Nordic Walking May Be The Most Effective Workout For Heart Health, Study Says

With every passing season, a new workout trend seems to emerge. From spinning to HIIT, boot camps to Pilates, there's always a new form of exercise that seems to be more effective than the last.

Studies have recently revealed that Nordic walking may be the best exercise for cardiovascular strength and better heart health compared to other workouts.

Nordic walking is a low-impact cardiovascular workout that uses specially designed poles to help propel you along your walk and support your body as you traverse hills and uneven terrain. Just like all walks, this form of exercise suits varying levels of intensity, which will naturally alter the health benefits on your body.

This 130-person study was conducted over the course of 26 weeks, comparing the impact of HIIT, Nordic walking, and moderate- to vigorous-intensity continuous training to see which was the most beneficial for patients with coronary artery disease.

Functional capacity, to clarify, is the participant's ability to complete general life activities, so pinpointing a form of exercise that supports this will naturally bolster quality of life and well-being as well.

More specifically, participants who engaged in Nordic walking experienced a 19% improvement in functional capacity, while HIIT garnered a 13% improvement, and moderate to vigorous continuous training showed a 12% increase.

Nordic walking may pose as a great form of cardiovascular exercise, but the results as they relate to the speed and distance of the walking test may be due to the nature of the exercise itself.

If you don't have a pair of poles readily available to take up Nordic walking, don't stress—walking without them is still a healthy option.

However, if you do want to improve your cardiovascular well-being and overall quality of life, it may be worth looking into the investment to replace your next HIIT session or hot girl walk.