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Latvian Health Minister Juris Bārzdiņš: Nordic Walking does not require much, but it definitely provides good results!

In this article Latvian Health Minister Juris Bārzdiņš talks about his Nordic Walking experiences - from the beginnings of his Nordic Walking hikes to the benefits brought about by Nordic Walking.

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Latvian Health Minister Juris Bārzdiņš: Nordic Walking does not require much, but it definitely provides good results!

We live at the seaside near Riga (the capital of Latvia), and our family have always loved walking by the sea. During simple walks, however, both our speed and the physical load seemed too low. So in order to make our walks more sporty, I and my wife decided to try Nordic Walking.

We started at the end of 2009. We tried it, we liked it and during our first attempt at Nordic Walking we walked from Vaivari to Ragaciems. Of course, for several days after the first time I certainly knew that I had been active! However, the next weekend I was ready to do some more Nordic Walking.
We are not serious or professional sportsmen in our family. We are more disposed towards ensuring general healthiness. I use a stepping machine for fifteen minutes in the mornings and in summer I go cycling and sailing whenever possible. My newly discovered Nordic Walking interest gave me an opportunity to do something sporty in the open air, irrespective of the weather conditions.

During the first few Nordic Walking expeditions we walked in the snow – last year there was snow on the ground until April. But the weather became warmer and warmer and while walking on the beach we began to notice some amber. We met other Nordic Walkers more frequently as well. So we kept up our exercise in this fashion, breathing fresh air and observing how spring was blossoming after the winter.
We saw Chinese mitten crabs at the seaside in summer. If the sum total of kilometres covered during our Nordic Walking sessions were to be counted, by the beginning of summer we could have made a journey from Vaivari to Kolka (around 100 km).

Sometimes I went out for a walk together with my wife, sometimes with the children (who are aged eleven and sixteen) and the dog. It is a great pleasure that we can get as far as twenty kilometres during a walk. It is important that parents conduct their sporting activities along with their children, otherwise the next generation may become even more sedentary than we are. This is an area in which I can remember my parents with a good word – there was no Nordic Walking then, but we did go trekking and skiing, and participated in boat trips.

When talking about the technique of Nordic Walking, I must note that I believe that the motions involved, the walking rhythm, are all given to us by nature and we do them automatically. The poles allow more involvement of the upper body and arms in the walking process and you can feel that all of your body is working.

Sometimes, when we do not meet any Nordic Walkers at the beach, the prints of their poles are still visible in the sand. It soon becomes obvious that somebody else does their Nordic Walking here. You are not alone.

It would be great if doctors prescribed not only medicines, but recommended various health promoting and sports-orientated activities. Nordic Walking poles are not expensive. There are plenty of groups and instructors, and different Nordic Walking events are held regularly. Nordic Walking is accessible. Nordic Walking is a series of natural movements which load the body safely and efficiently. Many of doctors do Nordic Walking. I recommend Nordic Walking both as a doctor and based on my personal experience – it does not require much, but it definitely provides good results.

I believe the values of human life need to be changed. People often find it important to dress trendy, to purchase luxury cars, and some people just... spend their time in shopping centres, but this is not enough to ensure a good quality of life. Will you be able to enjoy life if your health is poor due to your own negligence?

It is more important to do something good for your health, to be fit and in a good mood and to be able to spend time well with the people who are close to you. Everybody is responsible for their own health. I recommend Nordic Walking as one of the healthiest kinds of sporting activities, and one which provides joy in all seasons.

I wish you all good health and the joy that is achieved through an active and healthy lifestyle!

And let us encourage everyone who has not tried Nordic Walking. Go ahead and try it!

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Article in Latvian -
Veselības ministrs Juris Bārzdiņš: nūjošana neprasa daudz, bet sniedz tiešām labus rezultātus!
Sarunas par šo rakstu - www.nujotajiem.lv/lat/nujotajiem/jaunumi/?n=79

Article in Russian -
Министр здравоохранения Юрис Барздиньш: северная ходьба много не требует, но даёт действительно хороший результат!
Здесь происходят разговоры об этой статье - www.palki.lv/rus/nujotajiem/jaunumi/?n=79

Taken on: March 1, 2011

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