I’ve Spent Years Tracking Nordic Wellness Trends, and This Low-Impact Finnish Ritual Is About to Take Over

I can smell the embers of a Nordic trend in the making from miles away. After all, even before the Swedish ethos of lagom (optimal balance) captured the world a few years ago, I’d been unpacking this Nordic mindset around wellness and lifestyle in my storytelling for years. I would go on to write an international bestseller, Lagom, with over 15 foreign editions.

From Swedish massages to Finnish saunas, the region is synonymous with wellbeing. While Denmark gave the world hygge (intentional presence), Norway friluftsliv (open-air living), Finland sisu (grit), and Iceland birthed “Viking wellness” with hot baths and cold dips, the reality is that all Nordic cultures share these values under different names. What makes lifestyle trends from the region particularly appealing globally is the foundations on which they’re built.

From sustainability-focused mindsets and a return to simplicity to curb undue stress, to government-sanctioned free access to nature (think Allemansrätten in Sweden), which fosters symbiotic relationships with the outdoors, and overall accessibility for everyone because they are egalitarian countries. The Nordic communal goal is a focus on holistic well-being that can be sustained over the long term by every individual, from professional athletes in their prime to elders.

The latest Nordic wellness trend, however, has rather practical origins. Ever wonder how cross-country skiers train when there’s no snow? Introducing Nordic walking; not to be confused with hiking with trekking poles.

According to its governing body, the International Nordic Walking Federation (INWA), which was founded in 2000, Nordic walking is now practised in over 40 countries for health, fitness, recreation, social connection, and competitive sport. As early as the 1930s, competitive cross-country skiers used poles with running shoes for summer training. But it was physical education (PE) teacher Leena Jääskeläinen who brought the concept to the general public in 1966, making it the first documented use of ski poles outside competitive training.

“I started Nordic walking in 1998 because it is a fun, social and efficient form of physical activity,” shares Aki Karihtala, president of INWA. “It takes people back to nature.” At the time, he headed the Sports division at Finnish Sporting goods company Exel, the world's largest cross-country ski pole manufacturer.

It was Karihtala himself, alongside his team at Exel, who coined the term Nordic walking, which has been widely adopted “regardless of age, religion and culture, because there are no boundaries,” notes Karihtala, highlighting its accessibility. In 1997, Exel designed the first Nordic Walker® poles specifically for the activity. A year later, over 500,000 Finns, in a population of roughly five million at the time, had tried Nordic walking. It's said to be especially effective because it engages the whole body while reducing pressure on your knees with ergonomically designed poles. The federation developed its progressive INWA 10 Step Method™ to teach people the simple technique safely and effectively.

Finnish trend and branding expert Katja Presnal is a newer convert to Nordic walking. “I’ve studied trends for over 20 years,” shares Presnal. Her personal lifestyle digital platform was read by over 100,000 monthly readers and millions annually. The irony of Nordic wellness being the hottest lifestyle trend at the moment isn’t lost on Presnal, who grew up in the Turku archipelago surrounded by bays and lush forests. According to Presnal, after two decades of travelling, she stopped “preaching trends” and started “walking the walk” by purchasing a 100-year-old former dairy tucked away in the Finnish countryside for a slower, more intentional way of life surrounded by nature, lakes, and walking trails.

“It was about making everyday life a wellness regimen and creating my own 365-day retreat,” adds Presnal, noting that these were the type of slow living wellness experiences her family would seek in places like Tuscany while travelling. “So I have, in essence, returned to my Nordic wellness roots, which in hindsight was the richness of my childhood.”

The low-threshold accessibility, from a physical and financial standpoint, is what makes Nordic Walking perfect right now for newbies like Presnal. Another benefit Presnal notes is connectivity with people.

“People are now discovering Nordic lifestyles,” explains Presnal. “You don't recognise your Nordic way of living as something special that could become a global trend or could be taught and shared with somebody because it's just a part of who you are.”

How to try Nordic walking

You don’t have to wait for the annual World Nordic Walking Day held every May. You can start by:

• Finding a local event hosted by over 13 country associations from the Nordics and Baltics to Croatia, Japan, and Australia and joining a group walk with an INWA instructor.
• Choosing your favourite local trail and walking at your own pace.
• Trying one of INWA’s 25 Nordic Walking Ideas, from themed walks to charity challenges.

A version of this story originally appeared on Condé Nast Traveller UK.