2019 - What a Whopper!
In 2019 Capital Nordic Walking was proudly selected as a Westfield Local Hero for our Community Outreach Program! We also launched a fabulous partnership with the Australian National Botanic Gardens, a fantastic program - Nordic Stride 4 Life - with Arthritis ACT, and had Australia's first ever officially timed Nordic Walking Race as part of the Parkinson's Walk in the Park Fund Raiser! Capital Nordic Walking also became an official member of ACT Volunteers this year. All of these partnerships and achievements involved months of behind the scenes planning with our dedicated gang of supporters and champions within our partner organisations to make them happen.
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🥳 🎉 Calling Canberra Nordic Walkers! Come celebrate with us!
4.00 – 6.00 Saturday 30th November 🎉 🥳
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Capital Nordic Walking would love it if Canberra's Nordic Walkers would join us for a short and relaxed end-of-year get together on Saturday 30th November to celebrate the year that was!
We would like to express our heart-felt thanks to Canberra's Nordic Walkers for your amazing support this year in helping spread the word so that more and more Canberran's learnt about and experienced the incredible benefits and joys of Nordic Walking.
Your support and efforts to get our Community Outreach Program across the line for a Westfield Local Hero Award were out of this world!!! We hope to welcome a representative from Westfield Woden to join us on the 30th when we will be letting you know our plans for their generous $10,000 grant to help expand our Community Outreach Program.
We will provide welcome refreshments but please feel free to bring your favourite drinks and snacks if you'd like to stay on and make use of the great BBQ facilities. Please also bring chairs and/or a picnic rug.
We hope you can make it – and please feel free to bring family, friends including furry friends!
It would be really helpful if we have an idea of numbers - please check out this link to find out more about the event and REGISTER HERE.
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Canberra Parkinson’s Fund raiser – featuring Australia’s first ever officially timed Nordic Walking event!
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We’d like to extend a massive and heartfelt thanks to the almost 100 Canberra Nordic Walkers who were out in force on 20th November for Australia’s first ever officially timed Nordic Walking event – in support of the ACT Parkinson’s Walk in the Park fund raising event. The perfect Canberra Spring weather contributed to well over 500 Canberrans coming out to enjoy the events and entertainment and support people with Parkinson’s on the day – including around 75 runners, 240 walkers, 95 Nordic Walkers (in the three 5km events) and 140 in the traditional 1.5km walk.
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ACT Minster for Disability and Community Services, Suzanne Orr, together with PACT President John Sheldrick, opened the event. There was plenty of entertainment by the Parkinson’s Dance group - Off Beat, singing group – Bush Larks and Australian Idol and the Voice’s singer-songwriter Hayley Jensen and Canberra’s own Loose Connections.
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The Minister stayed for the entire morning and awarded the prizes - including to the first Nordic Walker across the line - Capital Nordic Walking Coach - Werner Lausberg in 34 minutes and 39 seconds!
Despite this being the first time that Parkinson’s ACT has held an expanded Walk in the Park event it was a huge success – not only in raising awareness of and improved understanding about Parkinson’s, but also in raising much needed funds. Close to $45,000.00 was raised during the event - which will allow PACT to continue to provide support for people living with Parkinson’s through activities such as dancing, painting and singing, support-groups, seminars and workshops.
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The Nordic Walking event was a great opportunity for people to challenge themselves to make the distance and/or improve their time, and provided a terrific demonstration of the wide-ranging benefits of Nordic Walking for everyone, including for people with mobility challenges. For people with Parkinson's Nordic Walking has proven significant benefits - we summarise them as the 4 B's - Balance, Big, Brain and Buddies - to learn more about them click on this LINK |
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Arthritis ACT in partnership with Capital Nordic Walking received a modest grant from the Australian Government agency - SportAUS - under the Move It AUS - Participation Program.
The aim of the SportAUS program is that “every Australian, at all stages of their life, can undertake the exercise they need and want in a safe, fun and inclusive way, whether it is through sport or other types of activity”
Capital Nordic Walking has designed a customised Nordic Walking course – Nordic Stride 4 Life (NS4L) - to enable inactive people with mobility challenges to learn to walk more comfortably, safely, faster and further and experience the multiple benefits that come from Nordic Walking – a low-impact, highly effective total-body workout, which greatly lessens joint load and strain.
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Since the launch of NS4L in October we have run 7 pilot courses for nearly 50 people and the feedback and improvements experienced, even during the 3-session course, have been extremely positive.
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If you, or someone you know, might benefit from this course please contact Rebecca Davey at Arthritis ACT for more information about NS4L courses running in the new year. Phone: 02 6251 2055. Email: rebecca@arthritisact.org.au
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Volunteers make our Community Outreach Program a success!
But we need more! Find out how you can make a difference here!
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Capital Nordic Walking has taught well over 1,000 people to Nordic Walk and we see how it changes lives every day! for people of all ages, all fitness levels, all fitness goals and from all walks of life - we are a rich and diverse community! We are very passionate about supporting our local community of Nordic Walkers to help them to stay active and get the most out of their Nordic Walking.
For people with painful joints, ex-runners, people with Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, older people who’ve lost their strength and confidence in walking - Nordic Walking enables them to move safely and easily, and often with a lot less pain - whilst getting a fantastic total body workout.
What keeps these people moving is our Nordic Walking Community Outreach program - where Nordic Walkers of all ages and fitness levels get together for a “talking, walking workout” – finishing up with a coffee. It’s being connected with others that makes this fantastic Community Outreach program such a success. It’s knowing that there are people there who are organising and supporting the walkers that gives people the confidence to come out and walk.
We coordinate a range Nordic Walking groups for different fitness and mobility levels every week. Our groups that cater more for people with balance, mobility and coordination challenges depend on the support of our wonderful volunteers – our Capital Nordic Walking Angels!
We need to expand our Community Free Nordic Walking Groups across Canberra so that everyone who wants to Nordic Walk can easily get to a group walk. Our Westfield Local Hero award has enabled us to actively recruit, train and support a network of Volunteers to make this dream come true. We value our Volunteers highly and will ensure they feel as well prepared and supported as possible for their role.
We are currently recruiting for more "Walkers and Talkers"! If you are interested in becoming a Capital Nordic Walking Angel – why not come along and join us for coffee at the end of one of our Nordic Walking groups to meet the gang and our Volunteer Coordinators to find out more about us!
You can read more about this great opportunity to make an impact in your community HERE
Capital Nordic Walking is a registered member of Volunteer and Contact ACT and complies with The National Standards for Volunteers 2015
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How Nordic Walking helped Joyce go further, enjoy the great outdoors, have a stronger back, straighter shoulders and looser jeans!
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I started Nordic walking in February 2019 with my husband who has really enjoyed the walking and the challenge of going a little further each week. I however have always been a wanderer not a walker, and I was extremely slow and always last, but the group of Nordic walkers are so supportive that someone was always willing to walk more slowly with me. This support encouraged me to stick with the walking.
Then Kristen organised access to the Botanic Gardens and I was suddenly in a world that had great interest to me as I am fascinated by trees, crooked branches, leaves, flowers and the play of light and shadows. So I quietly move away from the group and though I still walk slowly and do a virtual photo shot in my mind I find I am walking further each week and sometimes get to a new path and a new experience. At the end of the walk I am left with a sense of peace and calm that I find is very uplifting.
Nordic walking with the Capital Nordic Walking group has enabled me to do this as I would not walk that far without the poles. The group support and friendship as well as the wonderful company at coffee make each session so enjoyable. The bonus is my back is stronger, my shoulders straighter and my jeans a little looser.
My advice to anyone thinking of trying Nordic walking is to do it because there is personal benefit no matter what level you achieve. It is still the best way to be out in the fresh air and be part of a wonderful support group who are there for many and varied reasons.
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It’s not too late to get Nordic Walking in 2019!
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There are still a few spots left in our November courses! check them out HERE
Capital Nordic Walking prides itself on providing the highest quality tuition in Nordic Walking based on many years of experience, proven programs, delivered by our highly qualified Instructors. Nordic Walking is more technical than most people realize to learn to do well, get the maximum benefits and avoid injuries. We teach the skills sequentially across our 3 x 1 hour session courses. Our courses take account of your health status and challenges, and are carefully designed to ensure that you enjoy learning to Nordic Walking, achieve a high level of proficiency and enjoy maximum benefits.
What about poles? You will need to use Nordic Walking poles which are different to hiking or trekking poles. Capital Nordic Walking encourages people not to buy their own poles before they have done a couple of lessons. This is partly because you want to be certain that Nordic Walking is for you before investing in poles, but also because you want ensure that you get poles that are the right height for you, and also because there different models of poles made of different materials, with different features. It's important to be sure about what you want in your poles before buying them - eg do want fixed length poles or folding ones for travel. We loan you poles during your course with us, including taking them home for a week to practice what you are learning in the course. Trying out different models is a good idea before you buy your own poles. You can find answers to other frequently asked questions HERE
We will be offering a few more courses in early December - keep an eye on our website for more information
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Are you ready to take your Nordic Walking Poles on holidays?
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Austrian Alps Active was founded and is run by Patrick and Maree Burtscher of the Nordic Academy (an Austrian-Australian couple).
Their passion is to provide active holiday experiences for guests to experience the stunning natural beauty, authentic traditions and living culture of their beloved 'Grosses Walsertal' valley in the Austrian Alps.
Be inspired and start planning your next Nordic Walking holiday - check out what's on offer HERE
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