Active Lives: Nordic Walking project in Nottinghamshire for adults with a learning disability
British Nordic Walking has successfully completed an NHS funded project to introduce Nordic Walking to young adults with learning disability in the borough of Broxtowe in Nottinghamshire. Here, EFDS finds out more about the project and its impact on those involved.
Nordic Walking uses poles to in order to add two major benefits to walking. The use of poles means the upper body muscles are used as well as the legs. The poles help to propel the walker along – this means the participant works harder than usual, yet the support given by the poles makes it feel easier!
Recently, a group of participants from Broxtowe with an intellectual impairment and their carers have learned the basic elements of the Nordic Walking technique- adapted from the summer training method for elite cross country skiers.
For Broxtowe Sports Development team, it is a low risk way of enjoying exercise and a gentle way of enjoying sustained activity. It’s versatile in that it can be done all year round in town or country.
Lead instructor Catherine Hughes used the versatile INWA 10 Step Method to teach the participants. She broke the movement of Nordic walking into small steps so that participants could focus on one thing at a time.
By adapting warm and cool down exercises as well as routes to suit all abilities, the instructors have seen steady progress each week. Participants were more engaged by using the variety of INWA drills and encouraged to talk about the activity.
The feedback has been really positive too. Carers reported that their children enjoyed the sessions so much that they bought their own poles to be able to Nordic Walk at other times.
The parents are not only seeing benefits in their children but are also enjoying being able to take some exercise in the fresh air themselves. As the group members grow in confidence, they are now planning to enter one of British Nordic Walking’s Challenge events in 2015.
Two parents, who take part with their daughters, said:
“We have really enjoyed the walking classes. I have enjoyed learning the techniques and am looking forward to putting them into practice this weekend in the Lakes. My daughter has also particularly benefited from the group. She has low muscle tone but appears to gain a lot of stability from walking with the poles and although her technique is not fully developed it certainly helps her to walk further than she has for many years. She enjoys the whole experience of being part of a group and looks forwards to coming. The classes are well led and we really enjoy the wide range of different activities which we participate in each week. Catherine and Rachel are both really good at making it accessible to all.”
“My daughter is a lot chattier in the Nordic classes than in other exercise she has tried. I think that this is due to the relaxed atmosphere and friendly interaction whilst walking”
The World Health Organisation recommends that adults exercise at a moderate intensity for 150 minutes a week. It was noted that this group found it hard to reach this target due to their impairment. In the past, they had tried other activities but given up after a short time, or the activity leader had stopped running the sessions because they found it hard to adapt the activity to a mixed ability group.
The original project funding has come to an end. To make the group more sustainable, it is being marketed to anyone who prefers a slower pace of exercise due to low fitness level, physical impairments or mental health problems.
