Interview With The Owner

After being diagnosed with fibromyalgia, Elaine Woods, the owner of Whidbey Walks, knew she had some hard decisions to make. "Walking was painful," she recalls, "typing at a keyboard was painful, I had more joint problems daily, and my doctor told me it would probably be a slow down hill slide from there."

At that time she began a program of walking outdoors along the woodland paths on Whidbey Island in the Puget Sound area of Washington State. "I feel lucky to live in such a beautiful area, and we are all fortunate that so many paths and trails have been set aside and made open to the public". As she "reclaimed her body" (she is now totally symptom free) she began realizing the tremendous power for healing that walking in the woods can provide.

Currently an Aerobics & Fitness Instructor certified with the International Fitness Association as a Personal Trainer, she is also a member of the Island County Trails Council and serves on the Friends of Freeland Trail Committee. "We can choose those things in our environment which are healthy and give them our energy and attention. When we do that, we keep ourselves, and our world, healthy."