October 5th kicked off an annual walking challenge at Kingston High School. HealthCorps Program Coordinator, Gabriella Mendez, is leading the team as the school competes with other campuses across the United States. Last year was HealthCorps’s first time hosting Walktober and there were 35 teams, 688 participants, and just under 150,000 steps taken! It was a huge success with the hopes to impact even more lives this year.
Since 2003, HealthCorps Coordinators like Gabriella have worked in schools, supplementing existing health and wellness programs with an emphasis on physical activity, nutrition, mental resilience and civic engagement. The unique curriculum has its foundation in the science of health and wellness. And Engaging and inclusive programming initiatives like step challenges and health fairs bring the education from classroom to real life implementation.
“I know how powerful our community is and how supportive we are for one another so I believe we will get to see first hand how we can come together for this Walktober challenge and show the country how great Marshall County is. Walktober is a healthy competition that creates a sense of community among walkers. Physical activity hold so many benefits, not just physically but the mental benefits like increased cognitive ability, reduces the risk of depression, and improves mood” - Gabriella Mendez.
This year’s theme is: Walking Through it Together. Participants across the nation will track steps and/or physical activities each day throughout the challenge and report them on one central tracking platform. Participation is free, easy, and all activity levels are welcome. The winning team is eligible for a physical activity mini-grant! If your school is interested in participating, please reach out to Natalie Tunzi (natalie. tunzi@healthcorps.org) for instructions on registration and a captain guide full of physical activity tips, tricks, and motivation included! Registration is open and the competition starts on October 5.