Walking club “One More Step” kicks off summer

Emily Southwood - Community agent Marcelle Chabot of Howick and Très-Saint-Sacrement is passionate about getting people walking. He’s far from alone in recognizing the substantial benefits to be gained from donning a suitable pair of shoes and heading out for a brisk jaunt. Some of the many payoffs to regular, motivated walking include lowering your risk for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, all of which are risk factors for heart attack and stroke. Studies suggest that walking can help us live longer lives and reduce stress. To boot, it’s a free activity and the mental and emotional benefits multiply when you do it with friends. With all of this in mind, the walking group "Un pas de plus"/ "One more step" was recently created as a joint venture between the municipalities of Howick and Très-Saint-Sacrement. An information session was held mid-May to rally participants, plot out a route and arm them with practical information from CLSC Kinesiologist, Mrs Ariane Thériault-Morin. The group is now up and walking three times a week on a 3km route that departs from the Très-Saint-Sacrement town hall parking lot on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30AM. New participants are more than welcome. Marcelle Chabot was very pleased to organize the group and expressed his enthusiasm for the project after a successful information session, “Last night's meeting left me a very happy person. I have been working for a while trying to establish this walking club for the two municipalities. It was a very nice, happy group of people who met along with Mrs Ariane Thériault-Morin who expertly led the meeting in her gentle way.” Her professional recommendations focused on how participants can get the most from their walk. Tips included warm-up exercises before starting off, the proper speed to receive the maximum benefits, and stretching exercises recommended for afterwards. Mrs Ariane Thériault-Morin also helped the group plot out two different 3km trajectories, and they determined to follow her recommendation to walk 3 times a week. The group officially kicked off on Wednesday, May 23rd and is currently active through August 31st. New participants are encouraged to come out and join “One more step” on the road to overall health benefits. For more information see @ Municipalités de Howick et Très Saint Sacrement on Facebook or contact Marcelle Chabot: agente.howtss@gmail.com.