10km Nordic walking challenge Congratulations on committing to a 10kAnyWay Nordic walking challenge. Setting yourself a goal is a good way to start making exercise a regular part of your life and achieving the challenge gives you a real mental boost to go with healthy eating, weightmanagement and toned muscles! Nordic walking comes from cross-country skiing and uses poles, angled behind you, to harness the power of your whole body and propel you forward. It will help with your fitness, strengthen your body, improve your posture, make you more toned, and develop your speed and walking technique. This isn t just walking it s a whole body workout! What s more, by choosing the 10kAnyWay Nordic walking challenge, you will be learning a new skill. You will also be able to join existing Nordic walking classes, which makes getting fit sociable and fun as well as effective. Phone: 0117 363 3078 Email: support@vavista.com 1 Vavista Ltd, Lysander House, Bristol BS10 7TQ VavistaLife 2015
Every week you need to do at least 3 Nordic walking exercise sessions. Ideally some or all of these will be in a class with a Nordic walking instructor. In that way you can develop your technique and get the most out of your session. However, if you have your own Nordic walking poles and have learnt the technique already, you can train by yourself or better still, with a friend. At the start of your Nordic walking session try to do some warm-up exercises to get your whole body moving. Good ones include walking on the spot, opening and closing the poles (with the tips on the ground) and pushing the poles backwards and forwards (again with the tips on the ground) to get your arms pumping. If you have joined a class, the instructor will lead the warm-up, after which everyone will head off together for a great walk. The programme below gives you an area of the Nordic walking technique to focus on during your walk. If you have joined a class, the instructor will help you with this. Remember to include some stretches at the end of your Nordic walk so that you don t feel stiff the next day. The walks are graded as follows: Easy These walks are on the flat. They are ideal if you are new to Nordic walking or have not exercised for a while. If you have joined a class, the instructor will make sure that the pace of the walk is not too fast. If you are training by yourself or with a friend, try to walk at a pace where you can have a conversation but can t sing! This will mean that you are working at a moderately intense level. More experienced and fitter Nordic walkers also benefit from Easy rated walks and, if you are in a class, the instructor will give you extra loops or additional exercises to make your walk more challenging. Moderate These walks should include some hills and the walking underfoot might be more uneven. Most of the time you will be able to keep up a normal conversation (but not sing). However, at times you might only be able to talk in short phrases before you need to take a breath. It means you will be working at a higher level of intensity. If you are joining a class, you will need a base level of fitness before coming on these walks. The instructor may also include a few additional exercises to increase the total body workout. Challenging These walks should include hills and be at a faster pace than the Easy and Moderate walks. You will frequently only be able to talk in short phrases before you need to take a breath. Your breathing will be deeper and more rapid and you are likely to break into a sweat within 3-5 minutes when working at this level. If you have joined a class, the instructor may also include additional exercises to enhance your total body workout. By following the training programme, by the end of 12 weeks you will be ready to tackle a 10k challenge. Good luck and enjoy! Remember to check with your doctor before undertaking exercise if you have any concerns. Phone: 0117 363 3078 Email: support@vavista.com 2 Vavista Ltd, Lysander House, Bristol BS10 7TQ VavistaLife 2015
For more info about Nordic walking, or how to find a class local to you, get in touch with the lovely experts at: http://www.bristolnordicwalking.co.uk/ Phone: 0117 363 3078 Email: support@vavista.com 3 Vavista Ltd, Lysander House, Bristol BS10 7TQ VavistaLife 2015
WEEK 1 1. Beginner s workshop to learn the basic Nordic walking technique Easy Nordic walking session (30-60 min). Focus: posture - walk tall Easy Nordic walking session (30-60 min/1-2km). Focus: straight arm swing WEEK 2 1. Easy Nordic walking session (30-60 min). Focus: heel/toe roll Easy Nordic walking session (30-60 min). Focus: posture shoulders down Easy Nordic walking session (30-60 min/2-3km). Focus: straight arm swing WEEK 3 1. Easy Nordic walking session (40-70 min). Focus: posture walk tall Moderate Nordic walking session (30-60 min). Focus: increase speed Easy Nordic walking session (40-70 min/3-4km). Focus: heel/toe roll WEEK 4 1. Easy Nordic walking session (40-70 min). Focus: straight arm swing Moderate Nordic walking session (30-60 min). Easy Nordic walking session (40-70 min). Focus: power arms WEEK 5 1. Moderate Nordic walking session (40-70 min). Focus: increasing speed Easy Nordic walking session (50-80 min/4-5km). Focus: posture walk tall Moderate Nordic walking session (40-70 min). WEEK 6 1. Easy Nordic walking session (60-90 min). Focus: rotate upper body Moderate Nordic walking session (50-80 min). Focus: posture shoulders down Moderate Nordic walking session (50-80 min). Focus: straight arm swing Phone: 0117 363 3078 Email: support@vavista.com 4 Vavista Ltd, Lysander House, Bristol BS10 7TQ VavistaLife 2015
WEEK 7 1. Easy Nordic walking session (60-90 min/5-6km). Focus: posture walk tall Challenging Nordic walking session (40-70 min). Easy Nordic walking session (60-90 min). Focus: power arms WEEK 8 1. Moderate Nordic walking session (50-80 min). Focus: posture shoulders down Easy Nordic walking session (70-100 min/6-7km). Focus: rotate upper body Challenging Nordic walking session (40-70 min). Focus: increasing speed WEEK 9 1. Moderate Nordic walking session (60-90 min). Focus: power arms Challenging Nordic walking session (40-70 min). Focus: posture walk tall Easy Nordic walking session (80-110 min/7-8km). WEEK 10 1. Moderate Nordic walking session (50-80 min). Focus: straight arm swing Challenging Nordic walking session (50-80 min). Focus: increasing speed Easy Nordic walking session (60-90 min). Focus: posture shoulders down WEEK 11 1. Easy Nordic walking session (80-110 min/8-9km). Focus: rotate upper body Moderate Nordic walking session (50-80 min). Focus: power arms Moderate Nordic walking session (60-90 min). WEEK 12 1. Easy Nordic walking session (30 min max). Focus: posture walk tall Easy Nordic walking session (30 min max). Focus: posture shoulders down Achieve your 10kAnyWay run/walk challenge it s time to tackle the 10km! Phone: 0117 363 3078 Email: support@vavista.com 5 Vavista Ltd, Lysander House, Bristol BS10 7TQ VavistaLife 2015
My 10kAnyWay training log Week Sessions completed Comments 1. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 1 Congratulations! You have completed your 10kAnyWay Nordic walking challenge. Remember to share your chosen challenge with us all your highs and lows of training, your challenge date and how you get on photos too please! We can help publicise your event to raise money for charity or link you up with others undertaking the challenge. Let us know when you have completed it and we will send you a 10kAnyWay certificate. Complete a 10k challenge in 3 different ways and win a 10kAnyWay gold medal. Phone: 0117 363 3078 Email: support@vavista.com 6 Vavista Ltd, Lysander House, Bristol BS10 7TQ VavistaLife 2015