Walk Kansas 2021
The Walk Kansas program is back and better than ever before. This eight-week long program runs from March 28th until May 22nd and encourages individuals to come together to be more active, eat better, and manage stress daily, in order to live a healthier lifestyle. This year marks the 20th year of Walk Kansas in the state; therefore, the apparel items available for purchase depict a commemorative vintage-style logo.
Unlike previous years, Walk Kansas 2021 is aiming to educate its participants on how physical activity and eating habits can be utilized in the assistance and prevention of commonly faced challenges. These challenges include mental health; heart disease; osteoporosis; Alzheimer’s disease and brain health; obesity; diabetes; and cancer.
Each week participants will receive e-newsletters that include physical activity and food consumption tips; nutrient dense recipes; information regarding events that are occurring at both local and state levels; and mini-informative webinars.
Participants are encouraged to gather a team of six and choose from one of the three different team challenge trails (8 Wonders, Cross Country, and Little Balkans to Nicodemus) or if an individual wishes to engage in the program individually, Walk Kansas 2021 offers a solo trail (Purple Power Solo Trail) this year. Each Walk Kansas team will be required to have a designated Captain that is responsible for registering their entire team and to continuously provide the motivation to team members throughout the eight-week long program.
The team challenge trails differ from one another by the total amount of physical activity team members are required to complete each week. For instance, the 8 Wonders trail requires participants to complete at least 2.5 hours of physical activity, the Cross Country trail requires at least 4 hours, and the Little Balkans to Nicodemus trail requires each member to complete a total of 6 hours of physical activity each week. The Purple Power Solo Trail does not hold specific demands on the number of hours individuals need to spend participating in physical activity every week, but rather encourages participants to complete as many hours as one can within the duration of the eight-week program.
Once participants have registered for Walk Kansas, each team member will engage in moderate to vigorous physical activity, whether that is walking, running, swimming, etc. This year, Walk Kansas 2021 encourages its participants to ‘move your way’ and find activities that spark interest. Additionally, the Walk Kansas program also contains a nutritional aspect by providing resources that inform participants on the importance of consuming nutrient dense foods and by making ‘every bite count’.
The registration cost of Walk Kansas 2021 is $10 per person. It is important to note that this year any State of Kansas employee enrolled in the HealthQuest benefit program will have their registration fee waived, plus earn credits for participating in Walk Kansas.
To register or for more information regarding Walk Kansas 2021, go to https://www.walkkansasonline.org/ or visit https://www.douglas.k-state.edu/health-nutrition/walk-kansas.html .
