History of Balance Walking

European Origin

Pole walking originated in Finland, where, in the early 30s cross-country skiers designed an off season sports using modified ski poles on beaches with wrist straps. The Finn athletes learned that not only did the sport simulate their sport it encouraged an upright posture and balance without placing unnecessary stress on the muscles, ligaments and tendons. Participants use their arms to push off from their poles, engaging the entire range of upper-body muscles.

The sport is defined by professionals as a total body fitness exercise with specific training equipment. It is known as Pole Walking, Ski Walking and/or Nordic Pole Walking. It was officially launched in 1997. Today over 800,000 Finnish regularly participate in this sport and the trend has since spread throughout Europe. An estimated 7.0 million people now participate in this sport regularly. However, in the United States, the sport is still relatively new.

Balance Walking History

In 2006, Foot Solutions, a recognized world leader in specialty footwear, custom inserts and technology driven health and wellness products and sponsor of several international elite long distance runners, began teaching Nordic Pole Walking to their elite athletes as a recovery exercise. The elite athletes soon discovered that the new sport activity along with specialty Chung Shi shoes provided a low impact aerobic exercise that helped the body remove waste products while rebuilding muscle tissue.

Today the sport is becoming popular in the United States among beginners, intermediate and advance walkers and runners as a low impact exercise that increases circulation muscles and aerobic fitness during a limited exercise period, especially when combined with special fitness shoes.

In 2007, the Balance Walking Method & Program was established by Ray Margiano the CEO of Foot Solutions. This included his Book – Balance Walking. Balance Walking is unique in its approach to health that incorporates the four components of a healthy lifestyle; aerobic training, stress relief, strength/muscle mass training, and nutrition. The Core of the Balance Walking Technique is based on a 15 minute aerobic Nordic Pole Walking total body work-out in specially designed shoes called Chung Shi shoes.