Ten teams from Ringgold County recorded a combined total of 3,696 hours of physical activity in the Live Healthy Iowa (LHI) 10-Week Wellness Challenge that concluded in April. Participation in LHI programs has steadily increased in recent years as Ringgold County Public Health (RCPH) continues their work through a Community Transformation Grant (CTG) to engage the entire county in activities to benefit personal health. These efforts focus on stemming the tide of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. Getting regular physical activity is known to reduce the risk of these and many other poor health outcomes.
The ten teams were from Diagonal and Mount Ayr Schools, Ringgold County Hospital, Ringgold County offices, local churches, as well as teams of friends and family looking to get healthy together. CTG Administrator Vicki Sickels hatched the idea last fall to form a group specific to Ringgold County for LHI programs. When asked about the increased participation in LHI programs, Sickels said, “It has proven to help spur friendly competition amongst the teams as members can check the website leaderboard every time they log physical activity minutes and/or weight loss.”
A Diagonal School team won the weight loss category with an average of 2.33% body weight loss per team member. A family and friends team called the “Walking Warriors” won the physical activity category with an average of over 100 hours per team member. Another team, “PLAY POSSE,” recorded the most overall physical activity minutes with 763 hours.
LHI offers several physical activity challenges each year. A team can be entered in the Ringgold County group by using the code LHIRINGGOLD when registering. The next LHI program called “Strut Your Pup” starts April 22. This challenge centers around getting more exercise while walking your dog. More info can be found at www.livehealthyiowa.org.
If you would like more information on walking, biking, active living or healthy eating, call Ringgold County Public Health at 641-464-0691.