Sign up for the 100 Miles in 100 Days Walking Challenge! Pocahontas Memorial Hospital, West Virginia Extension Service and Pocahontas County Parks and Rec are very excited to again be working together to offer the “Walk 100 Miles in 100 Days” challenge to the county this spring. This popular program from the West Virginia University Healthcare and Health Sciences Center is in its 20th year, and 2014 will be the second year the program has been organized in Pocahontas County. More than 6,000 people with businesses, communities, and hospitals from across the state participated in the program last year. The program encourages participants to walk at least a mile a day for better health. A sedentary lifestyle is a major risk factor for developing heart disease and other medical conditions. West Virginia ranks high in the rates of heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Walking has been proven to relieve stress, anxiety and depression. It can also reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis and several forms of cancer. There is no reason to not get out and walk this spring! Twenty minutes of other physical activity can also be counted toward your miles. Registration is open now with the challenge beginning March 17 and running through June 24. Please register by calling the Extension Office by March 17 at 304-799-4852. Participants can sign up individually or as a team. A celebration kickoff walk on the Greenbrier Trail beginning at the Community Wellness Center will be held on Monday, March 17, at 4:30 p.m. Everyone completing the challenge will receive a free commemorative T-shirt and will be entered for a chance to win a six-month fitness membership to the Marlinton or Green Bank Wellness Center. Join us in our walk for a healthier Pocahontas County. “Walk 100 Miles in 100 Days” is a registered trademark of the Wellness Program at WVU Healthcare and Health Sciences Center.
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