Walk Kansas program completed

    Ford County recently had 51 teams complete the K-State Research and Extension’s physical fitness program, 2008 Walk Kansas. Each team consisted of six team members — one captain and five members — for a total of 342 participants, said Ethel Schneweis, Ford County Extension Family and Consumer Science agent.
    Teams from all over the county included members from Spearville, Bucklin and Dodge City, Schneweis said.  Several businesses throughout the community used this program as a healthy incentive to encourage their employees to become more physically fit.
    Walk Kansas, an eight-week physical activity program, encouraged family members, schoolmates, co-workers, friends and/or neighbors to come together as a team. They set personal goals for health and fitness and as a team collectively walked 423 miles, the distance across Kansas. Other forms of exercise were allowed to be substituted or combined with the walking program. Walk Kansas accepted running, cycling, team sports, and other physical activities for the accumulation of miles to "walk" Kansas.
    Among our Ford County teams, several teams actually accomplished the distance across Kansas more than four times! Over two-thirds of the registered teams reached the goal of walking across the distance of Kansas.
    Besides just the physical activity, the program encouraged members to eat fruits and vegetables.  Members were asked to track their fruits and vegetable consumption and to try and increase both in their daily meals. This activity increased participants’ awareness of possibly how few fruits and vegetables they were actually eating.
    Team members reported having great success with the Walk Kansas program. Several indicated they had lost weight and overall felt better since they began.
    If you were not on a team this year, consider joining a Walk Kansas 2009 team next year! Walk Kansas 2009 will run March 8 through May 2.