Want a full-body workout? The Cape Cod Nordic Walking Club meets for strolls with poles

HARWICH — Walking is a great way to explore Cape Cod and ramp up your fitness level, but did you ever notice that your arms have nothing to do? They dangle down sadly while your legs have all the fun. Something must be done!

Enter the Cape Cod Nordic Walking club, a newly formed Facebook group that amazingly meets in the real world. Call 'em the pole strollers, because that's the big difference here. Nordic walkers use poles, and that brings your upper body to the exercise party.

The merry band of striders has been meeting twice-weekly at nature areas around Cape Cod. Schedules and locations are posted on their Facebook group page. New friends have been made, new techniques have been learned and after the walk, the group's founder Carla Fogaren treats everyone to iced chamomile tea.

On a recent morning, the club convened at the Bell's Neck Conservation Lands for a stroll through one of the most beautiful spots on Cape Cod. Fogaren, a summer resident of Harwich, kindly made time for a chat while the group was stretching.

Fogaren also has a home in Hingham and said she was inspired by past outings with the South Shore Nordic Walking group.

"Connecting with people in nature is magnificent," she said. "I was spending the whole summer on the Cape for the first time, and I thought, maybe I can get five or six people to join me, so I don't do this by myself."

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The idea took off quickly, and now the group has 136 members.

"I've met so many interesting people,"  Fogaren said. "Some of them come out because their spouses passed. Some come out because they have vertigo issues and they feel much more comfortable with this. And we don't leave any person behind, so there's always someone watching out for you."

For folks who are familiar with cross-country skiing, picking up Nordic walking will likely be pretty easy. According to the American Nordic Walking Association, the activity originated in Finland, and was a way for cross-country skiers to train in the no-snow months.

But it can be a bit tricky for those new to the world of poles. As a newcomer to Nordic walking, Celia Oppedisano of South Dennis shared her thoughts on technique before setting out at Bell's Neck.

"If you think about it too much, you might get tripped up," she said. "I just talk to people and go, and it's just natural."

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Nordic walking poles are similar to cross-country skiing poles, but have different grips, and come in both adjustable and fixed-length styles. Folks from the group said they've been able to buy inexpensive poles on the Cape at Ocean State Job Lot and Walmart. They're also available online.

Oppedisano has participated in several of the group outings and is having a blast.

"It's a really sweet group of people who want to get out to nature and move their bodies," she said. "I would encourage everybody to give it a try."

Beyond making friends and enjoying natural beauty, the health benefits of Nordic walking are impressive. According to a Harvard Medical School article, "Nordic walking combines cardiovascular exercise with a vigorous muscle workout for your shoulders, arms, core, and legs."

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The article cites observations by Massachusetts General Hospital cardiologist Dr. Aaron Baggish, who spent a year working in Switzerland, where folks are pretty bonkers about Nordic walking.

Here's what Baggish told the Harvard folks: "When you walk without poles, you activate muscles below the waist. When you add Nordic poles, you activate all of the muscles of the upper body as well," he said. "You’re engaging 80% to 90% of your muscles, as opposed to 50%, providing a substantial calorie-burning benefit."

Carla Fogaren, founder of the Cape Cod Nordic Walking group, boiled it down this way: "If you can walk, you can Nordic walk."