The time has never been better to get up, get outside and get moving.
Trail and sidewalk improvements throughout Johnson County have given people safe, connected walkways all over cities such as Franklin, Greenwood and Bargersville. Summer is slowly fading away, and with it, the humid days and uncomfortable heat. Mild temperatures, sunny days and changing foliage make the coming weeks the perfect time to spend some outside.
And local health officials, partnered with the Johnson County Public Library, want to give people every motivation to get more active.
"There’s no better time than this year, with COVID and people looking for some more things to do outdoors," said Erin Slevin, chair of the wellness team for Partnership for a Healthier Johnson County. "There is a lot of physical and mental benefits to walking, and so many great places to walk in Johnson County."
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
The library and Partnership for a Healthier Johnson County unveiled WALKtober, an all-ages month-long campaign encouraging the community to be more active. Participants can sign up and log their activities for the chance to earn prizes. They can take part in specially designed walking challenges such as visiting a local walking trail, completing a scavenger hunt or taking a haunted tour. Those who complete at least three weekly activities earn a virtual badge and are eligible for prize drawings.
The goal is to get more people out of the house, exercising while staying safe during the coronavirus pandemic.
"Walking as part of regular physical activity is one of the easiest things someone can do to improve their health," Slevin said. "And we want to celebrate the wonderful county we live in, getting people to different parts of the county they’ve never been to before."
The WALKtober campaign is a response to what local officials see as worrying statistics about the activity of local residents. According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation County Health Rankings, 24% of adults age 20 and older in Johnson County report no leisure time physical activity.
Decreased physical activity has been tied to several disease conditions such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, stroke, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and premature mortality, independent of obesity, research has shown.
Health guidelines recommend adults should aim for at least 150 minutes a week of physical activity. Youth ages 6-17 should do 60 minutes or more daily.
"This is one easy way to go out and do that, where you don’t necessarily have to be in the gym. You can park farther away, do a walking meeting at work, take the stairs. We just want to encourage people to be active," Slevin said.
The wellness team for Partnership for a Healthier Johnson County, a coalition of local leaders working together on issues related to health, has been searching for ways to increase activity for years, Slevin said. They found a solution in a program the county library system already uses.
Linda Kilbert, manager of the White River library branch, is also on the wellness team for Partnership for a Healthier Johnson County. The library’s staff wellness team had been holding an annual walking event every October, which has proven to be one of its most popular programs.
"I shared it with the (Partnership) wellness team, and they liked the idea. It’s a little different, but a similar idea: To motivate people to get outdoors to be a little more active and a little more healthy," Kilbert said.
To sign people up and track their walking, WALKtober uses Beanstack, an app the library uses for summer reading programs and other events. Starting on Monday and lasting through Nov. 1, participants can log the minutes of physical activities on the site. Organizers have also put together collections of weekly walking challenges to increase excitement in the program.
People can check out the new trail systems in downtown Greenwood, go on a Franklin scavenger hunt, walk to one of the murals in the county or look for wildlife around the lake at Johnson County Park.
"They’re weekly suggestions that they can mark off," said Erin Kirchhoff, virtual services manager for the library system. "We contributed ideas, such as visiting the Storywalks, visiting the trail system, visiting all the parks in the Johnson County area, taking tours. Every town and every area is represented."
Those who complete at least three of the activities each week earn a virtual badge and are eligible for that week’s prize drawing. Completing at least three of the weekly challenges enters you in the grand prize drawing for a new Fitbit.
"We all intend to do things, but sometimes we need the extra motivation, that little carrot dangled in front of us to make it happen," Kilbert said. "Prizes are a good way to do it, even smaller prizes along the way leading up to a grand prize."
Organizers worked with Franklin, Greenwood, Edinburgh and Johnson County park systems, Franciscan Health, Johnson Memorial Health, Johnson County Trails, Festival Country Indiana, Purdue Extension, and Studio 317 Fitness and Cycling to partner with and provide other prizes throughout WALKtober.
So many groups supporting the effort has been encouraging, as have the number of people signing up for the program. As of Tuesday, more than 200 people have signed up, and organizers are seeing the excitement in the community, Kilbert said.
"It’s been really exciting to have all of the collaboration, with all of the people who have been involved and contributed ideas or prizes. This is the very first time we’ve done it, and so far, it’s pulling together really well," she said.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”At a glance” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
WALKtober
What: An initiative encouraging people to get outside and walk throughout the month of October.
Who: Organized by Partnership for a Healthier Johnson County and the Johnson County Public Library
How to sign up: Sign up at jcpl.beanstack.org to create a Beanstack account. You will use this account to log your walking activities in order to qualify for prizes. You can keep track of each family member’s activities on one account.
How does it work?
Beginning Monday, people can log and track their walking/physical activities. A calendar with a variety of walking challenges has been created. In Beanstack, people can check-mark the boxes next to the challenges they’ve completed for the current week.
Complete at least three of the weekly activities to earn a virtual badge and be eligible for that week’s prize drawing. If people complete at least three of the WALKtober weekly challenges, they will be eligible for the grand prize drawing.
Information: pageafterpage.org/walktober
[sc:pullout-text-end]
