Registration is open for Walk Kansas 2024, a KState Research and Extension (KSRE) health initiative that promotes personal health and well-being by helping participants adopt healthful lifestyle habits. The program kicks off Sunday, March 31, and runs until May 25. Sign up as an individual or as a group up to six. Visit walkkansas.org to register. Those who prefer paper packets can register at the Cottonwood Extension District’s Great Bend office, 3007 10th St.

During the eight-week event, participants will log their minutes of physical activity. They may also report the amount of fruits and vegetables eaten and glasses of water they drink. Karissa Winkel, Family and Community Wellness Agent for the Cottonwood District, adds that this year participants can also tune in for webinars about “The Science of Happiness,” “Habit Shift - Making Tiny Habits Count,” and foot care.

Minutes of physical activity are logged as “miles” as participant work to complete a chosen journey:

 • Route 1 is 435 miles past Eight Wonders of Kansas. An online map shows team members some of the sights they’ll pass as they work toward their goal. Teams can reach this goal by meeting the minimum guideline of 150 minutes per week for each team member.

• Route 2 is new this year – and actually begins in New Mexico and ends in Kansas City, Mo. The challenge, Follow U.S. Route 56, follows U.S. 56. The distance covered is 640 miles and requires 200 minutes per week for each team member.

• Route 3, Go Cross Country, challenges teams to cover 764 miles, beginning in the northeast corner of Kansas and finishing in the southwest corner. It requires about 240 minutes of exercise per week for each team member.

• Route 4 is called the Little Balkans route. It starts in southeast Kansas and winds its way to Nicodemus, with numerous turns. Those teams ambitious enough to take on this challenge will cover 1,200 miles – or six hours of exercise per week, per person.

• The Purple Power Solo Trail is for those who don’t have a team or just prefer to take on the challenge themselves. For the solo trail, participants will choose a goal that works for them, with a minimum of 2.5 hours per week.

Participants do not have to live in Kansas to be on a team or to do the solo challenge.

Walk Kansas State Leader and Northeast Area Family and Consumer Science Specialist Sharolyn Jackson says the 2024 program is going to focus on shifting and developing habits to help participants eat better, move more and sleep well.

Walk Kansas will help participants:

• be more active with support from friends and family • make healthier nutrition and beverage choices

• learn helpful techniques to reduce stress, sleep well, and improve overall well-being.