It is one of the benefits of living in Canberra, with its concentration of diplomatic missions, that the general population is exposed to all things arcane and esoteric from around the world.
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Enter nordic walking.
The Embassy of Finland is inviting all Canberrans to celebrate World Nordic Walking Day on Saturday.
And more people are catching on to it.
Kristen Pratt, founder of Capital Nordic Walking, has trained more than 400 people in Canberra. Her current students range in age from 13 to 92, the oldest being the wonderful Tom Ryan of Ainslie.
Kristen said the common misconception about nordic walking was that it was just ambling along using poles. It was much, much more than that.
"The specially-designed poles remain on an angle behind the body, super-charging your regular walk by harnessing the power of your upper body to push you along with each stride,'' she said.
"Because you work over 90 per cent of the muscles in the body - double what you do walking or running - you can blast more than 500 calories an hour, almost as many as you would while jogging, but with significantly less impact on your joints.''
Kristen said like crutches, the poles helped to support the body, making it a good exercise option for people with knee, hip and back pain.
"I see a lot of ex-runners. I have people who are undergoing cancer treatment, people who have chronic fatigue, people with weight issues,'' she said.
About 400 people are expected at the event on Saturday, starting at 9am at the Embassy of Finland in Darwin Avenue, Yarralumla.
Events include Australia’s first-ever Nordic walking race, a 7km Nordic walking invitation challenge race around the central basin – starting and finishing at the embassy.
There will also be the more leisurely social Nordic "walk and talk'' group, or join in a “Come and Feel the Nordic Walking Muscles” demonstration session run by Capital Nordic Walking. Finnish food and drink will also be on offer.
Kristen said she hoped the day would be a good introduction to what was a popular exercise in the Northern Hemisphere.
"It's huge in Europe, it just hasn't caught on here,'' she said.
"It's estimated 800,000 Finns every week do Nordic walking.''
Further details can be found on the Embassy's Eventbrite page, and for the latest updates please refer to its Facebook event page. All ages and fitness levels are invited.
The embassy has also teamed up with the Heart Foundation which will receive donations on the day, the festivities to be led by the Finnish Ambassador Lars Backström.
