Walk & Eat for Better Health

We all know our health is impacted by how active a lifestyle we lead and our food choices. Eating well and being active contributes to a healthy body. Activity of any kind has health benefits. It can help you sleep better and be better able to deal with stress, and helps us with control of hunger. It increases oxygen to the brain, promotes a sense of well-being and optimism, decreases blood pressure for some individuals, can decreases body fat, and can reduces our risk of diseases such as osteoporosis, caner and heart disease. Thirty area residents took part in the second annual Rolette County: Walk & Eat for Better Health program sponsored by the Rolette County 5+5 Coalition during the months of September through December. I would like to share highlights of the program that included presentations, newsletters and a nine week walking program. Program participants reported increasing their activity level and consuming more fruits and vegetables over the course of the program. The program was successful in that participants more closely aligned their fruit and vegetable intake to that of the Food Pyramid model. Eating more fruit was noted by 50% of the participants. Forty three percent of the participant noted they had increased their vegetable consumption.

Participants documented their activity level by using pedometers and logging the number of steps taken daily. For every increase in average daily steps by 1,000 steps participants earned an incentive award. Thirty eight incentive awards were issued during the nine weeks. As a whole, the group of eighteen participants reporting all four reporting periods averaged an increase of 2,179 steps per day. Keep in mind that one mile is equal to walking two thousand steps.

Jan Lagasse was the grand prize winner of a $40 gift certificate. In team competition two teams surfaced to the top. The "Arrow-Tech" team consisting of Connie Parisien, Dave Leas, Gail Belisle and Kathy Prouty took second place honors, increased their team average by 1,174 steps. "Big Daddy & the Street Walkers" team took top honors and the traveling trophy for increasing their team average steps by 2,625 steps. Team members consisted of Jason Heinz, Jackie Heinz, Denise Lagasse, Janice Heinz, JoAnn Lucas, Kristie Dionne and Tammy Julson.

Increasing our steps each day can be done through a set physical workout or by making movement a conscious effort in our daily activities. It might mean taking the stairs whenever possible, going for a walking break rather than a coffee break, or standing and pacing as we talk on the phone. Every activity counts, and walking is an easy activity to include in our daily lives.

How about joining a walking program? The next article provides details on an eight week walking program offered by the North Dakota State University Extension Service.

Support materials for logging your steps and selecting walking shoes are available through the Rolette County 5+5 Coalition. Contact our office for details.

Next Walk North Dakota Challenge Starts Jan. 7 Happy New Year! If one of your New Year's Resolutions is to "move" more, you might want to consider joining and encouraging your co-workers to join the Walk North Dakota Challenge.

Walk North Dakota is a North Dakota State University Extension Service- sponsored program that encourages people to become more physically active for better health.

The next program runs from Jan. 7 to March 3. You can join as an individual or part of a group. The registration fee is $10 per person for participants 19 and older and $5 for those 18 and younger. Registrations are accepted until January 20. To register, visit the program´s Web site at www.walknd.com

The Walk North Dakota program challenges people to work up to a goal of walking at least 10,000 steps a day. That´s the equivalent of walking five miles a day, five days a week, or 200 miles during each eight-week program. All you need to do is report the number of steps you´ve taken every two weeks. You can make the report online or by postcard. All participants who report the required four times will receive incentive prizes. They´ll also have their name placed in a drawing for $100.

In addition, you could become the walker who takes the 1 billionth step since the program began in May 2004. The program participant who reports taking that step will receive a special incentive. The 2,358 people who have participated in the program since it began have logged a total of 928,790,531 steps.

For more information about Walk North Dakota, contact Linda Hauge at (701) 231-7964 or Linda.Hauge@ndsu.edu