"Exercise has always presented a challenge for me. However, since being diagnosed as pre diabetic and having treatment for early breast cancer last year has changed my attitude. This spring my sacro iliac joints gave me a lot of pain. My chiropractor advised me to walk just 15 minutes a day. I tried it and it was doable for me. Gradually I got up to about half hour. But then I fell, twice. So I got my poles out.

​ Previously I had been too self conscious to use them. Five years they hid in the closet. Then I decided that picking myself up off the sidewalk is not the best, so use the poles! Now I love my poles. They keep me stable and eliminate my fear of falling. Pole walking is my priority now. In the morning I get up, get dressed and head out for a forty five minute walk. Then when I get back home, I start my day. Pole walking is amazing. I intend to keep faithful to my routine for as long as I can!"

- Marlene H., 72
Orillia, Ontario, Canada

"I’ve been running long distances for twenty years. Like many runners, I am drawn by the quiet, peaceful and rejuvenating aspects of the sport. I am a non-religious person; running is my spirituality. One of my regular routes in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont., is a 13 kilometre out-and-back run with the turnaround point at the top of a local ski hill. It’s my go-to run when I need to clear my head, think through a difficult problem or just try and make peace with the world."

- Jonathan F.
Kitchener, Ontario Canada

Read more about WHY Jonathan runs in his article, Running Isn't Just Exercise, It's Time for Me to Think

“We start at 5.30am, and I’m walking in the door at 6.35am ready to start the day. I prefer the morning, and I find that if I don’t train I get grumpy and irritable. Besides, my wife says I’m a better person when I exercise.”

- Bryan F.

Via Daily Telegraph

"Each time I climbed, I learned how to move past my fear and problem-solve my way through difficult situations. I later became a Zumba instructor, started two fitness blogs, and became a personal trainer, all of which would not have happened if I had continued to walk in fear and hid in my comfort zone."

- Sarah Jane P.

Via SHAPE Magazine