They say the longest of journeys begins with a single step. In St. Lucie County, that journey is one for good health – getting people out of their seats and onto the streets walking, running and generally being active.
Health officials in the county raised the alarm after a health survey showed nearly a third of the adult residents live sedentary lives.
To raise awareness and encourage residents to get on their feet, the Florida Department of Health in St. Lucie County enrolled the county in the six-week County vs County: Across the Mediterranean challenge, which ends in a matter of days. Other participating counties include Orange in Florida, Chester in Pennsylvania, Ventura in California, and McHenry in Illinois.
“We’ve been in fourth place from the start,” said Jennifer Harris, director of community health promotion with the Health Department, noting that St. Lucie is averaging about 8,224 steps daily and the No. 1 county is averaging about a thousand more.
It started May 1 and runs through June 11, but and it’s not too late to count your steps and activity toward the friendly competition. Doing so will also enroll you in the Billion Steps Challenge, now in its second year.
“It makes it kind of fun,” Harris said.
While the County vs County challenge is winding down, the Billion Steps Challenge is still going strong. With more than 2,200 registered participants, St. Lucie County has already logged more than 600 million steps and the year isn’t quite half-way over.
Harris, who participated in the Billion Steps Challenge pilot in 2017, started off with a knee injury and walked with a group of others. She and a fellow walker routinely brought up the rear of the group and became friends through the process.
The group walked six parks in six weeks, meeting on Saturdays. And when the six-week challenge was over, both she and her new walking buddy were sad, she said.
But that sadness didn’t last long when they discovered they lived near each other.
“Now, it’s become an every-morning thing,” Harris said, adding that she started her journey averaging 1,200 steps daily. Her goal now is 10,000 a day.
That level of walking dedication isn’t necessary to participate in either of the two challenges, but it doesn’t hurt, either.
The county has partnered with Walker Tracker, an online app available on both computers and smartphones. It pairs with several brands of fitness trackers but also provides a way for participants to manually input their activity – gardening, house cleaning, swimming, etc. – through the website, converting the non-walking activity into steps for the challenge.
Going forward, Harris said the Health Department will be reaching out to more and more employers, encouraging them to support the Billion Steps Challenge by making it part of their wellness plan.
Already, there are 35 agencies with 140 registered teams competing among themselves. The school district is also considering lending its support, Harris said, and the various law enforcement and first responders, too.
Anyone interested in joining the Billion Steps Challenge (and County vs. County) can learn more and sign up at www.HealthyStLucie.WalkerTracker.com.