Over 500 Ringgold County residents came out and walked 1 kilometer October 9 in some gorgeous fall weather. Walkers and bicyclists are becoming a common sight on a normal pleasant day, but over 500 walking at the same time would be unusual. The event was the annual Healthiest State Walk. It is part of Governor Branstad’s Healthiest State Initiative with a goal to make Iowa the healthiest state by 2016.
Mount Ayr Community School students, staff, and other Ringgold County residents helped make the 2013 Healthiest State Walk bigger than ever before. Several of the participants walked four times around the sidewalk on the inside of the courthouse square to equal the 1 kilometer distance. Kirk Golliday from Hy-Vee met them at the end of the walk with a bottle of water.
More than 298,000 Iowans walked on October 9 to support the Healthiest State Initiative, topping last year’s walk count and bringing the three-year total of Healthiest State Walk participation to more than 886,000. The Healthiest State Initiative identifies five key areas that will have the most impact on the health of Iowans over the next two of years:
- Decreasing the number of Iowans who smoke.
- Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption.
- Increasing the number of Iowans who are learning or doing something interesting every day.
- Increasing the number of Iowans who visit the dentist yearly.
- Increasing the number of Iowans who feel their supervisor treats them like a partner at work.
Ringgold County Public Health encourages you to pick just one of these areas to work on over the next year. For tips on healthy living, visit iowahealthieststate.com. Even small changes can make a big difference.
