Thirty-Nine Steps, 39 Million That Is

Over 600 community members enthusiastically participated in America on the Move week at the Rye YMCA Sept. 23-30. Using pedometers distributed by the Rye Y, participants from Rye and other Sound Shore communities logged over 39 million steps — far exceeding the Y's goal of 1 million steps.

Joan Peck, a Rye Y member and dedicated volunteer, helped sign up participants at the beginning of the week and personally contributed over 70,000 steps. “The community response was extremely positive,” Peck said. “The pedometers really inspired all of us to take more steps. It was especially rewarding to observe entire families motivated to increase their exercise level.”

The week's activities at the Rye Y included twice daily group walks open to the community and an after school boot camp for children. Over 50 children attended each after school session, which included kickboxing and races. “The children used charts to translate each activity into steps and were thrilled by the results — over 900,000 steps for the week,” said Diana Vita, Assistant Health and Fitness Director. “Increasing awareness and activity levels among children is a key goal of the Activate America effort.”

As hundreds of thousands of individuals and groups at YMCAs across the country proved recently, a sense of community and a common goal can motivate Americans to take small but significant steps toward a healthier lifestyle. Nationwide, more than 850,000 people participated in America on the Move week, collectively taking over 9.3 billion steps, or the equivalent of walking the circumference of the earth 187 times.