Get healthy in 2009!

Health Department challenges teams to take 10,000 steps a day

The St. Francois County Health Center is seeking participants for a healthy challenge.

The challenge will begin Feb. 1 and run through April 30th. Each participant will put $5 and this will go to the winning team to spend any way they chose to benefit the health of their group.

Health Educator Lynn Blackwell said their choice of a prize could be anything from a treadmill in the corner of the breakroom to a healthy catered meal.

Teams can track their progress at www.womenshealth.gov/activity

Blackwell said while the program is sponsored by Women’s Health, both men and women are encouraged to sign up.

The goal is 10,000 steps a day per person. The Web site offers several virtual routes and a very easy way to keep track of each persons and teams progress. It also has an activity calculator that converts many activities into steps making it much more fun to keep up the good work.

“For example, bicycling 15 minutes equals 3630 steps, shopping equals 1050, cooking is 915, stretching is 1140, and the list goes on,” said Blackwell.

Each team decides what works best for them. They can plan activities individually or as a group. Co-workers, friends and family are encouraged to take part. To find out more, contact Blackwell at 573-431-1947. ext. 113 or go to www.sfchc.org.