Whether you have decided that 2012 is the year you take control and step up your activity levels or you are already active and want to set yourself some fitness goals – Nordic Walking is the answer. Read on to find out why.
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Here at Nordic Walking UK, we are always looking for the latest gadgets and gizmo’s that will make your Nordic Walking experience as enjoyable and fun as possible. As some of our team members and instructors are always Nordic Walking for fitness, it got us looking for a Smart Phone app that could record our routes and workouts. Here’s our favourite:
Endomondo is a FREE app, avaliable on iphone, Blackberry and Android phones. Endomondo.com is the place where you automatically track all your sports data and monitor your performance over time. At Endomondo.com you meet like-minded friends, get inspired by them, challenge them and follow their activities… live! Nordic Walking UK challenges you to join our regular challenges, as an individual or through your Nordic Walking UK Instructor group.
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Now, we know not everybody is in to using technology and that for many of you the chance to be out with your poles is a way to escape it but we could simply NOT resist showcasing a couple of fantastic smartphone Apps that can really transform a nordic walk! So, why not let technology help you to find a real ale pub or locate your exact position on a detailed ordnance survey map.
Outdoors GB
Is the the complete OS mapping and GPS app for Britain’s walkers, runners, cyclists and mountaineers. A simple and intuitive interface brings the full range of OS maps to your iPhone including the official OS 1:25k Explorer maps and 1:50k Landranger maps, all in one app. With the maps fully downloaded onto your device, they will work anywhere regardless of signal strength. App costs around £4.99 and each area map (i.e South East England) cost around £9.99 to download within the app itself. Visit the iTunes store to download and read more. Click the following link to watch a youtube demo http://nwuk.so/ykXxfd
Cask Finder
This great app that helps you suss out Britain’s best pubs and great beer, something that is really important if we want our brilliant pubs to stick around and great to know if you’ve just finished a particularly gruelling walk.
It basically includes a pub finder, tasting notes, beer ratings and a barcode scanner that can be used within the pub to register your visit and clock up points that lead to prizes!
Click the following link to watch a youtube demo http://nwuk.so/zE7XFy
Looking for something to motivate yourself and your fellow Nordic Walkers? Why not sign up to take part in the Sainsburys Sport Relief Sport challenge. Nordic Walkers are more than welcome so make sure you are part of this fun national event.
Whether you do 1, 3 or 6 miles – with your local group or simply against the clock – you’ll have a fantastic time when you go the distance. And at just £6 for adults, £3 for children and £15 for a family of four, it’s a great day out for just a few quid and will help promote Nordic Walking to the wider community. Find your nearest Mile now. http://my.sportrelief.com/search/event
If there is not an event near you why not see if you could organise your own NORDIC sport relief mile – a great way to generate interest locally:-
Organise a mile NOW http://www.sportrelief.com/the-mile/organise-an-event
And, of course – let us know what you are planning, how the training is going and share any pictures on our ever growing Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/nordicwalkinguk
Peter Young
We are proud that Instructors trained by NWUK are now working across the globe ( see the rest of the world link on our search page) so we were delighted to hear that one successful West London Instructor will soon be offering sessions in the Falklands Islands. Peter Young has made the move and is still busy settling in but if his new neighbours want a taste of what he will soon be able to offer in those beautiful remote Islands here’s a lovely story written by Ruth, one of his clients in the UK who miss him and wish him well.
A Valentine’s Day Gift
As Valentine’s day 2011 approached I knew that if I wanted to receive a gift of any value that I would have to give it to myself. It’s not that my other half doesn’t love me or appreciate the 30 years that we have been married but he just doesn’t go in for all that mushy stuff. My bank balance wouldn’t stretch to diamonds, I prefer white roses to red and my hips and waist had no need of more chocolate than they already displayed. Remembering an article I had read a few years previously I decided to go a-googling for “Nordic Walking”.
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The Nordic Walking UK Competence card is growing in popularity and new benefits for card holders are being added regularly – read on to find out more about the scheme and how to get involved. Nordic Walking UK has devised a specific way of learning not only the technique but also how, why and when Nordic walking can be used effectively to get maximum health and fitness improvements.
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It’s great to hear from so many Instructors who are reporting a busy start to the year and we appreciate that you are all busy with tasters and tuition at the moment. However, now is also the time to think about how you are going to keep all these new converts to Nordic Walking throughout the year so, we thought we would put together a few examples and ideas of ways to keep the fun and interest going with events and challenges.
JOIN IN OUR OLYMPIC CHALLENGE
Olympic year is finally here and the whole Nation is gearing up for a sporting spectacle that will be remembered for years to come.
Lots of organisations and companies are pledging to help encourage people to be more active as part of the Olympic legacy and NWUK are involved in a number of these schemes. We thought it would be great for our Instructors to join in and were delighted when we heard that Sue Hayes an Instructor from ESSEX has got right into the spirit. Sue has pledged to offer 2012 tasters out this year….we had better get back to work with our press releases so we can help you achieve this Sue! – Good Luck!
Technique refresher courses for NWUK Instructors
All the signs are pointing to a bumper year for Nordic Walking Instructors but are you fully equipped to deal with what the public really want?
People are clearly voting with their feet and choosing Nordic Walking as a way to get more active which is great, BUT are you confident you have the skills to ensure they are working at an intensity that matches their health and fitness levels? Do you have a good enough understanding of the body and how it moves and can you prescribe safe, effective progression to make sure they achieve their goals?
All of these skills are vital if you want to maximise how you deliver Nordic Walking and be part of the drive to get Britain active.
Back by popular demand!
Those of you who attended the Conference will remember a lively presentation by Marketing expert Jeni Cantle who gave a brief but fascinating insight into how to master tools like Facebook and twitter and use them to promote your sessions effectively. We are delighted to announce that Jeni has offerred to deliver some SOCIAL MEDIA workshops specifically for our Instructors. The first of these will be held in Milton Keynes on 14th March 2012. Continue reading
