UF walking program expands to include online tracker

January 19, 2011

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida First Lady Chris Machen will host the Walking Gators spring kickoff Monday to introduce the program’s new online Milers Club.

The event will take place at the Plaza of the Americas at noon. The first 100 walkers will receive a free pedometer.

With the addition of the Milers Club, there is an opportunity for any Gator, anytime and anywhere to participate in the program. The club works in connection with an online tracker. Individuals can log their walking times by using the American Heart Association’s MyStart! Online Tracker. The club is open to all walkers whether or not they are able to participate in the routes at lunch time.

Walkers can set a goal for the semester, join a group on the tracker and log their progress throughout the semester. There will be three mileage groups aspiring to different goals by April 15. Every four weeks between Jan. 24 and April 15, Walking Gators who actively use the tracker will be eligible for a gift from the UF Bookstore valued up to $25.

Detailed instructions on how to sign up for the tracker and Milers Club will be posted on the Healthy Gators’ website.

The five on-campus routes and two off-campus routes offered in the past will continue in the spring. Most routes are led Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and start between 11:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. Routes are approximately 20 to 30 minutes. Leaders will be wearing an orange shirt with “Walking Gators” printed on the back. No registration is necessary to participate on the routes.

“It is so exciting to see the program expanding to include any Gator,” said Machen, chairwoman of the Healthy Gators Coalition. “With the new Milers Club, those who wanted to participate in the past now have the opportunity to start.”

The University of Florida Healthy Gators Coalition encourages all faculty, staff and students of all fitness levels to lace up their walking shoes and go outside for fun and fitness. Healthy Gators encourages everyone to participate in the program at least once a week and contribute to making UF healthier.

Visit Healthy Gators at http://healthygators.ufsa.ufl.edu or call 352-273-4450 for more information about the Walking Gators program.

Healthy Gators is a coalition of students, faculty and staff from more than 40 University of Florida departments and organizations working together to promote a campus environment supportive of the development and maintenance of a healthy body, mind and spirit for all members of the UF community.