Wild Wishes 25 July 2010
“Walking: the most ancient exercise and still the best modern exercise”
- Carrie Latet
Family Walking
Walking is one of the most primal movement patterns known to man. We know walking burns calories, improves the immune system, massages internal organs, removes toxins, improves energy levels, increases mental clarity, reduces depression and improves well being.
And, if you walk with your family, along beach promenades, suburban and coastal bush tracks, walking can also improve communication, coordination, balance and upper body strength.
So, how do you go about getting the kids to join you on a family walk?
Here’s a few tips:
1. If the kids are little, put them in a back pack
2. Play little games with kids as you walk, such as spotting plants or animals, or finding little treasures such as funny shaped stones, leaves or seeds.
3. Have a goal in mind, such as “Once we reach the lookout, everybody gets a treat.”
4. Walk in the rain with rain coats and float leaves down the gutters. But make sure you don’t stay out too long, and have a hot choccie when you return!
5. Walk around the rocks at the beach. This will really increase your kids confidence and also improve your own balance and coordination. (Take care to check the tides before you start.)
6. Get everybody a pedometer so you can count the number of steps you do. 10,000 per day for adults and 15,000 for kids over 6.
7. Teenagers might need to be bribed to walk, but once you get them out, they usually enjoy it. You might find one on one walking with teenagers works a treat and it’s amazing what they might reveal in conversation. But make sure you don’t walk too far or too fast, cos you’ll turn them off.
8. Go for a night walk with your partner or teenager. This can be a real adventure, but ensure youre in a safe location.
9. Check out http://www.adventure.com.au/AdventureWalkers.asp for ideas of walks, or use walks that you know from your trek training sessions.
10. Plan a family walk adventure such as the Spit To Manly, or the coast walk from Dee Why to Manly, or South Head to Rose Bay. And make sure you pack yummy food for a magic moment in a stunning location.
I guarantee that the whole family will be on a high afterwards and you’ll be giving your kids a gift for life by giving them the opportunity to walk in interesting locations in nature.
Di Westaway
Director, Wild Women On Top
Monday, July 26, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Everyone has a story to tell...
By Lisa Marshall
One of the amazing aspects of being involved in Wild Women On Top, is that women from many backgrounds and life experiences, come to join us and bring with them their life stories. There is always something for us to learn from these stories, and it's what makes our time together so special. Wild Women On Top has its very own story and it dawned on me that it might be something worth sharing with all our members, especially those of you have joined us recently.
In the year 2000, while working full time as a Radio Producer, Di Westaway set out to climb Mt Aconcagua, 6,992m, as part of a mixed male and female group. Her experience was life changing and inspired her to to want to set up an all female group to empower women to get fit for adventure. After the birth of her third child in 2001, Di started Fitfa Adventure as a hobby, training local Mums to get fit for treks and mountain peaks. The initial group of Mums took on the Six Foot Track in the Blue Mountains and then the famous Overland Track in Tasmania, as their first adventure goals. In 2004 Di and the girls decided over a glass of champagne that climbing Kilimanjaro (Africa's highest peak) should be their next goal, and this was the start of their 7 summits campaign. The group's name changed to Mums Kick (short for Mum's kick arse!) and over the next 3 years the members then took on Mt Kosciusko, , Mt Kilimanjaro and Mt Elbrus, as well as Mt Fansipan, Machu Piccu, Mt Kinabalu, Hinchinbrook Island, the South Coast Track (Tasmania) plus Bartle Frere and lots of local Wild Walks and Wild Weekenders.
Soon after arriving in Australia in 2006, I met Di, who had by now left her full time job as a radio producer for John Laws and set up Wild Women On Top. I was blown away by her passion for adventure fitness and was very pleased to be invited to become a Wild Women On Top coach and then a Director of the company. Several new Trek Training groups were set up across Sydney to cater for the many wild women who were joining us to get fit for adventure. In this year we climbed My Kilimanjaro, Mt Aconcagua, Mt Rinjani, Mt Barney, Denali and trekked the Larapinta Trail, amongst many other wild walks. Over the next 2 years, Wild Women On Top teams had great success in the endurance events of 100km Trailwalker and Wild Endurance as well as the Urban Max adventure race.
Now in 2010, we have ten trek training groups across Sydney,and an awesome team of coaches and staff who are all passionate about adventure fitness for women. In March this year we launched the Inaugural Wild Women On Top Sydney Coastrek, which raised over $200,000 for the Fred Hollows Foundation, whilst providing a a great endurance fitness training goal for nearly 50 members, and over 50 teams.Wild Women On Top also trekked the Kangshung Face of Everest to finish with a gourmet dinner party at Everest Base Camp,Tibet. Some of our Hard Core members climbed past Advance Base Camp up the North Col on Everest. Recently we enjoyed trekking the Jatbula Trail, and still have the Mt Aspiring Expedition in NZ to look forward to later this year and our Freda Du Faur Centenary celebrations.
Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that all this would unfold within 4 years of arriving in Australia with my husband and just a backpack to our name. We now have a beautiful baby boy of one, and I am currently training for my 4th 100km event, as well as preparing to trek in NZ in November with an awesome team from Wild Women On Top. I am truly honoured to be part of such an amazing organisation and to have the opportunity to share in so many women's stories. We entwine our lives together by our stories and the passions we share. You never know where life will take you...
One of the amazing aspects of being involved in Wild Women On Top, is that women from many backgrounds and life experiences, come to join us and bring with them their life stories. There is always something for us to learn from these stories, and it's what makes our time together so special. Wild Women On Top has its very own story and it dawned on me that it might be something worth sharing with all our members, especially those of you have joined us recently.
In the year 2000, while working full time as a Radio Producer, Di Westaway set out to climb Mt Aconcagua, 6,992m, as part of a mixed male and female group. Her experience was life changing and inspired her to to want to set up an all female group to empower women to get fit for adventure. After the birth of her third child in 2001, Di started Fitfa Adventure as a hobby, training local Mums to get fit for treks and mountain peaks. The initial group of Mums took on the Six Foot Track in the Blue Mountains and then the famous Overland Track in Tasmania, as their first adventure goals. In 2004 Di and the girls decided over a glass of champagne that climbing Kilimanjaro (Africa's highest peak) should be their next goal, and this was the start of their 7 summits campaign. The group's name changed to Mums Kick (short for Mum's kick arse!) and over the next 3 years the members then took on Mt Kosciusko, , Mt Kilimanjaro and Mt Elbrus, as well as Mt Fansipan, Machu Piccu, Mt Kinabalu, Hinchinbrook Island, the South Coast Track (Tasmania) plus Bartle Frere and lots of local Wild Walks and Wild Weekenders.
Soon after arriving in Australia in 2006, I met Di, who had by now left her full time job as a radio producer for John Laws and set up Wild Women On Top. I was blown away by her passion for adventure fitness and was very pleased to be invited to become a Wild Women On Top coach and then a Director of the company. Several new Trek Training groups were set up across Sydney to cater for the many wild women who were joining us to get fit for adventure. In this year we climbed My Kilimanjaro, Mt Aconcagua, Mt Rinjani, Mt Barney, Denali and trekked the Larapinta Trail, amongst many other wild walks. Over the next 2 years, Wild Women On Top teams had great success in the endurance events of 100km Trailwalker and Wild Endurance as well as the Urban Max adventure race.
Now in 2010, we have ten trek training groups across Sydney,and an awesome team of coaches and staff who are all passionate about adventure fitness for women. In March this year we launched the Inaugural Wild Women On Top Sydney Coastrek, which raised over $200,000 for the Fred Hollows Foundation, whilst providing a a great endurance fitness training goal for nearly 50 members, and over 50 teams.Wild Women On Top also trekked the Kangshung Face of Everest to finish with a gourmet dinner party at Everest Base Camp,Tibet. Some of our Hard Core members climbed past Advance Base Camp up the North Col on Everest. Recently we enjoyed trekking the Jatbula Trail, and still have the Mt Aspiring Expedition in NZ to look forward to later this year and our Freda Du Faur Centenary celebrations.
Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that all this would unfold within 4 years of arriving in Australia with my husband and just a backpack to our name. We now have a beautiful baby boy of one, and I am currently training for my 4th 100km event, as well as preparing to trek in NZ in November with an awesome team from Wild Women On Top. I am truly honoured to be part of such an amazing organisation and to have the opportunity to share in so many women's stories. We entwine our lives together by our stories and the passions we share. You never know where life will take you...
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