Today's "best agers" lead a fit, dynamic life. They have quite a few advantages over the youngsters: They are firmly anchored in life and have more time and money. With purchasing power totalling more than 90 billion Euros every year, the age-group of 50-plus is increasingly governing the German market. Nordic Walking is their favourite kind of sport.

The seminars carried out by ODLO expert Anke Faller and her Nordic sports institute NORDIC COMPETENCE in the Black Forest are very well attended by "best agers". This year, she even began offering Nordic Walking active wellness trips to Italy and is therefore perfectly within the trend of today's development. We carried out an interview with Anke Faller:

Ms. Faller, the "best agers" are the main target-group for Nordic Walking. How old are they on average?
Anke Faller: That's not an easy question to answer because the ages vary considerably. But it's fair to say that the main target-group of Nordic Walkers is 40 years of age or older. That actually ranges to an age of well over 70 because that's what is so good about this sport - everyone can carry it out. Everyone who usually goes for a stroll can also get involved in Nordic Walking.

When do most people enter into Nordic Walking?
Anke Faller: According to the statistics, most Nordic walkers are about 50 years old. Most of them until now have been women, but that is changing very quickly. There are now more and more men. I would say that the main entry age for this sport is between about 40 and 50.

What is of most importance to "best agers" in Nordic Walking?
AF: The clothing is very important. Movement is only fun if the clothing is right. It has to be functional too. ODLO offers a well-adapted, high quality range. Nordic Walking is a sport for the whole year. An ambitious Nordic walker is equipped for all four seasons. In autumn and winter, the clothes have to be wind- and weatherproof. Apart from functionality, the aesthetics are important too, because "best agers" want to look good. Loose fitting, fashionable and flowing cuts with conservative colours are very popular. The trick is to look slim even in L-sizes. With the models offered by ODLO, even rather corpulent people will find the right outfit up to the XXL sizes.

Why is Nordic Walking so popular among the "best agers"?
AF: That age-group is very health-conscious and self-confident too. Men and women from the age of 50 know what they are doing and what they want. And they want to lead a healthy life. That includes healthy doses of exercise. And that is Nordic Walking. It trains the stamina, helps you to become fit and slim without going to the limits of exertion. In a lot of other stamina sports, people have a tendency to overstretch themselves.

Apart from health, fitness and the figure, are there other reasons why "best agers" choose Nordic Walking as their favourite sport?
AF: Absolutely! First of all, it is the ideal means of exercise to enter into the world of sports in the first place. With Nordic Walking, even a 60-year-old who has never pursued sport all his or her life can take it up. Secondly, "best agers" place far more value on good company and an enjoyable lifestyle. They're not interested in individual sport but want to meet in groups of nice people and communicate beyond the sport. That is no problem at all in Nordic Walking because the pulse is always at a rate at which you can still chat comfortably. Apart from all that, "best agers" like to combine sport with pleasure, which is why we offer trips to Italy with Nordic Walking tours in magnificent landscapes, combined with culture and wine-tastings.

What advice would you want your course participants to take away with them?
AF: In our society, in which stress has become a part of everyday life, one thing always gets neglected - our body. Very few people have the right amount of exercise, and they don't get enough fresh air either. Nordic Walking is the ideal way to relax physically and psychologically in the open air. As you know, sport isn't just about tension and strength but, above all, relaxation and getting away from problems. If people go home satisfied after a course, I have achieved my aim!

You yourself are 40 years old and have the ideal weight. What is your aim for the next ten to twenty years?
AF: To stay exactly the way I am! My parents, for example, are in their mid-sixties and take part in every Nordic Walking event in the Black Forest. My mother has two artificial hip-joints, but that doesn't stop her from regular exercise.  They have always been excellent role-models for me.

Anke Faller was interviewed by Irina Strohdecker