A Black Diamond woman who has made walking a part of her daily routine is inviting neighbours to lace up for a walk during one of the dreariest months of the year.
Linda Nelson, chairwoman of the High Country Wellness Coalition, is challenging residents in the region to get out into the fresh air and walk a minimum of 15 minutes on Feb. 3 for Winter Walk Day.
Winter Walk Day is an initiative of the Province’s Safe Healthy Active People Everywhere (SHAPE) where more than 160,000 Albertans join a friend, co-worker or family member to walk the first Wednesday of February.
“Exercise is part of my doctor’s prescription - not that I wouldn’t do it anyway - but that’s part of what I have to do for the benefit of my own personal health,” said Nelson. “February is kind of a blah month for people. If I can inject a little energy and enthusiasm into people’s lives then why not do it.”
Members of the High Country Wellness Coalition are inviting people of all ages to meet them at the Sheep River Library in Turner Valley at 10:30 a.m. for an organized walk in town.
Those who are unable to make it can walk on their own or with friends and family throughout the day to participate, said Nelson.
“I understand that not everybody can go to the library so I’m expecting everybody to be on board in their own venues and then just get back to me about how many minutes they walked,” she said. “At the library I hope a good number of Sheep River Ramblers are able to participate. They were invited right from the get-go.”
The Sheep River Ramblers are a walking, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing group organized through the library. The group has participated in the initiative the last two years, said Gita Grahame, Sheep River Ramblers co-ordinator.
“The first year we did it we walked from here (the library) to the outdoor fitness park in Black Diamond and did a bit of fitness and walked back,” she said. “It gets people out. You connect with yourself when you are outdoors.”
Grahame said the organization hasn’t decided if it will join the coalition’s walk at 10:30 a.m. or organize a longer walk.
“If we decide to go on our own we can develop it into anything,” she said. “I have people who will be skiing that day and just submitting minutes and I have people who said they will walk individually and will just submit minutes.”
With this winter being milder than normal, Grahame said it’s easier to get outside and she’s noticed the benefits herself.
“I feel like I’m getting stronger and I can do more,” she said. “The best thing is you leave the grouchiness and sad mood at home and you just become a better human for everyone to deal with.”
Members of the coalition have also contacted schools, preschools, daycares, councils, seniors centres and various clubs in the High Country region, encouraging participation.
“The important thing is for people to get out and walk,” said Nelson. “My husband and I walk a lot with our grandson. There’s the social aspect – we meet people in the street - the physical aspect and the emotional aspect of getting out and that vitamin D just perks you up. It gives you a chance to just think about life and appreciate where you are and what you’ve got.”
The coalition is getting the word out with posters, community boards, social media and letters, hoping to see the participation level reach the hundreds, said Nelson.
“One of the mandates of the Wellness Coalition is to inspire healthy active living,” she said. “We do a lot of little things behind the scenes that people don’t know about so I want to get out there again, I want people to realize that there is a wellness coalition and that we are striving to promote healthy initiatives and healthy living.”
The coalition installed an outdoor fitness park beside the Oilfields Regional Arena in Black Diamond two years ago.
“We haven’t done an activity for a little bit so I thought, why not,” she said. “We are striving to put our communities on the wellness map.”
To be eligible to win one of three pedometer give-aways on Winter Walk Day, adult participants must submit the number of minutes they walked to Linda Nelson at 403-370-5386 or [email protected] by 2 p.m. on Feb. 5. Draws will be made later that day.
Passes to the Dr. Lander Memorial Outdoor Swimming Pool in Turner Valley will be available for participating schools.
