The cornerstone of unity

100 NORDIC WALKING
Nordic walking in Finland has become a fashionable and established form of exercise. Approximately 800,000 
people currently practice Nordic walking on a weekly basis and according to estimations more than 1.5 million 
Finns have at least tried it. Following the Finnish example, the boom has been somewhat explosive all over 
Central Europe and the other Nordic countries, and it is also spreading to other parts of the world. 
It is hard to establish the beginning of Nordic walking 
– St Paul used a stick to keep wild animals away and 
Alpine people have always walked with the help of a staff. Although sticks have been involved in competitive 
sports in anaerobic hill exercises since the 1950s, it was at the end of the 80s that they really came into their 
own when the Central Association for Recreational Sports and Outdoor Activities (Suomen Latu) decided to 
organise a skiing trip to honour the statue of Tahko Pihkala, a Finnish athletics activist. There was no snow that 
day, however, so the trip had to be made by foot 
– but with the help of the skiing sticks. The father of the idea 
was Suomen Latu’s executive director Tuomo Jantunen. 
People became more and more interested in this kind of walking and, after the equipment had been 

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sufficiently developed, the first Nordic walking poles came onto the market and the boom began. In 2001 I 
founded a Nordic walking group in the Finnish Parliament (innovation no. 1) which has attracted a very positive 
and consta
ntly growing group of walkers. Every year, among other things, we elect the Parliament’s Nordic 
Walker of the Year. 
The health effects of Nordic walking have been studied and are overwhelmingly beneficial. In principle the 
activity suits anyone that can wa
lk and observe their own body’s exertion indicators. With the right height of pole 
and a good technique Nordic walking can be up to 40
–50% more efficient than normal walking, and a prime 
additional benefit is that stress on the knees decreases by approximately 30%. Nordic walking suits people of all 
ages 
– from kids to grannies. 
The general recommendation is to take a one-hour walk, during which one should be able to talk without 
losing one’s breath. A regular one-hour walk twice a week maintains one’s physical condition, while more regular 
walking will improve it. 
Apart from making people physically fitter, Nordic walking also helps nurture a positive character, and is 
beneficial to mental health and weight control. Fat burning starts only after an hour of continuous walking, but it 
is also possible to lose weight. 
Nordic walking has been tried out by all kinds of groups 
– in November 2000 the Sotilasaikakauslehti military 
magazine, which is published by the Finnish Officers’ Union, organised a Nordic walking test in the Jaeger 
Guard Regiment, where conscripts in the Defence Forces Sports School participated in a seven km walk 
wearing full combat gear. The exercise was completed three minutes faster with the walking poles than without 
them, and the perceived level of exertion was no higher. The time gained was mainly due to more efficient 
walking in the uphill stages. The conscripts considered the experiment a very positive experience. 
It seems like Nordic walking is here to stay. There is great enthusiasm for it and it is only increasing 
– 
especially in the light of a 1988 survey which found Nordic walking to be practically non-existent, while 
nowadays we are talking about millions of walkers throughout Europe. The Central Association for Recreational 
Sports and Outdoor Activities, Sport Institute of Finland and undoubtedly many other organisations as well as 
Nordic walking technique instructors and pole manufacturers have together created a versatile activity that 
makes it easier for people to keep in better shape. 
Eero Akaan-Penttilä 
– Member of Parliament,
President of the Parliament’s Nordic Walking Club 1999–2011