Walking club helps seniors "Discover Chesterfield"
By Sande Snead CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Irene Reed (front) and other seniors get some exercise during a recent Discover Chesterfield walk at Rockwood Park.

Like most walking clubs, the purpose of the county Parks and Recreation Department's Discover Chesterfield Club is to get people active and exercising while enjoying camaraderie and fellowship at the same time.

But Discover Chesterfield has an additional purpose: to introduce adults ages 55 and older to the county's parks, open spaces and greenways.

Monthly organized walks take place at different locations in Chesterfield, allowing seniors to discover new places to exercise and explore. It also keeps the walk from becoming boring.

Led by parks and recreation staff, the walks are held at 9 a.m. on the first Tuesday of the month. Judy Jones, who organizes older adult programming for the department, started the club about five years ago.

"I don't have a community building, so I have to make use of what I have, which are parks," Jones said. "And walking is the No. 1 exercise of choice."

Chesterfield has more than 30 public parks with nearly 3,800 acres of green space, historical landmarks and opportunities to see a variety of flora and fauna.

The group uses all of the parks in Chesterfield. They walk through fields and woods and along a small stream at Goyne Park, and they follow a system of trails including a boardwalk through a freshwater tidal marsh at Point of Rocks.

"The terrain and sites are different at each park, and that's what makes this so interesting," Jones said. "At Mid-Lothian Mines, we follow along an old railroad bed. It's one mile in and one mile back. Most of the walks are one to two miles."

None is too strenuous for 80-year-old club member Irene Reed. She's been a member of the Chesterfield walking club since its inception and rarely misses a walk - no matter what the weather.

"The winter doesn't bother me. I just put my long johns on and go," Reed said. "I love it in the spring and fall. In the summer, it can get too hot and there are bugs and things, but you just continue on."

There are close to 200 members in the club, but the monthly walks average 15 to 25 people. Most of the walkers are over 65.

The walking club starts each year anew with a fall kickoff in September. There is an indoor special event, speaker and refreshments. The group then sets out on its inaugural walk on the trail around the Chesterfield County Government Center.

The walks are good exercise, but they are not fast walks.

"We're not out to race," Reed said. "We like to take our time and look and enjoy the walk."

Reed gets her exercise in plenty of other ways too. She walks with the Old Dominion Appalachian Trails Club, has participated in the Colonial Squares square dancing group for the last 20 years, and takes classes in yoga and water aerobics.

"Exercising and staying active is the best way I know to stay young," she said.

Take a walk

The next Discover Chesterfield walk is Apr. 3 at 9 a.m. at Henricus Historical Park. For more information about Discover Chesterfield, call Judy Jones at 751-4135.