WILLIAMSBURG — Happy Cat Events, a local coaching/event planning business, recently set up a hiking club for residents that are looking to get in shape this summer.
Named the Happy Cat Hike Club, it is designed to offer a low-intensity workout to those looking to meet people while also getting exercise outside.
“There’s a lot of people in town who want more of a low-impact kind of a workout,” Owner of Happy Cat Events Ellen Alexander said.
The hiking club meets twice a week on Wednesdays at 5:45 p.m. and Sundays at 10 a.m.
Before each hike, the club plans a route that is between 3 or 4 miles.
“So far we kind of hike to together but I have a plan to break it up into different groups for different speeds,” Alexander said.
After the hike the members gather near a picknick shelter, or somehwere that is kind of private, and they do a strength training workout that has been preplanned by Alexander.
“I do feel like people don’t get enough resistance training in their workouts,” Alexander said.
The strength training and mobility workouts are typically 20-30 minutes long and may include bands, bells or body weights.
“So far we’ve gone to freedom park, the Warhill Nature Trail, New Quarter Park, York River State Park, and Waller Mill. Those are the ones that we’ve done so far, but I plan on hopefully doing like the green springs trail and the capital trail.”
According to Alexander, “It is a low-impact fitness option for those who like the outdoors and do not necessarily want to go to a gym or do high impact training.”
The Happy Cat Hike Club started this month and Alexander says they are looking for new members who may be interested in this type of exercise.
For more information please head over to the Happy Cat Events website. The hike club also has a Strava page where members keep track of their distances traveled and future meetups are posted there as well.
