I gained 12 pounds during pregnancy and quickly lost 18 pounds shortly after I gave birth thanks to a rigorous nursing schedule when Baby Champuru was a newborn.  When she hit six months, the nursing slowed down and I began to supplement feedings with formula.  Due to a lack of exercise and overly enthusiastic eating, the scale is starting to tip in the wrong direction again.  I’m hoping to stop this trend before it gets out of hand, but as a new mom, finding time for exercise isn’t always easy.

Hubby’s new hobby is biking, and although I don’t share the same ardor for the activity, he managed to find something for me during his recent trip to the bike shop: a pair of FitTrek Nordic Walking Poles.  When he brought them home, I was less than excited.  To be honest, I’ve seen people walking around the neighborhood with those poles and thought it actually looked quite comical.  After all, it looks like cross-country skiing without the benefit of snow and a fabulous cold-weather outfit.  Seeing the price tag still hanging from the poles ($89.95), I thought I better give them a chance.

So, that afternoon, we put Baby Champuru in the stroller and I wielded my new Nordic walking poles.  It took a little getting used to, but after a while, I got into a good stride and they actually felt great!  The poles help you get a better full-body workout during your walk, without increasing your pace.

Here’s a description of the benefits of Nordic walking from Wikipedia:

Nordic walking can be done year round in any climate and anywhere a person of any age or ability might otherwise walk without poles. It combines simplicity and accessibility of walking with simultaneous core and upper body conditioning similar to Nordic skiing. The result is a full-body walking workout that can burn significantly more calories without a change in perceived exertion or having to walk faster, due to the incorporation of many large core and other upper-body muscles which comprise more than 90% of the body’s total muscle mass and do work against resistance with each stride. “Normal walking” utilizes only 70% of muscle mass with full impact on the joints of the legs and feet.

Nordic walking produces up to a 46% increase in energy consumption compared to walking without poles.[2] It can also increase upper body muscle endurance by 38% in just twelve weeks.

My plan is to be able to take baby with me in the Beco Baby Carrier while Nordic walking.  The poles should also offer the benefit of increased stability while I walk.  So, if you see me backpacking Baby Champuru with my Nordic walking poles, please try not to point and laugh. I’m doing it for my health.