Officials in two Colorado cities take 16.5 million steps toward fitness
Officials in Arvada and Westminster, Colo., took more than 16.5 million steps toward wellness in a competition to raise awareness about the need to stay active and healthy. Between April 16 and July 31, the cities’ council members, city managers and deputy city managers wore pedometers to track their every step, and Arvada won by 392,542 steps.
The inspiration for the competition came from the mission of the Metro Denver Health and Wellness Commission (MDHWC), a group of 60 representatives from various Denver area organizations, to promote increased activity by area residents. “We want all of our citizens to know that it really isn’t that difficult to get more active,” Arvada Mayor Ken Fellman said in a statement. Westminster Mayor Nancy McNally said wearing the pedometer taught her that her level of fatigue didn’t always match the amount of activity she had had during the day. “Some days when I found myself the most fatigued, I had not put in very many steps for the day,” she said.
Based on the assumption that 2,000 steps equals one mile, the Arvada and Westminster officials walked nearly 8,300 miles during the competition, the same distance between Denver and Sydney, Australia. Fellman said the competition could serve as a reminder that little activities, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator and taking a short walk after dinner, can “add up to a healthier and more vibrant community.”