Beaudesert Bulletin Journalist Shontae Iafeta joined Beaudesert U3A in warming up the winter with Nordic Walking poles and an hour-long stroll in the midst of the rural morning.
Nordic Walking is a great alternative to aerobic activity where the use of Nordic Walking poles and correct techniques engages the upper and lower body muscles when walking.
Nordic Walking requires less effort than regular walking, which makes it a lot easier for a casual “walk and talk”, a perfect, socially enjoyable activity.
My walk was accompanied by U3A facilitator Liz Avery, Joan Gray, Jane Blunck, Paulette Watson and her beautiful furry companion Portia, where they showed me the ropes of proper Nordic Walking.
They were telling me that Nordic Walking originated as a training strategy for skiers during summery seasons.
The original U3A facilitator suggested the idea of Nordic Walking as a fun and useful winter activity since the ladies preferred walking in the pool during summer.
The group of four walk three times a week, kicking off the morning at 6.30 every Monday, Thursday, and Friday.
When it became time for the group of four to become five, there was a cool breeze and delightful chatter amongst us as we walked through the backstreets of Beaudesert.
Considering the many years that I have lived locally, I started to realise how much of Beaudesert I still haven’t explored yet.
This walk gave me the opportunity to change that and see the housing and alleyways hidden behind the main street.
Liz reminded me of the beauty of seeing people’s gardens and sharing a ‘good morning’ to neighbours out in their front yard, something that people don’t tend to do anymore.
I was fascinated to see a different part of Beaudesert that I hadn’t seen before, and I soon found out that their adventures don’t stop here.
The four ladies have walked through many rural treasures such as Gleneagle, Veresdale, and King Coolum Reserve, with Liz hoping to join a parkrun one day.
Members of U3A Beaudesert are welcome to join the group on their walks.
For more information visit u3abeaudesert.com.
