Participants in the Nordic walking group will be provided with walking poles (GymstickTM Nordic Walking Poles, Gymstick International OY, Lahti, Finland) for the duration of the study. They will attend on-site exercise classes twice weekly for 12 weeks. The on-site exercise training classes will be one hour in length and include the following components: a 15 minute chair warm-up that excludes resistance exercises; 10-15 minutes of walking with Nordic walking poles for the first 3 weeks, progressing to 30 minutes of continuous walking with poles for the remaining 9 weeks; and 15 minutes of cool down exercises. Participants will be instructed to take the walking poles home and perform 200-400 minutes of Nordic walking per week for 12 weeks

Individuals assigned to standard exercise therapy will attend on-site exercise classes twice weekly for 12 weeks. Each on-site class will be one hour in duration and consist of: a 15-minute chair-based warm-up that includes 6-8 upper and lower body resistance training exercises using either hand-held weights or therabands at an intensity of 50-60% of 1- RM with the patient completing one set of 10-12 repetitions progressing to 15 repetitions before increasing the intensity by 5-10%; 10-15 minutes of walking for the first 3 weeks, progressing to 30 minutes of continuous walking for the remaining 9 weeks; and 15 minutes of cool down exercises. A strength training program will be provided to participants and they will be encouraged to do one additional strength training session at home. Participants will also be instructed to complete additional walking sessions at home so that they can accumulate a total of 200-400 minutes of exercise per week.

Participants in the Nordic walking group will be provided with walking poles (GymstickTM Nordic Walking Poles, Gymstick International OY, Lahti, Finland) for the duration of the study. They will attend on-site exercise classes twice weekly for 12 weeks. The on-site exercise training classes will be one hour in length and include the following components: a 15 minute chair warm-up that excludes resistance exercises; 10-15 minutes of walking with Nordic walking poles for the first 3 weeks, progressing to 30 minutes of continuous walking with poles for the remaining 9 weeks; and 15 minutes of cool down exercises. Participants will be instructed to take the walking poles home and perform 200-400 minutes of Nordic walking per week for 12 weeks

The 6 minute walk test was selected as a primary outcome because this sub-maximal test is a good indicator of the capacity to undertake day-to-day activities in patients with Heart Failure

The MLHFQ is a 21-item scale that measures the effects of HF-related symptoms, functional limitations, and psychological distress on an individual's quality of life. Participants are asked to indicate using a 6-point, zero to five, Likert scale how much each of 21 factors prevent them from living as they desire. The total score is the best measure of how HF and treatments impact an individual's quality of life.