Get moving, get healthier and be green with Step to It

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For release: May 1, 2014

Contact:  Dianne Blaydes, Principal Planning Analyst, 612-348-7550
              Anne Nelson, Community Health Specialist, 612-596-7514

 

News release

Get moving, get healthier and be green with Step to It

The Step to It Challenge is a fun, lighted-hearted way to get out, get moving and reconnect with family and neighbors after a long winter. During the Step to It Challenge, May 4-31, participants will track and compare their steps and other physical activity. This year, participants are encouraged to “Take Green Strides,” measures that save energy and natural resources, and get you moving too!

“There is a natural connection between physical activity and protecting the environment,” said Angie Timmons, environmental educator with Hennepin County. “From picking up litter in the park to biking to work, these small actions can have big results to protect the environment and your health.”

To highlight the green theme, Hennepin County passed out supplies that schools and communities can use to host cleanup events on campus or in their neighborhoods. Watch for listings of these events on on the events page of the Step to It website, and in local media.

  • The 24 participating communities also engage in friendly competition to see which city is most active. 
  • The city with the most total steps during the month will receive the Most Active Community Award. Last year’s winner was Brooklyn Park.
  • Communities also can vie for the Most Active Resident award, for the highest average number of total steps per participant.  Last year’s winner was Crystal.

Participating communities include Bloomington, Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Champlin, Crystal, Eden Prairie, Excelsior, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Maple Grove, Maple Plain, Minnetonka, Minnetonka Beach, New Hope, Orono, Osseo, Plymouth, Richfield, Robbinsdale, Rogers, St. Louis Park, Shorewood, and Southside/Sabathani Community and United Tribes of Little Earth, in Minneapolis.

The Minnesota Twins are the Step to It program’s corporate sponsor again this year. The Twins have offered incentives for individuals and organizations to get involved: The top stepper in each city will win a pair of Twins tickets and be recognized during a game at Target Field this year. Additional Twins tickets will be given away through random drawings for adults and youth who log steps all four weeks of the challenge. There are additional incentives for the schools that register the most participants by May 4.

People who live or work in the 24 participating communities can register for Step to It and get additional information at www.steptoit.org.

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Look for more news on the Hennepin County website at www.hennepin.us/news.