70,000
BY ANNA WILSON
BLUE RIDGE HEALTHCARE
STEPS
MORGANTON - Phifer Wellness Center is talkin’ ’bout you
and me walkin’ at least 70,000
steps in seven days as part of
the second annual Medical
Fitness Week, April 24-30.
“We wanted to support our
membership in the Medical
Fitness Association while
at the same time offering a
health benefit to the community,” said Debbie Knight, director of Phifer. “Also, the event
will benefit the Burke County
School Nurse Program.”
As part of Blue Ridge
HealthCare, Phifer is one of
the few hospital-based fitness
facilities in Western North
Carolina. Although open to
the public as a fitness center,
Phifer is also a medical facility where Blue Ridge HealthCare patients can participate
in specialized rehabilitation
programs, such as water aerobics geared toward those with
fibromyalgia or arthritis.
Phifer has joined the National Walking Challenge called
“Steppin’ Out: 70,000 Steps in
7 Days.” The goal of the MFA
initiative is to promote an increase in physical activity levels in all ages and to highlight
the medical fitness difference.
“The challenge will involve
wearing a pedometer and
tracking how many steps a day
that you are achieving,” Knight
said. “We’re inviting everyone
to join us for a fun way to get a
bit more exercise.”
Anyone can participate, and
I’m walkin’
yes indeed
I’m talkin’
‘bout you and me
Fats Domino
“I’m Walking”
the challenge will begin April
24 and end April 30. A kickoff event will be held April 20
from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Phifer
Wellness Center. Walkers will
receive a pedometer and the
Phifer exercise staff will help
calibrate your pedometer to
your stride.
Participants should stop by
the wellness center to register
and pay a minimum donation of
$10. Proceeds will be donated to
the Burke County School Nurse
Program - partially funded by
Blue Ridge HealthCare – for
programs promoting healthy
lifestyle habits in children.
The challenge is to wear a
pedometer from the time you
get up, until the time you go
to bed, and write down your
steps each day. Add up your
weekly total and report that
total by noon on May 1.
Achieve 70,000 steps, and
you will have achieved the
national Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention recommendations for physical
activity.
Benefits
of Walking
7
“Participants who aren’t
members of Phifer will also
be rewarded with a one-month
membership to the wellness
center,” Knight said.
Some effort will be required
to average 10,000 steps (the
equivalent of walking roughly five miles) a day for seven
days. “Roughly, about 2,000
steps equals one mile and
3,000 steps a day is about average for someone who doesn’t
exercise,” Knight said. “So
10,000 steps a day is a lot.”
A good goal is to increase
your daily steps each week by
500 per day until you are normally achieving 10,000 steps a
day.
“You’re going to have to
make a conscious effort in getting more steps,” she added.
“Park a little farther away at
work; use the steps instead of
elevator; walk to lunch instead
of taking the car; and get in a
little more walking exercise.”
Knight hopes the challenge
will show people the benefits
of walking. “Walking is safe
o More energy
o Less stress
o Better weight management
Days
o Decreased chance of heart
disease, diabetes, high blood
pressure, colon and breast
cancer and osteoporosis
Step Out for
Good Health
Millions of Americans suffer from illnesses
that can be prevented or minimized through
regular physical activity:
o 13.5 million people have coronary
heart disease
o 1.5 million people suffer from a
heart attack in a given year
Phifer Wellness Center staff member Johnie Morrison, left, is coordinating the Steppin’ Out event
along with other exercise staffers: Sam Mackey, Kristine Kelly, Shea Flowers and Toni Reece.
o 50 million people have high blood
pressure
The pedometer (above) - a pager-sized device - is worn on your belt and records the number of steps you
take based on your body’s movement. Johnie Morrison, upper photo, shows a Phifer member how to
calibrate her pedometer.
and effective whether you’re already active or just getting started,” she said. “It’s
springtime and that’s the time to be outside. With obesity being such an issue
across the country, we hope this will encourage everyone to take just a few more
steps toward better health.”
For more information, call Phifer Wellness Center at 580-6600.
The Medical Fitness Association (MFA),
a nonprofit organization founded in 1991,
is dedicated to medically based fitness and
wellness facilities. MFA is a professional
membership association whose mission is
to ascertain and respond to the needs of
centers that are owned, sponsored or operated by hospitals and physician groups
throughout the world. MFA is an affiliate
of the American Hospital Association.
o Recent studies indicate that you
don’t need to climb a mountain or
run a marathon to be physically
fit. You simply need to be active
everyday. The recommend level
of activity is 30-60 minutes of
moderate activity at least 5 days
a week – this can be in divided
periods of 10-15 minutes each.
Source: Discovery Health at
www.blueridgehealth.org
A person who walks 10,000 steps a day will burn between 2,000 and 3,500 extra calories per week.