If you are looking for a reason to get on your feet and get your body moving, the North Dakota State University Extension Service can help.

The next Walk North Dakota challenge runs from April 12 to June 6.

Walk North Dakota is an NDSU Extension Service program that encourages people to work up to walking at least 10,000 steps a day. That’s the equivalent of five miles a day, five days a week, or 200 miles during the eight-week program. In comparison, people take an average of 2,000 to 4,000 steps a day.

“Some participants are not able to walk that much each day, and that is just fine,” says Walk North Dakota coordinator Linda Hauge. “We encourage you to walk as many steps as you feel comfortable walking and keep trying to walk a little more each week.”

You can sign up as an individual or part of a group. Anyone who wants to form a group should send an e-mail to info@walknd.com. You don’t need to live in North Dakota to participate.

The registration fee is $10 for adults and $5 for youth age 18 and younger. 4-H club members and leaders can participate free of charge.

To register, go to the Walk North Dakota Web site at http://www.walknd.com or you can request a paper registration form by calling (701) 231-7964. You can pay online by credit or debit card or you can make a check payable to NDSU Extension Service and send it to WALK ND, NDSU Dept. 7280, Box 6050, Fargo, ND 58108-6050.

Then put on a pedometer the first thing in the morning and record the number of steps you’ve taken by the end of each day. If you don’t own a pedometer, count one mile or 2,000 steps for every 20 minutes you walk. Report those steps by the designated dates every two weeks. You can report your steps at http://www.walknd.com or on a mail-in card.

Since Walk North Dakota began in May 2004, more than 3,600 people have logged 1.36 billion steps, or about 678,000 miles.

NDSU Agriculture Communication