Walking Sticks

I recently received a great gift from a woodcarver that helps in our food pantry at church. It is a walking stick decorated with various images associated with Bible stories. A black snake has been carved into it reminding me of the snake Moses lifted up. The snake comes out of a vine reminding me that Jesus is the true vine. And, the stick is just the right height for me. I have learned that walking with sticks increases the amount of calories burned and the number of muscles toned. This is not a new fad, but a proven way of getting fit.

My new walking stick

Tom Rutlin started using sticks while walking in 1985. He is considered by many to be the "father" of the rapidly growing worldwide Nordic pole walking movement. He founded Exerstrider Products, Inc. in 1988, and introduced the world's first specially designed fitness walking poles. You can see his earlier instructional video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWKqAYw2r0g&feature=related
Prevention magazine did an article about walking with poles in September 2012 and included a suggested schedule for the "pole-walking" program. http://www.prevention.com/fitness/fitness-tips/walking-workouts-nordic-walking-poles AND http://www.prevention.com/fitness/fitness-tips/burn-more-calories-walking-nordic-walking-poles
According to Wendy Bumgardner, A pair of fitness walking poles allow you to burn more calories while feeling no greater exertion when walking on streets, sidewalks, and paths (http://walking.about.com/cs/poles/bb/bybpole.htm).
I have tried this "stick walking" exercise using my new carved stick and another "natural" stick that I had in the shed. I seem to move or rotate from side to side more than I did without the sticks. I like it!
I am trying several different ways to get fit, including reworking some of the techniques I have written about before. The goal is to get physically fit. I want to be able to walk where I want to, bike where I want to, and do either (or both) as often as I want to. So, I will share my experiences here; hopefully more often than I have over the past 12 months.
What are you doing to stay physically fit?