AUS organises 10,000 steps-a-day walk

Around 500 staff of American University of Sharjah (AUS) has organised a 10,000 steps a day walk programme spanned over 12 weeks.

Commencing on February 20 and concluding on May 14, the programme will see participants walking the distance from the UAE all the way via Australia, the Americas and through Europe, all within the AUS campus.

“If one person walks 10,000 steps a day for 12 weeks (504 kms) that is the equivalent of walking from Abu Dhabi all the way to Oman,” said Mitchell. “We have divided the world into eight sections. Heading east, we will be travelling through UAE, Asia, Australia, Australasia, North America, South America, Greenland and Europe,” he explained.

Organized by the AUS Wellness Program, Lee Mitchell, Director of Wellness stated that Walk the Globe 2011 is the first program of its kind in the region and aims to give participants a means to a healthier lifestyle by establishing an achievable goal.

Each participant in the programme will receive a pedometer and record book in which they will record the number of steps taken per day. Wellness staff will record the total number of steps every four weeks, and the results will be displayed on electronic boards around campus.

500 units have already been distributed to faculty and staff who volunteered to participate in the programme. “300 pedometers were given out in the first two hours of registration,” said Mitchell. “We actually ran out and our local distributor had to order more.”

Attractive prizes will also be offered to those who have walked the most number of steps.

In parallel with other environmental and wellness-related initiatives undertaken recently, such as the declaration of AUS as a smoke-free campus, this program also aims to bolster the university’s long-term goal of becoming a model institution.

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