Anticipating spring at the Extension office means getting Walk Kansas packets ready for teams to pick up, plus a chance to dust off those walking shoes. This roller coaster weather we have had lately gives us a taste of warmer temps and makes us anxious for the 2015 Walk Kansas campaign. I returned home from our agent update in Manhattan with sample tee shirts for this years’ health challenge. Color choices for 2015 include coral or gray with a slightly different logo than previous years, including the words “Walk Tall” and “Walk Strong.”
Walk KS is best described as an 8-week healthy lifestyle challenge. It is a team based program, set for March 15 – May 9, that will help you and others lead a healthier life by being more active, making better nutrition choices, and learning positive ways to deal with stress. It is not too early for you to snag co-workers, family members, friends and neighbors to form a team of six people. The team agrees on a name and has the opportunity to choose one of three different challenges. Challenge one is to collectively walk 423 miles which is the distance across the state of Kansas. If each participant exercises a total of 2 ½ hours per week this challenge is very doable. Challenge two requires each participant to log approximately 5 hours of moderate/vigorous activity each week and collectively, the team would walk 846 miles, the distance across the state and back. Challenge three is a 1,200 mile total which is the perimeter of the state. Team members who log 6 hours of exercise each week could achieve this goal.
Participants log minutes of physical activity and fruits/vegetables consumed, and report these weekly to their team captain. Captains report team totals weekly. Progress of all teams in Barton County can be viewed at www.walkkansas.org. We are working out the details to carry out both the registration and reporting by the team captains to be done on line. The only thing that will have to be dropped off or sent to our office is the registration fee of $3 per team member and payment for optional t-shirts. Prices for shirts remain at $8 with 2XL and larger sizes slightly higher.
We plan to have enrollment packets ready to go by Friday, Feb. 20th. I will also make sure packets will be available through the Hoisington, Ellinwood, and Great Bend Recreation Centers too. And we should have the on-line registration up and going then too. We would like to have all teams registered by March 6, in order to get everyone added to our county’s web page for Walk KS. If you have questions don’t hesitate to call me. Hopefully spring will arrive for good just in time for Walk KS this year!
Donna Krug is the Family & Consumer Science Agent with K-State Research and Extension – Barton County. You may reach her at: (620)793-1910 or dkrug@ksu.edu