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| Want to start walking? Need some motivation? Then form a walking club! Walking with others is a key way to help you stick with it. It’s also a great way to make walking fun, alleviate boredom and stay safe. |
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| First you need to identify who might be interested in joining a walking club. Would it be neighbors, co-workers, friends? Consider how big you want the group to be. A smaller group between two and four people is easier to coordinate and to walk together. With a somewhat larger group, you’re more likely to find a walking partner who is available when you are. If your club starts out small and just keeps growing, you can always break into smaller groups based on people’s fitness levels and availability. |
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| Once you have identified your club’s members, you need to set goals. How many miles do you want to walk each week and each time you meet? How many times a week will members commit to walking? Do you want to walk for an hour? A half hour? Is one of your goals to lose weight? Do you want to train for a walk-a-thon? |
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| The club should have some basic rules that everyone can accept. For instance, will you still meet if the weather is bad? Will club members call other members to let them know if he or she can’t walk on a particular day? Do members want to limit walking times to daylight hours? Will you all agree to leave cell phones and walkmen at home? |
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| Designate geographic boundaries for your walking routes. Are members willing to drive to a meeting place? How far? Identify a number of different routes so that you can vary your walks. Maybe you want to include a walk with some hills. |
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| Remember to keep things simple when you’re just starting your club. Decide on your fitness goals, where and on what days you’ll meet, and how long you’ll walk. |
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| You should aim for 30 minutes of physical activity on most days of the week. Start out walking more slowly if 30 minutes seems like too much to do at first. Or, you can break your 30 minutes into two 15-minute walks or even three 10 minute walks. This approach also allows you to accumulate your 30 minutes if you are pressed for time. |
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| To keep the club fun and interesting, you might decide to name the group and even print T-shirts or visors to wear during your walks. You could buy pedometers to track your steps and have group celebrations when club members meet a certain goal, such as completing a walking event or logging in a designated number of miles. You can make your walking club whatever you want it to be. In the process, you’ll be having fun, making friends, and best of all, getting fit for life! |
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