Jasmine O’Halloran–Han
Black Press
Just a few weeks ago many people made New Year’s resolutions, personal goals we set for ourselves that we promised we would try and achieve in the duration of this year. One of the common resolutions is being more physically active.
This is just one reason why the walking challenge is coming to town, a program with UWalk, which aims to help implement physical exercise into daily life. This cost-free program will start Feb. 2 and run for about three months. The program will inspire and motivate participants to walk more and be more physically active, as individuals will keep careful track of their own steps with a pedometer. Pedometers can be purchased for about $10 at a local drug store.
The current plan is to place individuals into competitive teams. The teams will then compete against each other, as the goal is to help your team be the first to reach a total of 3,262,500 steps, with possible prize wins.
Kristen Rylance organized the challenge in the hopes of getting more people involved in incorporating more physical activity in their lifestyles, as walking can decrease cardiovascular disease, increase bone health and improve mental health she said.
“It’s a good way for people with chronic disease to safely exercise,” Rylance said.
Rylance said there was an attempt to partake in the challenge last year, but this year they have altered the setup in the hopes that more people will have the desire to participate.
“If it goes well and people enjoy it, we will probably do it again next year,” she said.
Last year individuals participated with the weight wise group where they committed to one night a week; but this year participants take their steps on an individual basis by exercising at their own convenience.
“It’s a good way for people to get out and get involved with an active lifestyle,” Rylance said. “People don’t set their goals to far in advance and they can ease their way into it. We’re hoping the community will get involved and be healthier as a whole.”
To encourage more town participation many medical and pharmaceutical staff have signed up and are ready to participate. Rylance said she even plans to speak with some of the people who were involved in the weight wise group to get them involved.
For more information on how to sign up and participate please email Kristen Rylance at rylance@gmail.com, call 403-843-2256, or visit the Rimbey Medical Clinic.