By Shonna Korsmoe
Murphy News Service
After a long and miserable winter, Hennepin County is encouraging its citizens to get out and get moving with the annual Step To It Challenge.
For the sixth year in a row, 24 participating communities in Hennepin County will be holding the Step To It Challenge May 4 through May 31. The Minnesota Twins and Kare11 news are sponsoring this year’s challenge.
The challenge involves keeping track of steps with a pedometer and logging them on the Step To It website. Participants can also earn steps by doing other physical activities such as biking, gardening, or park clean-ups.
This year’s theme is Taking Green Strides, and participants are encouraged to combine green living with a healthy lifestyle. Dianne Blaydes from the Hennepin County Public Health Department said city coordinators “saw a natural connection” between healthy and green lifestyles. Activities such as biking and walking, she said, are good for the environment and the body.
Angie Timmons, a Hennepin County environmental educator, highlighted activities that fit in with this year’s green theme.
“One [activity] that we talked about was ‘Lose the Gas – Use Your Feet,’” Timmons said. The activity will encourage participants to walk or bike to places they might normally drive, such as to the bank, Timmons said.
Another green activity she suggested for workplaces is a power-out break. Workplaces could designate a time to turn off all devices and electronics and have a walking meeting instead. This would save energy and get the blood flowing.
“A lot of people are motivated to take care of the environment for future generations,” Timmons said, adding that taking care of one’s body is a similar function.
Blaydes said she has heard positive feedback from residents who have participated in years past. In a post-competition evaluation, Blaydes said, 96 percent of participants said they would continue physical activity. Blaydes also pointed out that participants reported feeling more connected to their neighbors and community and experienced a sense of empowerment.
Step counts by individuals are added to their community’s total and one community will win Most Steps Per Community. Within each community, the person with the most recorded steps will win Most Active Resident, along with a pair of tickets to a Twins game.
Brooklyn Park won Most Steps Per Community last year with 77.5 million steps. The top stepper was 69-year-old Lee Khosla, who logged in with 1.7 million steps.
“He beat out people half his age,” Blaydes noted of Khosla. She added that Brooklyn Park has had a very active senior community.
Children aren’t left out either. Blaydes said there is a push to involve more elementary schools this year to instill “lifelong healthy habits.” To generate excitement in the program, Twins players will go to elementary schools to give presentations.
Residents or people who work in Hennepin County can sign up and track their progress online. Participants can also form groups of family members, walking buddies, neighborhood members or workplaces.
Employees at CorTalent, a Minnetonka staffing agency, are participating in the Step It Up Challenge for a second year. Office administrator Laura Tomsovic said CorTalent employees are an active, health-minded group.
“We do Wednesday walks to get out of the office [and] stretch our legs,” she said.
Tomsovic said the challenge was a good way to keep employees motivated and to “continue to build health and wellness initiatives.”
There is no deadline to sign up for the challenge, but Blaydes noted those who wish to compete seriously should sign up before the challenge begins May 4.
To sign up or for more information, go to www.steptoit.org.
Shonna Korsmoe is studying journalism at the University of Minnesota.