A group of 25 women who exercise at Curves in Williams Lake have collectively walked the equivalent of a trek across Canada and more to celebrate the country’s 150th birthday.
The women set their goal March 1 to walk and exercise enough steps to walk across Canada by Canada Day, Saturday, July 1.
“They started in St. John’s, Newfoundland with the goal of reaching Vancouver by Canada Day,” says Curves assistant manager Kirstyn Jorde. “They reached Vancouver by May 17 and decided to just keep going.”
Some of the women work out three times a week while others work out five and even six days a week at Curves.
Supplementing their regular half-hour work-outs most of the women in the group are also avid walkers and logged extra steps on their pedometers or Fitbits.
Each participant’s steps were recorded and converted into kilometres at a rate of 2,500 steps being equal to two kilometres, Jorde said.
Each week the extra walking steps and exercise steps at Curves were recorded alternately on a big map of Canada posted in the gym. They followed well-marked roads across the country. Once they achieved their goal they started a circle route north to the Yukon and North West Territories but didn’t venture into Nunavut because roads were hard to find in that territory.
With their big trek behind them, the group arrived back in Williams Lake this week (theoretically) and plans to keep recording their steps right up to and including Canada Day, Saturday, July 1 after which their total steps will be calculated to determine how far across and around Canada they have collectively walked.
“I think it was very fun,” Siegrid Glagowski said of their cross Canada steps challenge. “It puts you on your toes because it makes you even more fit.”
Pat Rivet put in the most time walking at 1,000 kilometres.
“I walk every day, all over town,” Rivet said. “I just love it.” She works out a Curves three days a week and golfs in-between. She said she had to slow down walking a bit over the last couple of weeks because she hurt her knee while power walking.
Bernie McGregor added: “It’s Canada’s 150th birthday so it was nice to do something to celebrate Canada. I can’t do a lot of walking but my workouts count and Curves is a good place to keep fit.”
Dorothy Short said she has fibromyalgia and works out at Curves for 30 minutes every day to limber up and get herself moving.
“I no longer have all the pain I had before in my muscles and limbs and I can do what I want to do,” Short said. She also walks regularly each day.
“Walking across Canada made me do more walking. It was fun and gave me the incentive to do more exercise and walking.”
Jorde said the walk across Canada exercise was so inspirational for the group that they are thinking of starting another challenge, but haven’t decided what that will be yet.