The Europeans have discovered a better way to walk

Jogging is a chore, doing pool laps solitary, and walking so very relaxing it can hardly be counted as exercise. If only something combined the benefits of all three, it might get me into a fitness regime.

And then in the undulating meadows above Innsbruck in Austria, I encounter locals propelling themselves along with what look like ski poles, and discover Nordic walking.

Its practitioners look fit and yet unaccountably smiley, despite the sweating that indicates they must be getting a good workout.

I couldn’t have been in a better place to be introduced to this low-impact, high-result sport. Innsbruck’s sunny alpine plateau is dotted with stands of pine and flower-strewn meadows crisscrossed with easy trails for the uninitiated or unfit.

The terrain is ideally suited to Nordic walking: no steep rises, gently rolling hills and smooth meandering paths. There are 70 kilometres of well-signposted Nordic walking tracks, of which the Edelweiss and Enzian routes are perhaps the best.

You don’t need specific trails, though. This is a sport you can do almost anywhere. Nordic poles have metal tips for country walking and, on hard urban surfaces, can be fitted with rubber pads.

Nordic walking originated in Finland as summer training for cross-country skiers. The poles aren’t for support like hiking sticks, but for propelling you forwards. Experienced Nordic walkers move almost as fast as joggers.

It isn’t just about legs and lungs, because the poles give you an upper-body workout on the chest, shoulder and abdominal muscles too. Yet because they support some of your weight, the back and knee joints are under less pressure than walking without.

Nordic walking burns up to 20 per cent more calories than ordinary walking and reduces muscle tension in the neck and shoulders. Just what a sedentary writer often hunched over a computer needs.

I get into the swing of things with some low-impact walks across moors and past small lakes. When I’m ready for a rest, there’s always another village around the next bend where I can sit on a sunny terrace and sip the local herbal lemonade.

Of all the villages, Igls is perhaps the most charming. Connected to Innsbruck below by a rattling red tram, the town is little more than a collection of old farmhouses and a few hotels, from which paths lead out in every direction.

The countryside around Miemingl is a delight too. Improbably green grass is dotted with wildflowers. Pine trees shiver, and clouds are entangled in mountaintops.

After a while, I have to conclude that Nordic walking is the perfect exercise. It needs no expensive equipment, just regular trainers and two poles. It can be a pleasant group activity. And it’s easy to learn and easy to do – although worth a couple of short lessons in order to perfect your technique and posture.

Well, easy enough. The uninitiated might be surprised at the unused muscles that are stretched and tested on a walk. Muscles I didn’t even realise I had ached through the following night – but not quite enough to put me off.

The thing I love most about Nordic walking is that you do it outdoors. What other form of exercise allows you to enjoy the sun on your face, the chirping of birds, the nodding of wildflowers in fields?

It has all the joys of walking while being a far more efficient workout. My poles click along, cowbells tinkle in the distance, and all is right with the world.

THE DETAILS

WALK
You can rent Nordic poles, adjusted to your height, from sports shops in Innsbruck for around €5 ($8) a day or €15 a week. The region has numerous well-signposted Nordic walking routes detailed on tourist information maps.

STAY
Hotel NALA in Innsbruck has designer chic, a rooftop terrace with alpine views, and an Italian restaurant. Rooms from €118 ($192) per night. See nala-hotel.at

FLY
Austrian Airlines in codeshare with Thai Airways flies to Innsbruck via Bangkok and Vienna. See austrian.com