By Janine Freij, member of Phillips Wellness 50+ team
Participants and supporters met Tuesday, July 26, for a potluck to celebrate the success of the Phillips Million Step Challenge. The 8-week program, sponsored by Phillips Wellness 50+, set a goal for the participants to walk one million steps collectively between our first meeting on June 7 and our final meeting on July 26.
By July 5th, we had surpassed our original goal by 1.5 million steps. The group of Philips residents, all 50 or older, kept on walking to our final night, where we learned that we had surpassed 6 million steps.
People have discovered not only the health benefits of walking, but also how much fun it is to walk with friends who support, encourage and celebrate each other”'s accomplishments and will challenge you to do even better. The food at the potluck was delicious, plentiful, and healthy, a testament to the awareness of building new healthy habits that the group embraced enthusiastically throughout the challenge.
Phillips Wellness 50+ is a group that encourages adults 50 and older to learn more and do more to create wellness in their lives. The group has offered 3 series of classes on nutrition at the Center for Changing Lives, and at the Ebenezer Tower Apartments at 2523 Portland. In 2015, the group organized a walking group at 2700 Park Apartments.
At the celebration for this summer”'s challenge, we decided to continue walking as a group for another 8 weeks, beginning on August 9. We meet at 6:30 in the lobby at 2523 Portland and walk for a half hour to an hour. The group walk is open to all. We have people who are strollers and people who are striders, people who walk with a cane, people who are walking to improve their health, people who are walking for fun and camaraderie.
We invite anyone who is interested to join us. Come a little early to sign up and get your pedometer and t-shirt. Dress comfortably, wear shoes that support you, and bring a water bottle for hydration. Together we”'ll continue to build wellness and community in Phillips.
Phillips Wellness 50+ is a grassroots community organization. We welcome the involvement, support, and donations (financial and in-kind) from individuals, businesses and organizations as we continue to promote Wellness for the Phillips Community, focusing on the 50+ population.
Hi Janine – First off, CONGRATULATIONS to the Wellness group!!! I work with residents living in hi-rises in St Paul. There is interest in doing a wellness challenge – I would love to learn more about how you and the others in the group tracked your steps and activity this summer.
Thank you