General
ARNHEM – From September 15 to mid-October, there is health month. The theme is ‘Being comfortable in your own skin’. During this period we pay extra attention to topics such as more or better exercise, sleeping well, drinking less, and quitting smoking. Below is the story of Annemiek and how she stays comfortable in her own skin with walking.
By Petra de Kramer – Sports company Arnhem
Annemiek joins the walks of DoorLopen(d)Fit. “I was always very active with my husband, we often went out. I missed that when he died. I thought about getting a dog, we used to have one too. But in the end I didn’t. I thought it was too burdensome.”
“I heard about DoorLopen(d) Fit’s walks through someone else. You will walk about 7 to 14 kilometers at a time in the vicinity of Arnhem. I’ve walked along a few times and it was good. You see a lot of the beautiful surroundings and because you walk in a group, it feels very nice. It is also good for my fitness. When volunteers were asked to help control the walks, I immediately said ‘yes’. That was about five years ago now.”
All walks are always ‘led ahead’. “We then check the walks with committee members and volunteers: is the route still correct, are there no disruptions or closures on the route, for example, is the description clear. We adjust the text of the route if necessary. And nowadays you can also walk the routes via GPS. We do this every year for all walks. This way we keep the information up to date and safe.”
“We always leave as a group. At the start you indicate whether you want to walk the long or the short route and everyone walks at their own pace. In between there is always a coffee or tea break at a catering point, which is also very pleasant. The committee members are divided among all participants. This way no one is left behind and there is always someone nearby if help is needed.”
“You see that many people regularly join the walks, but you also often meet new people. That’s what I like about this. It has given me a lot of pleasure and meaning to participate in this. There is a great sense of community, you talk to different people. Friendships can be formed. That is really an added value to feel good about yourself.”
With DoorLopen(d) Fit you can walk all year round. Between February and mid-December there are 26 walks on Thursday and Sunday. They have different starting places and times. In winter and summer, when there are no regular walks, there are the ‘extra walks’. Those 10-km walks always start from the same point and go in different directions from there. You can find them all on the website www.sportinarnhem.nl/senioren.