West End YMCA Walking Club!

There are 100 REASONS TO WALK.
(No, we won’t list them here.)
There are dozens of reasons to EXERCISE OUTDOORS.
(Choose your favourites.)
We all need MOTIVATION to exercise.
(Need a reason for anything? Find a friend who wants the same thing.)
CONVERSATION MAKES TIME FLY! (Enough said.) (For now!)

There you have our reasons for walking.
Need more reasons? Read on!
We’ll post observations, routes and comments each week, as we walk around Toronto.
There’s a beautiful city out there and we plan to explore it. One block at a time.

We’re low tech. We bring water and wear good shoes. Often we get coffee.
Two or three hours. Sometimes more. Rain or shine, we share a weekend or mid-week walk.

It’s an excellent habit to start and a great way to begin the day. Or take up a whole day!
You should walk, too!

The rest of the week? Walk every day.
Let us know where you like to walk.
Or do you prefer to run or swim or cycle? Excellent. Just get active.

LIKE us, and FOLLOW us here, so you’ll see where we’ve been.
A great way to plan your own walks!

See you out there on the trails and sidewalks!

          

and even more walking!
What we plan to keep doing!
running along, on a rainy day
Originally, we were the West End YMCA Walking Club… they called us The Sidewalk Warriors! Now? We’re just a few friends who walk!

(Click any image for larger version, in slideshow.) 

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We are a group of walking friends who originally met through the West End College Street YMCA, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
We gradually made friends from all over town. And the west coast. And Dawson City, Yukon. And more!
We are not monitored by YMCA of Greater Toronto. No direct affiliation is implied or claimed.
No information herein may be construed as health or fitness advice. Walk carefully. And have fun.

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WALKING POSTS         |         WALKING ROUTES

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11 thoughts on “West End YMCA Walking Club!”

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  3. Wondering how I might find out if beginners can join your group? I see that you walk a fair distance each time, and am wondering if a beginner could just do part of the walk? Or are you aware of any walking groups for beginners? Thank you!

    Reply

    • Hi Leanne.
      We welcome new walkers – just arrive and enjoy.

      Thanks for following the blog, to see what each week’s Sunday plan may be. Normally, we meet at 9, but check the most recent post, in case the plans change (to concur with an opening time, or something). We’re not a super-fit, power-hiking, speed-walking group. Most of our walks are casual, at a comfortable pace, on easy terrain. We have fun and keep it fairly easy. But yes, they can be long. Usually two hours. Occasionally longer! This does get easier (if that appeals), or, of course, you can join us for part of the walk. Or just for the shorter walks. (That will usually be clear from the post.)

      Do part of a walk, anytime you like, no problem. (If you want to walk for an hour, turn back after half an hour, or, better yet, keep walking with us for the whole hour and then hop on transit!)

      Anyway, we welcome all walkers, really. Our aims include the following, in no special order: to see the city, to be a bit social, to enjoy getting up and moving, early-ish on a Sunday. Appealing? Come along and say hi!

      Watch for this week’s post, in a couple of days. We’ll take a late departure, by transit, to visit somewhere beautiful, then a crisp park hike to subway. (We tire of just walking around downtown west, so we also aim for variety.) The actual walking portion won’t be too long (probably 5km, probably an hour). But because of the transit travel involved, we’ll leave at 10:00, I think, and probably not be back until at least 1.

      Hope to see you soon – feel free to be in touch, anytime.
      Click LET’S WALK, above, in the menu for latest posts and pictures.
      If you like this whole idea, join us. And, as I always say… you’re welcome to bring friends!
      Best,
      Lori

      Reply

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  5. Hi there,

    I just discovered this walking group and it sounds like a great fit for me. I’m hoping to join the walk this Sunday. Where does the group meet?

    Thanks,
    Kimberly

    Reply

    • Hi Kim,

      We usually meet on Sundays at 9:00 a.m. at the West End YMCA (931 College Street, Toronto – at intersection with Dovercourt).
      Stay tuned here, to see the walking plan for this Sunday.
      We hope to see you soon.

      Reply

    • Thanks, Mariette – always glad to have new people join us! (Especially friends. Of friends. Of friends!!) That was nice. Thanks for the links. They are on my long list… so who knows! The Riverside walks are on Saturdays, so we won’t likely join them, but we might take those ideas and make them our own, sometime.

      Reply

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