INWA Newsletter 8-2013
International Nordic Walking
Federation (INWA)
E-mail:
INWA PORTAL:
www.inwa-nordicwalking.com
Find us on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/nordic
walking
Registration:
Jollaksentie 27 A
FIN-00850 Helsinki
Finland
Secretary - Office:
P.O.Box 484
Silverdale
Auckland 0943
New Zealand
”Every step counts”
Welcome to the world of
Nordic Walking
WHAT IS INSIDE
INWA Announcement 2
INWA Communication Committee 5
INWA Nordic Walking Day 9
INWA International Convention 10
You Must Be Really Blind …. 10
China - Great Wall - Nordic Walking 11
Nordic Walking popularity in Finland 11 Exercise and Pregnancy 12
Partners of INWA:
International Nordic Walking Federation Health, Exercise, Sport & Education for All
www.inwa-nordicwalking.com
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IIINNNWWWAAA AAANNNNNNOOOUUUNNNCCCEEEMMMEEENNNTTT
International Nordic Walking Federation Health, Exercise, Sport & Education for All
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IINNWWAA BBOOAARRDD MMEEEETTSS TTOO DDEEVVEELLOOPP 33 YYEEAARR PPLLAANN!! By Paul Stevenson
On the 7th December, the new INWA Board was formally welcomed to
Wroclaw in Poland for the start of their strategic planning meeting. They
were welcomed by Professor Dr Andrzej Rokita from the University
School of Physical Education (photo). He pointed out how important the
work of INWA was in helping people to remain fit and active. So many
people, particularly in Western countries, were, he said, suffering from
the lack of physical activity. His University was keen to work with
organisations, such as INWA, that were addressing this issue.
As part of the planning meeting, the Board affirmed the vision and values for INWA. They discussed the
impact of the Global Financial Crisis on a number of members and expressed the desire to “deliver more
to members for less.” This would continue to be a challenge given the difficulty in securing major
sponsors.
The Board then elected the various office holders. Aki Karhitala was re-elected President with particular
responsibilities for relationship management, marketing and sponsors. Greg Zurek was elected as Vice
President and Paul Stevenson was appointed as Board Secretary.
Each Board member was then nominated and elected to chair one of the Committees. The results were:
Greg Zurek - Education Committee
Gosia Borzeszkowska – Events Committee
Hans Wrang – Membership Committee
Haim Ashkenazi – Scientific Committee
Stefano Ben – Communications Committee
Paul Stevenson – Finance Committee
International Nordic Walking Federation Health, Exercise, Sport & Education for All
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Greg Zurek - Education Committee; Gosia Borzeszkowska - Events Committee; Hans Wrang - Membership Committee; Aki Karhitala - President; Haim Ashkenazi - Scientific Committee; Stefano Ben - Communications Committee and Paul
Stevenson - Finance Committee
The Board then spent the next two days developing the strategies for each Committee until 2015. The
chair of each Committee was then required to put together their Committee and finalise the action
plans to achieve each of the strategic objectives. More detail on the strategies will be given in future
newsletters.
The Event Committee is a new committee. Gosia, as Chair, is responsible for organising the Convention
as well as events and competitions that will promote and highlight Nordic Walking. Some of these
events will be run as pilots this northern summer.
Greg and Gosia were excellent hosts giving the Board an introduction to the history of Poland and
Wroclaw in particular. Haim, from Israel and Hans and Paul, arriving from a Southern Hemisphere
summer were intrigued with the snow and low temperatures. It gave the early-morning walks through
snow, with the river icing up an extra “challenge.”
The new Board would like to thank the previous Board for their hard work and for providing a
foundation on which INWA can grow.
International Nordic Walking Federation Health, Exercise, Sport & Education for All
www.inwa-nordicwalking.com
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IIINNNWWWAAA CCCOOOMMMMMMUUUNNNIIICCCAAATTTIIIOOONNN CCCOOOMMMMMMIIITTTTTTEEEEEE By Daniela Coelho
Do you use LinkedIn? Now INWA has a page so you can also follow us there! Just search for International Nordic Walking Federation on https://www.linkedin.com
222000111333 IIINNNWWWAAA WWWIIILLLLLL RRREEELLLEEEAAASSSEEE 666 NNNEEEWWWSSSLLLEEETTTTTTEEERRRSSS,,, BBBEEE PPPAAARRRTTT OOOFFF IIITTT!!! Do you have information about a breaking news event and want to promote it? Please send
any Nordic Walking news or fitness and health news press releases to communication@inwa-
nordicwalking.com.
Would you prefer to reach out to us via Twitter or Facebook? Just access and let us know!
If you have questions or suggestions for our other networks, you also can send to
2013 INWA Communication Calendar
Newsletter - deadline to send news and articles
March - 10/03
May - 10/05
July - 10/07
September - 10/09
November - 10/11
And also ENews Nordic Walking Day and Convention, every month via Social Media, website
and email database
International Nordic Walking Federation Health, Exercise, Sport & Education for All
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SSSOOOCCCIIIAAALLL MMMEEEDDDIIIAAA,,, AAA GGGRRREEEAAATTT WWWAAAYYY TTTOOO FFFOOORRRMMM CCCLLLOOOSSSEEERRR RRREEELLLAAATTTIIIOOONNNSSSHHHIIIPPP
WWWIIITTTHHH YYYOOOUUURRR CCCUUUSSSTTTOOOMMMEEERRR Sending the right message will help you capitalize on social media and build your business.
The growing prevalence of social media is having a tremendous influence on how we get our
news, the way we communicate and on our behavior as consumers. It is definitly an importnat
growing marketing tool.
Want to know more? Have a look on the following article!
HOW CAN SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACT MY BUSINESS?
Social Media sites such as blogs and social networks allow people to form connections with
other users and brands and share content such as messages, news, video and photos. Sites
such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have experienced unprecedented growth over the last
few years and are some of the most talked about destinations on the web.
Social media offers an opportunity to connect and interact with your customers, promote your
brand and drive traffic to your website.
Getting involved in social media can also create a more human face to your business and be
fun at the same time.
WHAT ARE THE MAJOR SOCIAL MEDIA SITES?
Whilst many online services now have a social element, the five most important social
media sites for businesses are:
Facebook. Social network available in 70 languages with over 800 million members
worldwide, and more than 425 million monthly active users logging in with mobile smartphones.
Twitter. Micro blogging site where users post frequent 60 character messages with over 1 billion
tweets sent a week.
Youtube. Video sharing site owned by Google, with 8 million unique visitors each month and
100 million people taking a social action (likes, shares, comments etc) every week.
Linkedin. Business focussed networking site with over 8 million members in the UK, and 2
million companies profiles worldwide.
Google+. Social network launched in 2011, attracting 25 million members in its first month!
WHAT IS A BLOG?
Alongside using the above services to help promote your business, it is possible to add a social
dimension to your own site by adding a blog. A blog consists of a chronologically ordered list of
International Nordic Walking Federation Health, Exercise, Sport & Education for All
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entries (referred to as blog posts) where readers can add comments. These comments are
important as they change a post from a simple article into a discussion. Blogs are great for
adding interesting, original and frequently updated content to a site, which will be loved by both
readers and search engines!
HOW SOCIAL MEDIA CAN HELP YOUR BUSINESS
Form closer relationships with customers
Using social media is a great way to make your business seem friendlier and to form
closer relationships with your customers. By engaging in social media, your company can
interact directly with customers and by creating interesting and useful content you can
position yourself as an expert in your field.
Drive website traffic and encourage recommendations
It's quick and easy to set up a company profile on the major social media sites and then
start publishing your own content. If your content is interesting, other users will share it
with their friends, which will generate interest in your business and clickthroughs to your
site. Such personal recommendations are a highly effective way to promote a business
and using social media has the potential to massively expand your reach.
On Facebook, for example, companies can set up their own 'page'. Other users can 'Like'
the page itself and any posts on it. The things that they 'Like' will then appear on their
own profile for their friends to see. In this way, interesting content will be naturally
distributed and generate interest in your business.
Blogging on your site is also a great way of driving traffic. Blog posts tend to be unique
and the interactive nature of blogs means that they tend to attract incoming links. These
two factors cause blog posts to frequently appear in search engine results, generating
natural search traffic.
Get instant customer feedback
Social media is not just a way to talk to your customers, but also a great way to listen. By
monitoring what people are saying about you on Twitter, blogs and other social networking sites
and talking to customers directly, you can get real time feedback on what customers are
thinking about your products and services. Lots of free tools exist for monitoring and listening on
the social web, including Google Alerts.
Broadcast articles, news and offers
Social media sites allow companies to share news and ideas and distribute promotions. Here
are some ideas for what you could write about:
'How to' articles and videos: Demonstrate your knowledge of your products and provide
useful information that other users will want to share.
Competitions: Competitions generate lots of excitement and are fun to do.
Company news: Publish interesting news and developments about your company.
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You might, for example, post news about awards won or even a picture of a team fundraising
event to give a feel for the people behind your brand.
Product launches and reviews: Keep your customers up to date with your latest products and
make product recommendations.
Special offers: Everyone loves a bargain so share frequent special offers exclusively with your
social media connections.
Be careful though, as obvious sales pitches do not go down well on social media sites! Also,
remember that a conversation is a two-way thing and it is very important to join in by reply to
comments as well as direct messages. Engaging with your audiences will be the key to a
successful social media approach.
Social Advertising
Facebook Ads enable businesses to advertise to Facebook users based on their profile
information. These adverts are charged on a cost per click basis and require a minimal initial
spend. Start small and experiment with different adverts and target audiences to get the best
results. Remember, the more targeted and relevant you can make your social ads; the more
likely they are to provide a positive return.
Connect and interact with your customers today with these simple tips to getting started with
social media.
Source: How can social media impact my business | PayPal for Business | https://www.paypal-
business.co.uk
If your Association has any kind of social media page/address, please send
details to us. INWA can help you to promote your organisation and spread
Nordic Walking in your area.
International Nordic Walking Federation Health, Exercise, Sport & Education for All
www.inwa-nordicwalking.com
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By Daniela Coelho
EEEVVVEEERRRYYYWWWHHHEEERRREEE,,, EEEVVVEEERRRYYYBBBOOODDDYYY!!! LLLEEETTT’’’SSS NNNOOORRRDDDIIICCC WWWAAALLLKKK!!! Great events have been organised in the past years. The World Nordic Walking Day has been
growing and it has become an important opportunity to promote Nordic Walking around the
world!
By promoting an event together, everyone gets stronger, feels part of something bigger. So why
not participate? You can organise a simple walk with your friends and clients, or by yourselves,
with your dog or organise a massive walk event. Every initiative is an amazing initiative!
Tell us what your will do? Inwa will help promote your event and you can use the Nordic walking
day logo and be part of the Photo competition and Challenges.
Want some ideas?
Walk in the park
In the city
Pub/cafe Nordic Walking Challenge
5k, 10k, 21k, 42k etc
Walk on the beach
Walk on the moon
Walk on the mountains
Get together with your areas instructors, invite your clients and celebrate!
Want to travel? There are really nice walking events happening, why not join? You can go to
Italy, Spain, Wales, England, Japan, Poland, New Zealand, Israel, and much more.
Be part of our day!
International Nordic Walking Federation Health, Exercise, Sport & Education for All
www.inwa-nordicwalking.com
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NNoorrddiicc WWaallkkiinngg IInntteerrnnaattiioonnaall CCoonnvveennttiioonn 22001133!! By Daniela Coelho
The 2013 Convention will be held in Poland for the second time: the Polish Nordic Walking
Federations and INWA aim to do a fantastic and unforgettable convention.
The organisation is finalising some aspects of the event and soon INWA will confirm the date
and city. The provisional date is the 3rd – 6th October 2013.
Do you have any suggestion for the Convention? About the Programme? The Social activities?
Why not let us know? Send us an email and help us to make an amazing event.
YYoouu MMuusstt BBee RReeaallllyy BBlliinndd ………… By Paul Stevenson
Recently, Helen, a regular Nordic walker in New Zealand had an
interesting encounter. She was a few minutes late for her regular
Nordic walking group that leaves Downtown Auckland at 6.00am
every Thursday morning. She knew where the group was going so
headed off to catch up with them.
She stopped at an intersection to wait for the “Cross Now” signal.
She was approached by a young man who had obviously been attending an all-night Christmas
celebration and was quite drunk.
He said, ”Good morning, lady, would you like me to help you across the road?”
Helen thanked him for his offer but said that she could manage all right by herself.
As they stood waiting for the signal he turned to her and said, “Gee lady, you must be really
blind. You need TWO sticks!!!”
International Nordic Walking Federation Health, Exercise, Sport & Education for All
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Regards from the INWA China Nordic Walkers from the Great Wall
By Sam Xiao and Aki Karihtala
The popularity of Nordic Walking in Finland! By Aki Karihtala
Finnish Latu ja Polku-magazine published a report in December on the popularity of different
sports in Finland. The study covered 2146 people of which 54% were members of Suomen Latu
(one of the largest associations in Finland focusing on outdoor sports). 83 % were between 26
and 65 years old. 61% were women and 39% men. Some statistics:
From the participants of the study 86% walk, 73% ride bicycles, 68% ski cross country, 65% hike
and 46% nordic walk.
- 53 % of the female participants of the questionnaire Nordic Walk, 36 % of the men.
- 64 % own a pair of Nordic Walking poles.
- 57 % of the Nordic Walkers do it throughout the year
- 80 % of the Nordic Walkers ski cross country during the winter
In short, Nordic Walking is still going strong in Finland.
International Nordic Walking Federation Health, Exercise, Sport & Education for All
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Did you know that 150 minutes of walking each week has loads of benefits for pregnant
mums?
This bump is made for walking – staying active during pregnancy
By NHS UK
Did you know that 150 minutes of walking each week has loads of
benefits for pregnant mums? And it doesn’t even have to be in one go!
A healthier baby
Being active during pregnancy means you're likely maintain a healthier weight and be able to
cope better with the physical demands of pregnancy and labour. It also reduces the risk of
miscarriage, stillbirth, birth defects and diabetes.
It can also prevent gestational diabetes, which makes your baby grow too big in pregnancy, and
can lead to a delivery complications and low blood sugar,. Being active can also prevent you
from getting high blood pressure, which can result in a stillbirth.
And a healthier you
And for you, 150 minutes of walking a week makes it easier to get back to your normal weight
after your baby is born. It can also:
Give you more energy, help you sleep better, and reduce feelings of stress, anxiety and
depression. So even if you’re feeling shattered, it’s a great reason to try to get some
walking in.
Make you stronger, so you can carry the weight of your growing baby.
Prepare your body for the physical challenge of labour. This can help to make labour
quicker and reduces the risk of complications.
Help to lessen the risk of depression after your baby is born.
International Nordic Walking Federation Health, Exercise, Sport & Education for All
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Top tips – easy ways to build 150 minutes of walking into your routine
It’s easy, when you know how! Just use your two feet whenever you can:
Walk to work, a friend’s house or the shops
If you already have kids, walk them to school
Get off the bus one stop early
Park the car further away than you need
Take the long way
Use the stairs, not the lift
If you work in an office, deliver messages in person rather than over the phone/ email
Talk and walk with a friend
Walk the dog – or someone else’s!
And if you fancy a change from walking, why not try:
Swimming
Aquanatal classes
Yoga
Dance classes
Source: http://www.nhs.uk/start4life/Pages/walking-activity-during-pregnancy.aspx
Instructors, do you have pregnant clients in your Nordic walking class? Why
not share your experience with us!
International Nordic Walking Federation Health, Exercise, Sport & Education for All
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Feelmax launches new shoe for Nordic Walking 31.Jan.2013
Feelmax - a company from Finland specializing in Barefoot shoes - launches new shoe suitable for
Nordic Walking in cold and extreme conditions.
The new model, called VASKO, features a ultrathin 2,8mm. outsole to provide all the benefits of
barefoot walking, while providing protection.There is a waterrepellent, breathable upper to give
protection against rain and mud, and some extra isolation against cold. The shoe has been tested in
conditions between -20°C and +15°C, with very satisfactory results. The VASKO is currently the
only Barefoot model on the market suitable for winter.
Due to the flexible design, the shoe is extremely comfortable. The last is wide, to allow the toes to
spread naturally.
The Vasko is also very light, less than 200g. The Vasko is available in EUR sizes 37-46.
More information:
www.feelmax.com
www.inwa-nordicwalking.com