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I’m honoured to be featured as an expert in this Outside magazine article on the growing popularity of Nordic walking. Read the full article below.
Nordic Walking Is Cool Again. Here's Why Everyone Should Be Doing It
Doctors and sports physiologists say this European walking style can relieve chronic pain, improve balance and heart health, all while keeping stress off the joints.
Nordic walking is cool again. While many Baby Boomers have long been into this type of walking, it’s now being embraced by younger generations in search of a low-impact workout that’s still challenging.
But Nordic walking is more than a way to get your heart rate up. Research suggests there are plenty of perks, including improved mood and balance and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.
Since social media is abuzz with the trend, Outside asked doctors, sports physiologists, and a Nordic walking master about the benefits of this form of walking. Here’s what the experts want you to know.
What’s the Difference Between Nordic Walking and Regular Walking?
Despite its name, Nordic walking actually started in Finland in the early 1990s.
“Cross-country skiers used poles during the snow-free months to maintain their conditioning,” Dr. Caitlyn Mooney, an orthopedic surgeon and assistant professor in the department of orthopedic surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, told Outside.
A major difference between Nordic walking and standard walking is the use of specially designed poles, according to Dr. Bert Mandelbaum, a sports medicine doctor and orthopedic surgeon in Santa Monica, California.
“Nordic walking uses the core and upper body more,” he said.
“Rather than simply carrying poles for balance, participants use them to propel themselves forward, making walking into a full-body exercise,” Mooney added.
Nordic Walking Versus Hiking
Nordic walking is different from hiking with hiking poles, too, according to Barb Gormley, a Nordic walking master trainer and author of The Urban Poling Ultimate Guide to Nordic Walking.
“Hiking with hiking poles minimizes effort and makes your hike easier, while Nordic walking maximizes effort, making your walk more challenging,” Gormley said.
What Are the Benefits of Nordic Walking?
Nordic walking “uses almost all the muscles of the body,” Gormley said. As a result, you can get a lot out of it.
Here are some of the biggest benefits, according to research and experts.
Better Balance
Nordic walking supports coordination and balance because the arms and legs move in opposite patterns in a rhythmic, reciprocal motion, Mooney said.
“This reinforces normal gait mechanics while engaging the upper and lower body together,” she said.
Research published in the journal Clinical Rehabilitation studied 80 men who had experienced acute coronary syndrome (ACS), a group of conditions that reduce blood flow to the heart, such as heart attacks and angina.
The men had experienced an ACS event two to three weeks before being included in the study. They were divided into three groups participating in different workouts: cardiac rehabilitation and Nordic walking; cardiac rehabilitation and regular walking; and cardiac rehabilitation alone. The walking and rehabilitation protocols lasted for three weeks.
At the end of the three weeks, researchers found that the men in the Nordic walking group showed greater improvements in both lower-body endurance and balance than those in the other two groups.
Improved Mental Health
A regular Nordic walking habit may boost your mood and ease symptoms associated with mental health disorders.
For example, a 2026 study found that over ten weeks, people who participated in Nordic walking twice a week experienced greater reductions in depression symptoms than those who did not incorporate exercise into their routine.
In that study, 64 adults with moderate to severe symptoms of depression were assigned to a ten-week supervised program. One group did Nordic walking twice a week while the others did not exercise.
Researchers assessed participants’ depression symptoms at the beginning of the study, after five weeks, and after ten weeks. The Nordic walking group showed greater improvements in depressive symptoms than the group that did not change its exercise routine, particularly within the first five weeks. People with severe depression at the beginning of the study experienced the biggest and fastest improvements.
Other research suggests that Nordic walking can improve mood in people with anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
It Works Several Areas of the Body at Once
“Nordic walking is a whole-body activity that engages the arms, shoulders, trunk, and legs,” Jennifer Reed, a researcher who studies exercise physiology and cardiovascular health at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, told Outside.
“Because more muscle mass is active, it increases cardiovascular demand and energy expenditure compared with regular walking.”
Mooney calls Nordic walking an attractive option for people who want a more challenging workout but have limitations that make high-impact activities such as running uncomfortable.
It May Lower the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
Several studies have linked Nordic walking to improved cardiovascular health, including research conducted by Reed.
In 2022, Reed conducted a study published in The Canadian Journal of Cardiology, in which patients with coronary artery disease performed high-intensity interval training, moderate-to-vigorous-intensity continuous training, or Nordic walking for 12 weeks.
At the end of the study period, people in the Nordic walking group had the greatest improvements in functional capacity, an important predictor of future cardiovascular issues, Reed said.
A 2025 scientific review of 22 studies involving 1,271 people found that Nordic walking helped improve oxygen consumption and reduce both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
It’s Linked to Less Chronic Pain and Fatigue
An analysis of 14 studies published in the journal Healthcare found that regular Nordic walking may ease pain and fatigue in people with chronic conditions. However, the workout was not necessarily better at reducing pain and fatigue than regular walking or other types of exercise.
“Nordic walking provides a low-impact form of aerobic exercise while offering additional support and stability through the poles,” Reed said.
“For people living with chronic conditions, this can make physical activity feel more manageable and may remove barriers to the cycle of inactivity, deconditioning, and fatigue.”
Regular exercise also helps people stay active while distributing effort across several muscle groups, which may be more comfortable, Mooney said. All of this can help reduce chronic pain and fatigue.
“It’s important to recognize that Nordic walking is not a cure for chronic pain or fatigue,” Mooney added. “The benefits are most likely when it is introduced gradually as part of a comprehensive treatment plan tailored to the individual’s condition.”
How to Incorporate Nordic Walking Into Your Life
Ready to add Nordic walking to your life?
Gormley advises people to start by investing in a good pair of walking poles.
“Be sure you buy real Nordic walking poles, not hiking poles,” she said.
Then, Gormley suggests taking at least one lesson to learn the proper technique from a certified instructor.
“Nordic walking isn’t difficult to learn, but it isn’t easy or intuitive either,” she said. “Without a lesson, many people unconsciously shift into a comfortable hiking mode, with bent elbows and short steps, instead of Nordic walking mode, with arms like long levers and long steps.”
Mooney says you don’t need to replace all of your walks with Nordic walking to reap the benefits.
“Even incorporating one or two Nordic walking sessions each week can add variety and increase exercise intensity without substantially increasing impact on the joints,” she said.
“For people who already enjoy walking, Nordic walking can be a simple way to progress their workouts while maintaining the accessibility and convenience that make walking such a sustainable lifelong exercise.”
