experience I would have concluded that Nordic Walking was not an option for me. Now , however, thanks to the experience I had at Littlecote, I think it is an activity that I will continue to enjoy.

If you want to try new activities , then I can thoroughly recommend a Warner break – especially in one of their historic houses – lovely settings to try new outdoor activities. On my recent weekend, in addition to Nordic Walking I tried archery, croquet, golf, line dancing. One person I met on the archery session said that he had booked himself on the weekend as he was about to retire – and wanted to find new interests- there was only so much decorating he could do!

Special offer for Fab after Fifty readers

Warner holidays is offering a special discount to Fab after Fifty readers. Quote FABAFTER50WLH for a discount of £20 per person  per break until Dec 31st 2018.

Room Rates:

Summer – £280 July until 28th Sept

Winter – £220 28^th Sept until 14th Dec

Visit Warner Leisure Hotels for more info

Ceri Wheeldon

Ceri is Founder and Editor of Fabafterfifty.co.uk She is a frequent speaker at events and in the media on topics related to women over 50 , including style and living agelessly. With 20+ years experience as a headhunter Ceri also now helps support those looking to extend their working lives.

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