Nordic Walking week commencing 22nd January, 2018

Hi Walkers,

Very wild and windy weather this past week.  It’s always great to get the wind behind you helping you up the hills, but head on….that’s a workout!   With all the rain/sleet this past weekend we will be keeping the walks relatively flat this week and on the less mucky and slippy routes.  This does give you the opportunity to work on your speed though so it’s all good!

The two pics this week were taken on the risk assessment we did at Dunstable Downs on Friday.  We are going to be doing this lovely circular walk which takes us to Tottenhoe for a Pub Lunch and back again.  Taking in some great views this is a great walk of approx. 7.5 miles. Date to be announced this week. Yay!

I have spent a lot of time in care homes for the elderly recently and I couldn’t help but notice how many people suffer with immobility in their later years. There’s a quote I use sometimes to promote Nordic Walking and general fitness but I think it’s important to keep reminding ourselves of these words (and act on them) so we give ourselves the best possible chance at good health and mobility/independence later in life.  So….“Do something Today that your future self will thank you for.” 

NORDIC WALKING CLASS COSTS:

All evening classes – £5
Moderate – £5 or £4 if you have your own Poles
Striders & Gentle – £5
Super G – £10
Long Distance and Pop Up walks costs dependent on Distance.
Private Sessions: £12.50 – £15

SPEED GRADING KEY:

Nordic Walking week commencing 15th January, 2018

Hi Walkers,

Our first Pop Up walk this year was well attended and great fun! A free flowing walk on flat which enabled some good speeds and of course, good nattering! Thanks to all who came along.

This time of year the countryside can be a bit muddy and slippy. My Walk Leaders and I risk assess the walks and always choose the paths we think are the safest, but we do need you to take extra care when walking this time of year; so please make sure you are wearing the correct footwear. Thanks.

LONGER WALKS FURTHER AFIELD

My walk leaders and I are putting together dates for some great walks this year so will get the dates out to you very soon. As well as some great longer local walks, the longer ones on the cards at the moment are:
The Monsal Trail, Peak District
Chatsworth Walks, Peak District
Snowdonia, Wales
Stow on the wold, Cotswolds
Lulworth, Dorset
Seven Sisters
Parts of the Cotswold Way
Plus all our usual Charity Challenges that we do each year! Yay!

Some fun walks to look forward too! If you have any suggestions for some good walks for us, please let me know! Thanks.

NORDIC WALKING CLASS COSTS:

All evening classes – £5
Moderate – £5 or £4 if you have your own Poles
Striders & Gentle – £5
Super G – £10
Long Distance and Pop Up walks costs dependent on Distance.
Private Sessions: £12.50 – £15

NEW SPEED GRADING KEY:

1 = Striders (for the faster Nordic Walker, optional Hill running)
2 = HIT Nordic (High Intensity Training, Tough and exhilarating!)
3 = Moderate (2 Speeds to choose from)
4 = Gentle Plus (a smidge slower than Mod 2)
5 = Gentle (slow, steady, energizing)
6 = Super G (Very slow so extra care can be taken)

*BOOKING ESSENTIAL FOR ALL CLASSES MARKED BOLD BY 8PM THE NIGHT BEFORE THE WALK. THANKS.

THIS WEEK’S WALKS

Monday 10am – Cranfield 10am – Cranfield, Village Hall, Court Road, MK43 0DX (3&4)
Tuesday 8:45am – Ampthill Park West Car Park (1)*
Tuesday 9am – Ampthill Park, West Car Park (5)*
Tuesday 10am – Ampthill Park West Car Park (3&4)
Thursday 10am – Woburn, Public Car Park (3&4)
Saturday 9am – Ampthill Park, West Car Park (5)*
Saturday 9:15am – Ampthill Park, West Car Park (1)*
Saturday 10am – Ampthill Park, West Car Park (3&4)
Saturday 11am – BEGINNERS COURSE – Ampthill Park – Session 2/3 Fully Booked.
Saturday 12pm – BEGINNERS COURSE – Ampthill Park – Session 1/3 Booking Essential.

Have a great week!

Many thanks,
Elaine

Nordic Walking week commencing 8th January, 2018

Hi Walkers,

So great to see so many old faces (old in the ‘not seen you in awhile’ sense!) returning this week!   It’s so nice to get back into a routine of health & fitness and I’m so looking forward to some fab walks with you all.

POP UP FRIDAY

 
Our first Pop Up walk of the year and this one will take us from Bedford to the Danish Camp in Willington where we’ll have a warm cuppa and snack before returning.  Approximately 7 miles on paved path mostly so remember your paws! Please Book by Thursday.  Thanks!

NORDIC WALKING CLASS COSTS:

All evening classes – £5
Moderate – £5 or £4 if you have your own Poles
Striders & Gentle – £5
Super G – £10
Long Distance and Pop Up walks costs dependent on Distance.
Private Sessions: £12.50 – £15

NEW SPEED GRADING KEY:

Nordic Walking week commencing 1st January, 2018

Happy New Year Walkers!

So here we are, 2018! It’s hard to believe how fast time is going…only seems a little while ago we were doing our Charity Pub walk last August! The beginning of the year is always seen as a time for reflection (tomorrow I’ll be sending out a little reminder of the year past for you) and it’s also a good time to look forward to the coming year….

This year at Walk2Fitness we will be doing our regular walks catering for all speed of walker. We’ll have more POP UP Walks in various locations and distances. We will be doing more longer distance challenges too on weekends and some further afield also. I am so excited to be able to offer these walks for all of you, but it wouldn’t be possible without my Walk Leader’s; Gordon, Denise and Rachel. We are very lucky to have them. It also wouldn’t possible without all of you, so thank you for being so loyal and supportive all year through.

CHANGES TO OUR CLASSES

We will be changing our classes to accommodate the larger groups and differing speeds. The Moderate class will now be split into TWO groups.
Mod 1. For the faster Moderate walker.
Mod 2. Medium speed but still challenging.

If you are unsure of which class to attend, please ask. Having the 2 different speeds allows walkers to progress as fitness levels and stamina increases. Yay!

BEGINNERS COURSES

Please tell your friends and family about the NEW Beginner’s Technique Courses starting this month.

Saturday 13th January, 11am, West Car Park, Ampthill Park
Monday 15th January, 11am, Cranfield (outside Village Hall)
Wednesday 24th January, 1pm, The Forest Centre, Marston
Thursday 25th January, 1pm, Woburn Public Car Park

NORDIC WALKING CLASS COSTS:

All evening classes – £5
Moderate – £5 or £4 if you have your own Poles
Striders & Gentle – £5
Super G – £10
Long Distance and Pop Up walks costs dependent on Distance.
Private Sessions: £12.50 – £15

NEW SPEED GRADING KEY:

1 = Striders (for the faster Nordic Walker, optional Hill running)
2 = HIT Nordic (High Intensity Training, Tough and exhilarating!)
3 = Moderate (2 Speeds to choose from)
4 = Gentle Plus (a smidge slower than Mod 2)
5 = Gentle (slow, steady, energizing)
6 = Super G (Very slow so extra care can be taken)

*BOOKING ESSENTIAL FOR ALL CLASSES MARKED BOLD BY 8PM THE NIGHT BEFORE THE WALK. THANKS.

THIS WEEK’S WALKS

Tuesday 9am – Ampthill Park, West Car Park (5)*
Tuesday 9:15am – Ampthill Park West Car Park (1)*
Tuesday 10am – Ampthill Park West Car Park (3&4)
Thursday 10am – Cranfield, Court Road, parking by church. MK43 0DX (3&4)
Saturday 9am – Ampthill Park, West Car Park (5)*
Saturday 9:15am – Ampthill Park, West Car Park (1)*
Saturday 10am – Ampthill Park, West Car Park (3&4)

WORKSHOPS

We’ll have group workshops to make sure you are all keeping up to date with the latest amendments to the Nordic Technique. Yipee!

I look forward to seeing you all raring to go in 2018!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Many thanks,
Elaine

Nordic Walking week commencing 25th December, 2017

Merry Christmas Walkers,

I’d like to thank you all for contributing to the very thoughtful and generous Gift Card!  It was such a lovely surprise and it was so much appreciated.  Thank you very much.

We really have a wonderful social group of walkers and I’m really looking forward to the year ahead where we have more events and trips.

One of these trips away is in France.  Some of you have  already registered, but for those who joined us recently here is the information regarding this fun Nordic Walking event in June: http://www.euronordicwalk.com/en/index.html
If you are interested you can look for accommodation in the Meaudre area in Vercors National Park. There are flights from Luton to Lyon. We already have about 20 of our walkers going so far so it should be a fantastic event!

As promised we have a few walks this week so you can keep up your fitness and burn off a few Festive calories!  Optional festive headwear is encouraged!  Because the usual Cranfield Mondaywalks are affected by Christmas and New Years Day, I have put Cranfield as our walk location on Thursday so you don’t miss out.

NORDIC WALKING CLASS COSTS:

All evening classes – £5
Moderate & Gentle Plus – £5 or £4 if you have your own Poles
Striders & Gentle – £5
Super G – £10
Long Distance and Pop Up walks costs dependent on Distance.
Private Sessions: £12.50 – £15

NEW SPEED GRADING KEY:

Nordic Walking week commencing 18th December, 2017

Hi Walkers,

You hardy bunch you! Our wonderful walkers grabbed their poles and braved the conditions to show up for classes last week and what a fun time they had! Gordon, Denise, Rachel and Paul took the classes on Monday and Tuesday and along with some of our walkers made the most of the snow! Yipee!

Well done to all the walkers who came to the Quiz and did very well with quite a tough one this year! It was pretty cold so the sausages and chips helped! Thanks again for coming especially as it was so cold. How about we do a few charity walks in the new year to raise funds for a couple of patio heaters for the Hub?!

WALKS DURING CHRISTMAS WEEK

Reports have shown that when your usual exercise routine is interrupted, it can be very hard to get back into it again after a few weeks off. Even a two week break can lead to weight gain and low moods and a negative cycle can begin.

So to make sure this doesn’t happen and you get your walks in over the holidays, we are running classes over the Christmas week. If you have family or friends visiting and they enjoy walking, you are welcome to bring them along with you too! All guests over the holidays can come free of charge.

NORDIC WALKING CLASS COSTS:

All evening classes – £5
Moderate & Gentle Plus – £5 or £4 if you have your own Poles
Striders & Gentle – £5
Super G – £10
Long Distance and Pop Up walks costs dependent on Distance.
Private Sessions: £12.50 – £15

NEW SPEED GRADING KEY:

1 = Striders (for the faster Nordic Walker, optional Hill running)
2 = HIT Nordic (High Intensity Training, Tough and exhilarating!)
3 = Moderate (yet challenging)
4 = Gentle Plus (smidge slower than Moderate yet invigorating)
5 = Gentle (marginally slower than G+ class but energizing)
6 = Super G (Very slow so extra care can be taken)

*BOOKING ESSENTIAL FOR ALL CLASSES MARKED BOLD BY 8PM THE NIGHT BEFORE THE WALK. THANKS.

THIS WEEK’S WALKS:

Monday 10am – Cranfield, Village Hall car park, Court Road, MK43 0DR (3&4)
Tuesday 8:45am – Ampthill Park, West Car Park (1)* Paul Leading
Tuesday 9am – Ampthill Park, West Car Park (5)*
Tuesday 10am – Ampthill Park, West car park (3&4)
Tuesday 11:45am – Super G back in 2018
Wednesday 6pm – Evening classes returning in the Spring
Thursday 10am – The Bedford Golf Club, Carnoustie Drive, Great Denham (3&4)
Thursday 6pm – HIT Returning in the Spring.
Saturday 9am – Ampthill Park, West Car Park (5)*
Saturday 9:15am – Ampthill Park, West Car Park (1)*
Saturday 10am – Ampthill Park, West Car Park (3&4)

HAVE A GREAT CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Check out this fun Santa Stroll video; it was a great day!

Many thanks,
Elaine
Pictures this week: 15 Ampthill champions, 5 Cranfield legends, Six Striders Striding and a group of happy Nordic lunchers!

Nordic Walking week commencing 11th December, 2017

Hi Walkers,

We will need to wrap up this week as the December colder weather sets in. Layers are a good idea and of course and extra pack of tissues! The frosty mornings are by far my favourite with the sound of the crispy leaves under foot and clean air filling the lungs…..what better way to exercise!

EARLIER START THIS THURSDAY

Due to our Nordic Christmas Lunch on Thursday, (which is at 12pm) we will have an earlier start for our walk to enable us to get our walk in and get home to change in plenty of time. Thanks.

QUIZ & CHIPS

This coming Saturday is our annual General knowledge Quiz at The Hub where you can enjoy some fine hot chips from the Hub as the cogs turn! If you haven’t already let me know you wish to come along, can you do so by Thursday so we can provide enough food. Thanks.

CRANFIELD CHRISTMAS DINS NOW AT OSO’S!

For our Cranfield bunch we are now having our Christmas dinner at Oso’s on the 18th at 6:30pm. I will be receiving the menu soon so if you can make your choices as soon as possible, that will be great.

NEW BEGINNER’S TECHNIQUE COURSE

January 13th, 11am – West Car Park – £12.50 per session
Please tell your family and friends about the new course starting in the New Year. Gift Vouchers are available too if you’re looking to treat someone for Christmas. Yay!

NORDIC WALKING CLASS COSTS:

All evening classes – £5
Moderate & Gentle Plus – £5 or £4 if you have your own Poles
Striders & Gentle – £5
Super G – £10
Long Distance and Pop Up walks costs dependent on Distance.
Private Sessions: £12.50 – £15

NEW SPEED GRADING KEY:

1 = Striders (for the faster Nordic Walker, optional Hill running)
2 = HIT Nordic (High Intensity Training, Tough and exhilarating!)
3 = Moderate (yet challenging)
4 = Gentle Plus (smidge slower than Moderate yet invigorating)
5 = Gentle (marginally slower than G+ class but energizing)
6 = Super G (Very slow so extra care can be taken)

*BOOKING ESSENTIAL FOR ALL CLASSES MARKED BOLD BY 8PM THE NIGHT BEFORE THE WALK. THANKS.

THIS WEEK’S WALKS:

Monday 10am – Cranfield, Village Hall car park, Court Road, MK43 0DR (3&4)
Tuesday 8:45am – Ampthill Park, West Car Park (1)* No Instructor
Tuesday 9am – Ampthill Park, West Car Park (5)*
Tuesday 10am – Ampthill Park, West car park (3&4)
Tuesday 11:45am – Super G back in 2018
Wednesday 6pm – Evening classes returning in the Spring
Thursday 9:30am – The Bedford Golf Club, Carnoustie Drive, Great Denham (3&4) Earlier time this week.
Thursday 12pm – Christmas Lunch (Yipee!)
Thursday 6pm – HIT Returning in the Spring.
Saturday 9am – Ampthill Park, West Car Park (5)*
Saturday 9:15am – Ampthill Park, West Car Park (1)*
Saturday 10am – Ampthill Park, West Car Park (3&4)
Saturday 11:15am – Quiz & Chips at the Hub

Have a great week!

Many thanks,
Elaine
Pictures this week: Check out the new Snow shoes for Nordic Walking. If only we had some snow…!

Nordic Walking week commencing 4th December, 2017

Hi Walkers,

Thank you to everyone who came along to the Santa Stroll today!  It was great to see you. The day wouldn’t have been possible without my kind Marshalls who gave up their time to help out, they were Tony, Bev (Brandy the dog), Barbara, Trish, Sheelagh, Cathy and Denise.  Gordon has put so much time into the day and the route signage was all down to him as well as helping organise the whole thing.  A BIG thank you too to Bev C who brought her carol singing friends the Roxtonettes to make it really feel festive and fun.  Even Rachel found herself “on duty” for most of the afternoon unexpectedly so thanks Rachel.  I’m so lucky to have such great friends around me to help and support all our events and escapades.  Thanks everyone.

CRANDFIELD WALK LOCATION CHANGE TOMORROW

Due to bits of an Aircraft coming through Cranfield tomorrowmorning, we will be meeting at Cranfield Football Club instead.  Please bring your paws as there will be some walking on pavement. The Football club is located on Crawley Road, MK43 0AA

POLES

If you are buying your own poles, please make sure they are Nordic Walking Poles and NOT Trekking poles.  Anyone who doesn’t yet have Nordic Poles are welcome to use my poles so you can achieve the full Nordic Technique. If you need any help, just let me know.

STRIDERS

This coming Saturday the Striders class will begin at 8:45am for a Technique overview, followed by our usual class.

NEWBIES

We have a few more lovely walkers to join us, they are: Steve, Kathy, Sam, Jo, Jenny and John. We look forward to seeing you out on the trails with us.

NORDIC WALKING CLASS COSTS:

All evening classes – £5
Moderate & Gentle Plus – £5 or £4 if you have your own Poles
Striders & Gentle – £5
Super G – £10
Long Distance and Pop Up walks costs dependent on Distance.
Private Sessions: £12.50 – £15

NEW SPEED GRADING KEY:

Nordic Walking week commencing 27th November, 2017

Hi Walkers,

Another fab Pop Up walk last week saw us walking through the most beautiful countryside and picturesque villages.  We will definitely be doing this walk again!  Thanks to all who came along.

SANTA STROLL – Sunday – 10:30am

This Sunday we have our long awaited Santa Stroll!  For those of you who haven’t registered yet, you can do so by going to the Hub or the Town Council offices (next door to Hub).  For your registration fee of £10, you will receive a Santa Suit or Dress!   The Christmas Market will be located outside the Hub and there will be our own Bev C’s Roxtonettes Carol Singers!  Should be a wonderful morning with the highlight of course, Nordic Walking in the park!

POLES

As Christmas is fast approaching you may wish to hint to family and friends about getting some Nordic Poles!   You can view poles by going to  https://nordicwalking.co.uk/products/2/ and they have a good online store.  However, you can check prices on other sites to see if you can get a better deal.  Leki are a great make of pole so if you see something you like and need some advice, just drop me a line. Thanks.

NORDIC WALKING CLASS COSTS:

All evening classes – £5
Moderate & Gentle Plus – £5 or £4 if you have your own Poles
Striders & Gentle – £5
Super G – £10
Long Distance and Pop Up walks costs dependent on Distance.
Private Sessions: £12.50 – £15

NEW SPEED GRADING KEY:

Nordic Walking week commencing 20th November, 2017

Hi Walkers,

Thanks to all those who came to the Pop Up walk last Friday. It proved quite challenging with a freshly ploughed field, but with their fantastic core strength and skill, our Walkers made mince meat of it! With everyone remaining vertical throughout; it was a job well done!

We have some new walkers to welcome to our groups, they are John F, Jo, Jenny, Paula, Jackie and Val K. Looking forward to seeing you all on the walks with us.

BRITISH NORDIC WALKING CONVENTION

This past Saturday I was in Birmingham for the British Nordic Walking convention. The national coaches relay all the latest technique methods and tips from the International Nordic Walking Federation and so it was great to learn new ideas and to hear all the very latest information from around the globe. There are new ways of teaching the Nordic Walking technique and so all my current walkers don’t miss out; I will be doing my Workshops starting in December to make sure all of you can benefit! Yay!

WARMING UP

With the dropping temperatures and frosty mornings we will be starting to do warm ups prior to our walks to get all the juices flowing! This shouldn’t impede on any chatting! If you could come along a few mins earlier we will begin the warm ups without taking away from our walking time. Thanks.

POP UP FRIDAY

Old Warden Village Hall, SG18 9HQ – 8 miles
This will be the last Pop Up for a while so hoping you can all come along as it is an especially pretty walk. Again, this one is flat and a new location to experience. £7

NORDIC WALKING CLASS COSTS:

All evening classes – £5
Moderate & Gentle Plus – £5 or £4 if you have your own Poles
Striders & Gentle – £5
Super G – £10
Long Distance and Pop Up walks costs dependent on Distance.
Private Sessions: £12.50 – £15

NEW SPEED GRADING KEY:

1 = Striders (for the faster Nordic Walker, optional Hill running)
2 = HIT Nordic (High Intensity Training, Tough and exhilarating!)
3 = Moderate (yet challenging)
4 = Gentle Plus (smidge slower than Moderate yet invigorating)
5 = Gentle (marginally slower than G+ class but energizing)
6 = Super G (Very slow so extra care can be taken)

*BOOKING ESSENTIAL FOR ALL CLASSES MARKED BOLD BY 8PM THE NIGHT BEFORE THE WALK. THANKS.

THIS WEEK’S WALKS:

Monday 10am – Cranfield, Village Hall, Court Road, Cranfield (3&4)
Tuesday 8:45am – Ampthill Park, West Car Park (1)* No Instructor
Tuesday 9am – Ampthill Park, West Car Park (5)*
Tuesday 10am – Ampthill Park, West car park (3&4)
Tuesday 11:45am – Super G postponed
Wednesday 6pm – Evening classes returning in the Spring
Thursday 10am – Danish Camp, Chapel Lane, Willington MK44 3QG(3&4)
Thursday 6pm – HIT Returning in the Spring.
Friday 10am – POP UP – Old Warden Village hall, SG18 9HQ (3&4)*
Saturday 9am – Ampthill Park, West Car Park (5) *
Saturday 9:15am – Ampthill Park, West Car Park (1)*
Saturday 10am – Ampthill Park, West Car Park (3&4)
CHRISTMAS ART SHOW – Parkside Hall (2 mins walk from the Hub)

SANTA STROLL & CHRISTMAS MARKER & CAROL SINGERS

3rd December 10:30am – THE HUB – Family & friends welcome
Just a reminder we have only two weeks before the Santa Stroll, so remember to Register and pick up your Santa Suits at The Hub or town council office next door!

CHRISTMAS ART SHOW

10am to 4:30pm – Parkside Hall, Ampthill
After an exhilarating Saturday walk, why not pop over to Parkside Hall, a mere stones throw from the Hub and enjoy the Christmas Art Show. As well as our own Kathy T being there with her Silver jewellery stall, there will also be Tea/coffee and cakes present!

CHRISTMAS LUNCH

The Chequers, Westoning
I still haven’t received some menu choices from some of you. If you could look at the menu on the website www.walk2fitness.co.uk I can get this sent off asap. Thanks.

Have a great week!

Many thanks,
Elaine
Pictures this week:
Both Pics are from the Pop Up Walk last week