British Nordic Walking

This new research offers another strong reason to consider Nordic Walking as we grow older.

In a 12-week study comparing Nordic Walking with traditional walking, participants aged 65 to 80 completed three supervised sessions each week.

Both groups improved, but the Nordic Walking group recorded greater improvements in:

• Upper and lower body strength
• Aerobic capacity
• Confidence around falling
• Fear of movement
• Quality of life

The Nordic Walking group also increased its six-minute walking distance by around 51 metres more than the traditional walking group.

The study was small, with 28 participants completing the programme, so further research is needed. However, the findings support what Nordic Walking instructors see every day. With the correct technique, Nordic Walking actively involves the upper body and offers far more than a walk with poles.

🔗 Click the link in the comments to read more

What does Nordic Walking look like where you are?

World Photography Day is on 19 August, and we want to see the places, people and moments which make your walks special.

It could be:

• Your favourite route
• A brilliant view
• Your walking group
• A post-walk coffee
• A photo which captures why you love Nordic Walking

Share your photo in the comments, post it to your own page and tag us, or send it directly to us.

Let’s fill 19 August with Nordic Walking photos from coastlines, countryside, parks, towns and trails.

Where are your poles taking you?

What do we love about Nordic Walking?

The fresh air.

The feeling of moving well.

The routes I would never have found on my own.

The conversations which make the miles disappear.

The people who started as walking companions and became friends.

The sense of achievement after a longer walk.

The coffee afterwards.

And the way we always feel better for having gone.

Nordic Walking is more than exercise. It becomes part of your week, your routine and your life.

What do you love most about it?

Can Nordic Walking help people rebuild confidence in movement?

In the June 2026 issue of Live Well with Pain (page 6/7), INWA International Trainer Karen Ingram explores how Nordic Walking can support people living with persistent pain.

Her article, Trust Your Body: Creating Positive Movement Experiences Through Nordic Walking, explains how the poles can provide stability, rhythm and support, helping movement feel safer and more achievable.

By bringing the upper body into play, it turns walking into a whole-body activity that is low-impact, functional, and easy to adapt. Helping people rediscover what positive movement can feel like.

Karen also shares her own experience of severe, recurring back pain following spinal surgery. Through movement, pain science and Nordic Walking, she rebuilt her strength, confidence and trust in her body.

As Karen writes:

“Done well, Nordic Walking becomes more than exercise; it’s a bridge back to movement, independence, and everyday life.”

Karen is an INWA International Trainer, part of the British Nordic Walking teaching team and holds a Professional Certificate in Pain Sciences.

🔗 Click the link in the comments to read the article

Don’t wait until September.

Summer is a great time to get outside, move more and start building a routine before autumn arrives.

Learning to Nordic Walk is a friendly way to improve your fitness, build strength and enjoy being outdoors. You do not need to be especially fit, nor do you need any previous experience.

Starting now means you can head into September already feeling more active, more confident and more comfortable with the technique.

There are British Nordic Walking instructors across the UK offering beginner sessions and workshops.

🔗 Click the link in the comments to find a Nordic Walk near you

What does the science really say about Nordic Walking?

Annie Draper, also known as the Nordic Walking Physio, has joined the INWA Science Committee. In our latest blog, she talks to CEO Catherine Hughes about her passion for research, the evidence behind Nordic Walking and why it matters for instructors, healthcare professionals and the future of Nordic Walking.

🔗 Click the link in the comments to read the blog

The person walking next to you could be celebrating some of the best news of their life.

They could also be carrying worries that nobody else can see.

That's one of the wonderful things about walking together. We all arrive with our own stories, challenges, hopes and experiences, but for an hour or two, we share the same path.

The conversation flows. The fresh air clears your head. The rhythm of walking helps you switch off from the noise of everyday life.

You don't have to be the fastest walker. You don't have to have everything figured out.

Sometimes, simply getting outside, moving your body and spending time with good people is enough to make the day feel a little brighter.

That is the power of Nordic walking.