Today we talk all things hiking with Wild Women on Top and Coastal Trek founder Di Westaway.

Why are you passionate about your hiking activity, and where did your passion stem from?

I  am super passionate about getting women walking together in nature because it transforms lives. It certainly changed mine. I experienced  the benefits of walking in nature  first-hand. As I approached 40, I found myself in a crisis. I wasn’t  happy and I was well and truly in a slump. But I found a cure to my  sadness in hiking adventures and the rest, really, is history. Walking  in nature exhilarates me, it excites me, it keeps  me strong and healthy, and it’s a hell of a lot more fun than working  out in a gym. Hippocrates once said ‘walking is man’s best medicine’.  Well, I believe hiking is a woman’s best medicine!

We  know women so often put their health and fitness at the very bottom of  their priorities list. It’s essential for women to prioritise their  health with daily physical activity  because women are our primary nurturers and role models in the  community. The main barriers to getting women outdoors are guilt, time,  money, pain and family commitments. We want women hiking with friends  because it allows them to integrate fitness and social  connection and it brings natural exhilaration. Not only do they get  fitter and stronger, but they also feel better.

Why should people attend to your hiking activity?

Our trek training is a mix of everything you need to be happy, healthy,  fit, and fabulous. It’s a perfect blend of fun, friendship and fitness.  Hiking is even better for you  than exercising in a gym and it’s a whole lot more fun than running on a  treadmill or doing boring, repetitive workouts. When you’re outside you  have the wind in your hair, the sun on your skin, birds chirping, and  all those things that make you feel good  inside. When you do it with friends it brings pure joy and  exhilaration.

The  uneven surfaces and physical obstacles that hiking presents improves  your reflexes and muscle responses. Add weather and you have a great  adventure fitness experience. Wild  Women don’t get scared away by a little rain or wind. Challenging  weather conditions help test our mental tuffness and push us out of our  comfort zones.

What makes your treks extra special?

The  women who join us for trek training are in the best possible hands. Our  coaches are highly experienced hikers and fitness professionals who  always come armed with fresh,  fun, and fantastic workouts. But most of all, the women who join us  become part of our Wild Women community. Some of our members have had  some truly god-smacking mental and physical transformations. One that  springs to mind is our Wild Woman Margaret Gosper.  When Marg first joined us, she had barely hiked before and was at a  particularly low point in her life. Now, she is a regular at trek  training, she’s joined us on adventures around Australia and all over  the world, she’s kayaked across Greenland and she was  our Most Inspiring member for 2018.

What do people take away from the trek?

Our  trek training sessions are designed to leave your totally exhilarated.  We want to leave your smiling from ear to ear with a spring in your  step. We want you to remember  the beauty you saw, the laughs you had and the workout you smashed!

What are you looking forward to the most when it comes to running your classes?

For me, the best part is being surrounded by awesome and inspiring women  and seeing the smiles on their faces as they fully immerse themselves in  nature’s challenges and discover  what they’re truly capable of. It’s a look of exhaustion and natural  exhilaration that comes from overcoming fears and being in the wild!