Everybody knows that walking is good for your health. In fact recent research is discovering more and more health benefits of regular walking, including prevention of type 2 diabetes, better control of diabetes for those who already have it, reduced risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke, prevention of obesity, better blood pressure control, better blood cholesterol control, reduced chance of developing osteoporosis and bowel cancer, less risk of falls (and therefore fractured bones) for older people, less chance of developing a depressive illness and reduced symptoms for those who already have depression.

So why isn't everyone out there accumulating 30 minutes of walking at a moderate pace on most days of the week as recommended by health authorities? Well a lot of reasons are put forward including the weather, sore knees, back or other physical disability, fear of dogs or magpies, fear of assault or lack of motivation. There is now some good news for those who are restrained by such barriers.

In the last five years a physical activity revolution has evolved in Finland called Nordic walking and has now spread across Europe and the US. Nordic walking is ordinary walking using two specially designed poles that look like ski poles to work the upper body, similar to cross country skiing.

The great feature of the poles is the increase in heart rate produced without increasing perceived level of exertion. This means you get a much better workout without feeling you are working any harder. The Cooper Institute in Dallas, Texas, has found that walking with poles boosts energy burning and oxygen consumption by an average of 20% compared to walking without poles at the same speed.

There is a definite technique that is easy to learn and can be found by accessing a web site www.nordicwalking.com. Nordic walking poles are available from sports, mountaineering and camping shops.

Ten percent of the population of Finland now use these poles and the trend is growing. Having just returned from Finland I was impressed at just who was using them - all ages, many quite elderly people some of whom had significant disability. Having a stick in each hand may make people feel more secure and it certainly helps with balance.

As Finland leads the world in mobile phones and computer technology that make us more sedentary they are also showing us a simple and pleasant way to be more active. By the way it's a great form of exercise after being slouched over a computer or desk for a few hours with the resulting stiff neck and shoulder muscles.