Whether it’s a leisurely stroll in the ByWard Market or a purposeful, errands-filled jaunt downtown, people everywhere are taking advantage of the comfortable temperatures and putting their feet to the street.

Ottawa is a city of walkers.

It’s something most of us do at one time or another, and while walking itself offers an easy-to-do, low-impact exercise, some Ottawans have chosen to take it to the next level. We’ve all seen them — people who appear to be cross-country skiing, minus the skis and the snow.

“The first time I saw it, I was like, ‘that’s really weird,’” Cindy Teevens recalls.

But Teevens, a runner, took up urban poling — a technique the Finnish Olympic ski team uses to train in the off-season — earlier this year after undergoing a foot surgery. While it may look silly the first time you see it, there is — as Teevens explained to me — a science behind it.

Used properly, the poles offer a full-body workout, improve posture, firm up dreaded arm flaps and help burn up to 46 per cent more calories and increase heart rate 10 to 15 beats per minute over regular walking.

“Walking is one of the most popular fitness activities and this is just the natural extension of that,” said urban poling master trainer, Heather Pardon.

It uses more muscles and burns more energy than walking, but reduces impact on the joints at the same time.

Pardon and Teevens sold me on the fitness benefits, but first, I had to get over the mental hump of having to use the poles.

Teevens and I are about to take the poles for a test drive downtown when it starts to rain. To my horror, the lesson is moved inside the Rideau Centre.

I’m self-conscious and terrified that mall security’s going to kick us out, and am relieved when nobody says anything.

In fact, aside from a few curious glances from early morning shoppers, nobody pays attention at all. Could it be that urban poling is more common than I thought?

At Teevens’ suggestion, I started simply by walking, poles trailing behind me. With that down pat, I started swinging my arms, being conscious to keep them straight.

I literally became one of those people who can’t walk and talk at the same time.

I can’t window-shop without breaking stride. Still, the lure of burning more calories in a relatively easy way wins out.

“It’s easy to learn because it’s natural and it’s the way you naturally move,” Teevens said.
Some people are more coordinated than others, she said.

“Usually, the people who have trouble initially are the ones who think too much about it. They’re moving their arms in the wrong direction.”