Sunday Walks

I'm in my late forties and I came across Nordic Walking a couple of years ago not long after I first arrived in New Zealand.  I quickly became a fan, it’s a great way to exercise and get outdoors. I've never been a big fan of the gym, it was always arduous with a lot of grunting, sweaty bodies to contend with, full of over enthusiastic want to be body builder types and young girls flogging themselves for the perfect body.

I was one of those lucky ones who never needed to do much, I seemed to able to eat, drink and overindulge without accumulating too much weight.  Then it happened, a good few years and two kids later, I grew FAT!

Luckily I have a wonderful friend that I have known over 30 years, she was obese and lost a phenomenal amount of weight, she featured on UK Breakfast TV, Granada Reports and after her own success, set about creating her own business, a slimming club where she could give the benefit of her knowledge and experience to people who needed it. She created a slimming group which kept her weight on track; and she still has a couple of clubs in Manchester and Warrington in the UK.

After having my daughter my weight increased, I became heavier and less and less fit. I managed to get back on track with the help of my friend and I'm still on track, she helped me through my weight loss programme with sensible and practical advice. I'm still there at my ideal weight, I could be a few pounds lighter but I'm happy where I am.

This brings me back to my Nordic Walking, I run a small group of Nordic Walkers, we meet once a week for a social walk, we're lucky where we are, we have a choice of walkways parks, bush or beach. Most of my walkers are female, although I must stress that Nordic Walking isn't only for the ladies, but it does help my ladies, it's seriously becoming a weekly way to de-stress. As well as improving our fitness levels, our weekly walk seems to be outlet for many of us that are having anxious times or just dealing with stressful lives.

Walking means you're a million miles away from your problem, talking and sharing reduces the problem to a cup of coffee and a muffin, and the waistline, dependant on the choice of muffin of course!

My point is if you haven't tried Nordic Walking, try it, try it with a friend or a couple of friends, if you can walk then you can Nordic Walk.  I have made some great friends that lend a discerning ear. We have laughs and fun and support each other. One of the benefits of walking with poles is that it’s 'less stress on the joints' - I think that we should include the mind as well!

Looking forward to next Sunday!