Several months back, I was gifted with a set of walking poles from Urban Poling. The timing couldn’t have been better. In April, my left knee was in awful shape and I was using a cane to take short walks. While a gel injection in May helped tremendously and I feel back to my spunky self again, I loved that I was able to share this fact with my Urban Poling representative. By working with her, a different set of poles were recommended. In fact, my entire experience with Urban Poling has been great. After having time to experiment with my poles, my rep reached out to me to see how things were going. I let her know that I was enjoying them, but not feeling I had quite the right rhythm. She immediately sent a few videos to help out.

Why invest in walking poles? On the Urban Poling site, they mention several benefits:

weight loss

balance

off-loading (takes the stress off knees and hips)

core strengthening

full body workout

walking (faster and further)

posture

cardio

For me, the poles have been all about keeping active and getting outside, two things I love doing regularly. With Izzy, my almost 14 year old border collie, having to drastically reduce the distance she walks daily, the poles have given me the motivation to get out in the neighborhood by myself. Truly, they do take the pressure of my knees and hips AND I walk so fast! In addition to using them on daily walks in the neighborhood, I have taken them along to the arboretum and on a recent trip to Colorado.

Since first posting photos with walking poles on Facebook and Instagram, I have heard from others who have been successfully using walking poles. If you haven’t given them a try, I highly recommend it.