During the month of October the staff members at Highlands Ranch High School and the surrounding community come together to compete for the most steps in Walktober as an effort to promote healthy habits. On Oct. 1, 73 HRHS teams entered the challenge for being one of the top ten teams with the most steps logged.
To join in on the competition staff members are asked to create teams of four to 10 people, often those who have similar goals in mind, and each member tries to earn from 6,000 to 10,000+ steps a day, then throughout all of October, the teams compete for the top spot in the community. The top participation, top 5 teams, top 5 individuals, first 5 teams registered, and steps logged for all 31 days receive prizes varying from wellness accessories to gift cards.
According to the Center for Nutrition Studies, walking for as little as 30-45 minutes a day can have a big impact. Brisk walking, which is faster than walking, is the recommended way to gain the most from walking. The longer a habit like this is built the better and longer lasting the impact is on that person.
Although this school year has looked different for everyone, it is still important that people are taking good care of themselves. Stephanie Griggs, physical education teacher, said, “When we are super stressed out, we need exercise even more, but it’s what we want to do less, but it’s exactly what we need.”
The program is accessible for everyone no matter their circumstance. Those who have restrictions from participating in walking can choose to track their physical activity on a normal day. These activities can include rowing, biking, or lifting. The main goal is to motivate those involved to move their body and promote healthy habits. “Look for excuses to walk. Parking your car as far away from the front door, when it’s safe, to give yourself more steps. Or taking the stairs when there’s the option for an elevator, or setting an alarm so that after 50 minutes of sitting to walk around,” said Griggs. She believes there are always opportunities to gain more steps and keep active.
In past years only staff members have been able to participate, but this year, family members, 13 and up, were welcome to join. The staff is hoping in the years to come, students will be able to participate in the program. Adding in student involvement may help to grow the program and force the students to get active and move around throughout their day. Morgan Williams, junior, said, “During online days having motivation and competition to get outside and walk would be good for students getting away from the computer.”
Addison Rohr, Staff Reporter
