How to Join a Walking Club

Walking alone can become boring and repetitive after awhile. One solution is to join a walking club. Walking clubs offer a pool of potential walking partners, as well as advice on walking routes. If you can't find a walking club to suit your needs, you can create your own. Follow these steps to find out how.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Find a Walking Club in Your Area

1. Contact your health insurance provider. Many HMOs promote exercise by keeping lists of exercise clubs.
2. Contact the information center at your local mall. Malls often promote mall walking clubs. They may offer incentives to join.
3. Tour a health club and ask if it sponsors a walking club. Check the bulletin board for private walking clubs.
4. Visit the Road Runners Club of America website (see below). This national running organization accepts walkers, too.
5. Click on your state on the Road Runners "Club" page. You will see a list of all affiliated clubs and the Road Runners representatives in your state.
6. Attend a charity run or walk and ask organizers and participants about walking clubs. The Road Runners Club of America keeps a list of events on its website.

Check Out an International Walking Organization

7. Peruse the International Federation of Popular Sports (IVV) website (see below). IVV members can participate in walking events around the world.
8. Join IVV by clicking on the "Membership" link. Complete the membership forms.
9. Email your application to IVV using the link provided.

Start Your Own Walking Club

10. Decide on your walking club goals. If your club will make purchases, you may need to incorporate.
11. Establish a steering committee. Ask friends to serve as club officers.
12. Advertise your club. Flyers in high foot-traffic areas such as parks and schools work well.
13. Make business cards containing club contact information. Hand out cards to potential members while out walking.
14. Create a website for your walking club. Be sure to list your club's locale and goals.
15. Affiliate your club with a larger organization, such as Road Runners Club of America, to expand your visibility.
16. Set up regular meetings for your club. Be sure to remind members of the meeting dates and times.
17. Distribute a walking club newsletter to keep your members informed of walks and events. You can do this easily online.

Tips & Warnings

• Many national and international walking clubs charge a fee to join, but also provide product discounts and event admissions.