In less than two weeks, the ninth annual Walk Kansas program will kick off another year.
This year?s start date is Sunday, March 7, and will include a Marion County Walk Kansas event from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Marion USD 408 Sports and Aquatic Center, 104 N. Thorp.
The deadline for teams to register and still receive Walk Kansas T-shirts is Wednesday, said Nancy Pihl at K-State Research and Extension in Marion, adding otherwise teams can register anytime before March 7.
On that day, begin recording minutes of physical activity on the daily log. The sheet also includes space to record cups of fruits and vegetables eaten each day, and a place to check if half of the grain foods eaten are whole grains.
The weekly log runs from Sunday through Saturday.
?Team members report progress to their team captain weekly,? Pihl said.
Captains will then report the team total of activity minutes and fruits/vegetables by Monday of each week. The last weekend report will be May 3, but the program ends Saturday, May 1.
Each team consists of six people and can include co-workers, family members, friends and neighbors, tracking minutes of physical activity and food choices during the eight-week challenge, she said.
The physical activity goal for each team member is 21?2 hours or 150 minutes a week, which is equal to 10 Walk Kansas miles, organizers said.
Walking isn?t the only activity that counts either.
According to information about the event, 21?2 hours of physical activity, including muscle strengthening activities, two days a week, can also be logged toward Walk Kansas activities.
At the conclusion of the program, participants will be asked to complete a wrap up survey to help prepare for Walk Kansas 2011, and success stories will be welcome.
The cost for each participant is $6 plus the cost for a T-shirt.
Packets for this year?s event are available at the K-State office, 202 S. Third (Suite A) in Marion or call 620-382-2325 or e-mail: npihl@oznet.ksu.edu.
