West Virginia University Extension Service’s Office is hosting their Summer Steps program for the fourth year. The goal of this program is to get West Virginians active by prompting a competition among the counties for most steps logged.
The competition runs June 1st through August 31st. “Individuals across the state can register, indicate the county they wish their mileage to count toward, and track their personal mileage through WVU Extension’s online tracker at fh.ext.wvu.edu.”
This is a great opportunity to start your journey to get active as it is free, anyone is eligible to participate, and you can join at any time during the competition.
Other forms of activity can be logged as progress in the tracker such as swimming or cycling; every 20 minutes of activity counts as one mile.
“The county with the most miles logged at the end of the competition will receive a walkability assessment from the WVU Extension Service Community, Economic and Workforce Development. County size or population isn’t as important as the commitment to being active. Thirty counties participated in the 2014 challenge. Monongalia County logged the winning mileage, followed by Pendleton and Mineral counties. Previous first–place winners include Wood and Monroe counties.”
Active Southern West Virginia is encouraging everyone to participate, especially our four main counties of Fayette, Raleigh, Summers, and Nicholas. One of our objectives here at Active SWV is to advocate for improved infrastructure so that opportunities to maintain a physically active lifestyle will be more accessible to all of our residents. A walkability assessment may give us the leverage we need to write grants and advocate for policy changes that will lead to more walkable sidewalks, bike lanes, and a more connected network of trail systems.
Several studies suggest that walking a minimum of 10,000 steps a day is the recommended amount to maintain a healthy lifestyle. So we are challenging all you Southern West Virginians to reach a minimum of 10,000 steps per day! You can track your steps by downloading a pedometer app to your phone or purchasing a pedometer.
We already have several opportunities available for you to reach this goal. You can look at our Events Calendar to see any upcoming events that may be in your area. Some other opportunities available are:
- Trail running every Tuesday at 6:15 pm in Beckley, meet at the YMCA soccer complex.
- Road running every Thursday at 6 pm in Beckley, meet at the Beckley Running Supply Store in downtown.
- Mile Mondays every Monday at 6:30 pm in Fayetteville, meet at the Fayetteville Trail Head parking lot at the Fayetteville Town Park. Hosted by the New River Trail Runners.
- Group mountain bike rides every Thursday at 6 pm in Fayetteville, meet at the Arrowhead trail head in Fayette County. Hosted by the New River Bicycle Union.
We also encourage anyone interested in getting a community group activity started in their community to contact our Program Assistant Courtney Roark at [email protected].
“To increase your activity level and daily step counts, look for opportunities to be more active. Park further away from your destination, if it is safe to do so, and take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator. Even small amounts of additional activity increase total calorie expenditure and can make a difference in your fitness level and overall health over time.” –American College of Sports Medicine recommendation
