Put on your walking shoes for Steppin’ Out 2007

Goal is 70,000 Steps in 7 Days

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BY ANNA WILSON
BLUE RIDGE HEALTHCARE

MORGANTON - Are you up for a challenge? A 70,000 steps in seven days challenge?

Phifer Wellness Center hopes so. For the second year, Phifer has joined the National Walking Challenge called “Steppin’ Out For A Lifetime” which is part of National Medical Fitness Week, April 23-29.

Phifer celebrates medical fitness since it is part of Blue Ridge HealthCare. One of only a few hospital-based fitness facilities in Western North Carolina, Phifer is open to the public as a fitness center, but is also a medical fitness facility where patients can participate in specialized rehabilitation programs.

Phifer is also a vital part of BRHC’s vision for the future - a healthier Burke County - and this walking challenge is one way to encourage movement.

Anyone can participate, and the challenge will begin April 23 and end April 30. A kick-off event will be held April 23 at 5 p.m. as part of a week-long special events at the fitness facility.

The challenge comes from walking 70,000 steps in only seven days. You’ll wear a pedometer from the time you get up until the time you go to bed. Record your number of steps each day, add up your weekly total and report that total by noon on May 1.

Some effort will be required to average 10,000 steps - the equivalent of walking about five miles - a day for seven days. “About 2,000 steps equal one mile and 3,000 steps a day is about average for someone who doesn’t exercise,” said Johnie Morrison, exercise physiologist at Phifer and coordinator of the challenge. “10,000 steps a day is a lot to fit in, and you’ll have to make a conscious effort to walk more in order to hit that number.”

A good overall goal is to increase your daily steps each week by 500 per day until you are normally achieving 10,000 steps a day.

Achieve 70,000 steps in a week, and you will have achieved the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation for physical activity.

BRHC System Director of Wellness Debbie Knight hopes the challenge will show people the benefits of walking. “Walking is safe and effective whether you’re already active or just getting started,” she said. “After the last week of cool temperatures, we should be getting back to normal when this challenge kicks off on April 23. It’s springtime, and that’s the time to be outside. With obesity being such an issue across the country, we hope this will encourage everyone to take just a few more steps toward better health.”

Good health isn’t the only incentive to join the challenge. Phifer members who achieve 70,000 steps in seven days will have their name entered in a drawing for a chance to win three free personal training sessions. Also, during the challenge all non-members will have full access to Phifer and its amenities. (See weekly schedule below.)

“It’s important for everyone to turn in their steps, even if they do not reach the 70,000 goal,” Morrison said. “The community achieving the most steps will be recognized during the Medical Fitness Association annual conference.”

Participants may sign up now at Phifer Wellness Center, and get a free pedometer with a $15 donation. “If you have your own pedometer, any donation is appreciated,” Morrison said.

The proceeds will go toward Phifer’s Fit for Life scholarship program, which offers free membership to persons who are referred by their physician and meet our criteria, and who may need more supervised workouts. Candidates must have been hospitalized in the last two years with a cardiac, pulmonary or diabetic event.

For more information on Steppin’ Out or Fit for Life, call Phifer Wellness Center at 580-6600.

ANNA WILSON is a writer and graphic artist in Blue Ridge HealthCare’s Marketing and Public Relations Department.

The second largest employer in Burke County, Blue Ridge HealthCare serves a four-county area and includes Grace and Valdese hospitals, Blue Ridge Home HealthCare, Grace Heights and College Pines Health & Rehabilitation Centers, Grace Ridge Retirement Community, Phifer Wellness Center and a number of physician practices.