Active Communities Committee of Castlegar adopted a wellness challenge from Selkirk College in an effort to increase the overall activity levels of citizens in the Castlegar and surrounding area. The challenge encouraged local businesses, corporations, community groups or general interest groups to work together to accomplish team goals. Members of the co-op rose to the occasion and participated enthusiastically!

 

On a snowy morning in week 2 of the Castlegar “Walk the Kootenays” fitness challenge, several of the 41 participants from Grandview Heights gathered for a group fun exercise session.

 

 

 

Some brought cross-country skis and snowshoes and some just walked, but everyone brought big smiles, because life at Grandview is all about having fun together.

 

Participating seemed a natural for the residents of Grandview, who are generally a fairly active group, and also because the 60 acre site lends itself to getting out and exercising without having to drive anywhere.

 

 

As a team, we attempted to "Walk the Kootenays" from Grand Forks to Castlegar, Nelson, Revelstoke, Golden, Cranbrook, Creston, Salmo, Trail, Rossland, Grand Forks, by earning enough kilometers with our daily activities. Participants kept track of their activities and then converted this into a kilometer reward according to an activity chart. The list of activities was extensive, from aerobics to yoga. All participants logged their individual progress within the 8 week period and reported their progress to our team representative (Helga) on a weekly basis.

 

Over the 8-week period, the number of participants varied, as some would leave for vacations, but generally 38 reported activities. One of our members faithfully did a half hour walk around the site using his walker. Actually, the streets at Grandview are well suited for this, as they are level with wide sidewalks.

 

In total 8596 km. were logged which translates to seven and half loops around the Kootenays and far exceeded our original expectations. You can see how we did on the Active Communities website Walk the Kootenays page.

 

With the arrival of spring, the skis and snowshoes are being replaced with hiking sticks and bikes, and many are out landscaping their yards, but the smiles are as big as ever.

 

Count us in for next year’s challenge!