World Fit Walk 2013 is just around the corner. At this time you should have registered your school (use the link below if still need to register your school) and work with us to get your students registered. If you have any questions regarding the registration process, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Below you will find the walk dates for each state:

• Arizona 4/8-5/17
• California 4/22-5/31
• Colorado 4/8-5/17
• Florida 4/22-5/31
• Illinois 4/8-5/17
• Louisiana 4/8-5/17
• Massachusetts 4/22-5/31
• Kentucky 4/8-5/17
• Native America 4/8-5/17
• Pennsylvania 4/22-5/31
• Texas 4/8-5/17
• Washington DC 4/22-5/31

There’s still time to register your school for the 2013 World Fit Walk.
Get fit and have fun walking with World Fit!

]]> http://www.worldfit.org/walk-info-2013/feed/ 0 http://www.worldfit.org/run-stretch-jump-play-world-fit-dallas-2012/ http://www.worldfit.org/run-stretch-jump-play-world-fit-dallas-2012/#comments Wed, 26 Sep 2012 07:57:45 +0000 Worldfit http://www.worldfit.org/?p=3762 Video of the World Fit, Olympic Day in Dallas, Texas on June 22, in the Cotton Bowl hosted by the Dallas Parks & Recreation and the Southwest U.S. Olympians. Music by Paris, Natalie & Ramona DuPre of McKinney, Texas.

More Than 100 Schools Register for 3rd Annual Event to Combat Childhood Obesity

Littleton, CO (April 26, 2012) – Nearly 30,000 middle school students across the country, including many from Goddard Middle School, are participating this spring in the third annual World Fit Walk, a six-week program inspired by local Olympic, Paralympic, and other high-level athletes to help promote health and fitness.

Approximately 81 middle and elementary schools from around the country are slated to participate in this year’s event, boosting the total number of participating students to nearly 30,000. With Olympians, Paralympians and world-class athletes as guides, World Fit pairs the athletes with schools to inspire their students about the importance of health, fitness and the Olympic Values of excellence, friendship and respect. By providing a community-based school exercise initiative, World Fit is able to achieve its mission, while promoting Olympic Values worldwide.

“The World Fit Walk inspires students to exercise with elite athletes serving as health ambassadors to the schools,” said three-time Olympic medalist Gary Hall, Sr., co- founder of the World Fit Foundation. “The program allows children to get the exercise they need and motivates them to keep going with the encouragement of these athletes.” “This program not only establishes relationships between the schools and their local athletes, it helps boost exercise among families and loved ones through the World Fit Buddy program” Hall says. “If we can encourage children to get their parents, siblings and friends to engage in more physical activity, we can win the fight against childhood obesity.”

The World Fit Walk kicked off in Dallas, Texas on March 26 with a walk led by Pat Sapp, Wheelchair Games athlete and Paralympic gold medalist in Hockey. Programs in Colorado, California, Kentucky, Nevada, Indiana, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida and Washington, D.C. to follow in April. Lexington, Kentucky will lead the country with 11 participating schools followed by Colorado and Texas with 8, Indiana with 7. The cities of Angeles, Philadelphia, Miami and the communities of the Santa Ynez Valley each have four participating schools.

Today, Olympian Andrea J. Wieland, Ph.D., the US National Field Hockey Team’s 1996 Summer Olympic Games Goal Keeper was the featured speaker at Goddard Middle School in Littleton. Wieland, an avid athlete and performance coach, stressed to the middle schoolers the importance of making fitness a lifetime habit, not just something that you do as a young person. “The World Fit programming values closely match those of an Olympian and I am honored to assist World Fit in celebrating what Goddard Middle School has accomplished and the goals the students and teachers have met. Its very uplifiting!” Wieland is the Chief Enthusiasm Officer of Every1Fit, an online fitness, mental preparation and nutritional planning program that assists athletes and organizations to “Prepare for Amazing.”

World Fit, an initiative of the U.S. Olympians Association and developed by U.S. Olympians, Paralympians, and high-level athletes, encourages middle and elementary school students to walk at least 60 miles in six weeks, a time period that typically starts after spring break. Participating students log the number of miles walked daily on the website, and at the end of the 6-week period, they are awarded medals and certificates for reaching milestones.

With obesity rates continuing to increase in the United States, the World Fit Foundation continues to do its part to eradicate both childhood obesity and the enormous toll obesity has taken on families, society and healthcare systems.

In each community, the program is supervised by a World Fit Leader. A volunteer or organization that identifies potential schools, will work as a liaison between the school and World Fit.

World Fit has gained support both nationally and globally from The U.S. Congress, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). In 2010, the U.S. Congress unanimously passed a resolution in support of the World Fit program, and last year, the IOC selected World Fit for the Sport for the All Patronage Award.

Download the full press release as a PDF document - World Fit Press Release – April 26, 2012

World Fit 2012 is under way with over 80 schools in 18 different states registered and ready to start walking and exercising in the six-week competition. We are expecting over 30,000 students to be participating in the Walk this spring, plus their teachers, staff, family members and friends. For forty straight days the World Fit students and Buddies will show their renewed commitment to walk, exercise and get themselves healthier as part of their every day life.

There are many motivational tools used in the World Fit Walk. Students can earn two certificates, one from World Fit for reaching 60 miles and a second from the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition for reaching 120 miles. Each school will receive 25 beautiful World Fit medals to present to the most deserving students. World Fit tries to provide each school with an Olympian, Paralympian or high level athlete to help inspire, motivate and lead its students to a healthier lifestyle. The Walk on school campus also creates an opportunity for students to socialize with other students and teachers, while enjoying being outdoors. When students do return to class they are attentive and ready to get back to work.

Of all the motivational factors in the World Fit Walk, perhaps the greatest is the school spirit. By creating a competition among schools in each community to determine which school has the fittest students by logging in the most miles, school spirit becomes very important in the outcome. The World Fit Walk is one competition where everyone, from grades 3 through 12, gets to participate regardless of age, gender or ability. Teachers, family and friends of students also get to join the competition by donating half of their daily walking or exercise miles to the school. In this manner, the entire community can get into the World Fit Walk competition.

No community has yet demonstrated the value of the World Fit Walk better than Lexington, Kentucky. The Fayette County Public School department has now expanded the World Fit Walk to eleven of its twelve middle schools and this year will have over 7,500 students participating. Most of the teachers and many of the family members there also join in. This year, to prepare for the World Fit Walk, each middle school in Lexington created its own short video. From these video clips, found on the link below, you will see just how important school spirit is in the World Fit Walk. Enjoy and have a healthy Walk this spring!

http://fcpstv.pegcentral.com/player.php?video=f0be7314214280a0d5d37559dd40e6a4

Yours in health,

Gary Hall, M.D.

World Fit has been a blessing not just for our Middle School but also for me. After many years of swimming I was so burned out that I didn’t want to do anything for many years. It’s been hard reprogramming my brain to exercise for health reasons instead of competition.

World Fit has reminded me that I need to take care of my health. Being a preacher’s wife I have focused so much on my spiritual walk and neglected my physical one. God wants all of us to focus on mind, body and spirit. I want to be good role model for kids in showing them the importance of taking care of everything God has given them. Thanks World Fit!

New York City is home to many things, one of them being yellow taxi cabs. But this morning, as my mom and I prepared to make the eight-mile trip downtown, the pouring rain meant we couldn’t find one for 20 minutes. They were all occupied. Finally, after getting an empty one, it took us an hour to make those eight miles. So in effect, we learned the first lesson of the day before stepping into P.S. 276, the Battery Park City School I was visiting on behalf of the World Fit program: cars aren’t always faster than your own two feet!

The goal of the World Fit program is to eradicate childhood obesity through sharing – and showing — the importance of staying fit for life by example and experience using the Olympic ideals.

My visit to P.S. 276 was not only to explain how the World Fit program works to the three 6th grade classes who are embarking on the journey, but also to encourage them. We all know it’s important to exercise and eat right, but sometimes we all need a little inspiration and motivation!

World Fit was started by Gary Hall Sr. and Gary Hall Jr., a father-son duo who each won medals in swimming in the Olympics. The program operates alongside the same ideals the Olympics are founded on: friendship, mentorship, respect, integrity and responsibility. Each hour of walking the sixth graders log in the next few weeks will be equal to one point. Other types of exercise, such as various sports and running, also count. The kids log in their exercise, a school supervisor signs off on it, and the point totals are added.

Now here’s where the friendship and mentorship come in. Each sixth grader will be paired with a first grade “buddy” in the school who they will mentor and walk with. Each participant will encourage the other. Each of the sixth graders can also have their friends, family and people in their communities join on their team too. Everyone on their team will earn points as they exercise, although their points are only worth half of the sixth graders. When I was explaining this part, hands shot up immediately.

“Does my friend have to live in this state to be on my team?” one asked, thinking of all the people he could encourage to join in his efforts. “Nope.” That’s right, their long-distance friends can join in on the fun. The more the merrier!

“Is there a limit to the number of people we can have on our team?” another asked as a follow up. “Nope!”

Everyone you know can be part of it. Walk with you. Play tennis with you. Handball. Soccer. You name it. You discuss it with your friends, you talk about it, they log it, it all counts.

The camaraderie athletics encourages is one of my favorite things about organized sports. You make friends, you form bonds, and you can all be together while being physically active in a friendly atmosphere.

Since it was raining we couldn’t walk outside. Instead we climbed the stairs and got a workout while simultaneously getting a tour of the school. This is the first year of classes at P.S. 276 and it is a beautiful, new school. Any time is a good time to improve your health, but learning the right way from the beginning is the best. And this is what we did today.

We assembled back in the auditorium after our stair-climbing kick-off and talked about what we liked most about school and sports. Everyone was in a good mood after the rush of endopmorphins!

One of the things the kids were most enthusiastic about was the friendly rivalry with a neighboring school who would be competing against them in their World Fit journey. One boy asked a question about the Olympics, and I explained that even though it is only held once every two years, it is a special event since each athlete represents a country. Therefore, the participants don’t just represent themselves, they represent their nation. And at the end of this Olympic friendly rivalry, countries will tally up medal totals at the end, seeing who won most. It is kind of like how each student at P.S. 276 will log their miles and their points will all be added up to represent their school against their “rival” school.

At the end of our visit, they seemed convinced they could earn more points and be the “fittest school in NYC.”

The important thing for World Fit is to introduce kids to being active if they are not already and hope they continue after their World Fit journey ends. Did you know almost 1/3 of kids today are considered to be obese or overweight? That is just too much and this number can be easily reduced with the right amount of exercise and nutrition. We discussed the importance of proper nutrition to fuel our bodies for exercise and stretches to help our body stay limber and recover. But in the end, we all agreed, we’ll exercise and eat right because it feels good and life is much sweeter when you’re feeling good.

The Impact of World Fit is Breathtaking

One Child at a Time

It’s amazing how our lives can sneak up on us. When we’re young, all we want is to be older. We wanted time to pass quickly. Getting older was going to be a great thing. And then – oh good – we get exactly what we want. Whammo! We wake up, and suddenly we are old. Very old. We’ve hit 30 old. Before you know it, 40 comes and goes, 45 and RATS – how did we get here?

Is this it?

Nope. Nada. We’re not getting older. We’re getting…okay, we are getting older. But that can also mean that we can step into a child’s life and become a role model. We can take all that wisdom and make an impact on the younger generation. World Fit has given us the purpose, the “legs,” and the inspiration to do just that!

I’m one of the lucky ones.

You see, I love crossing finishing lines. Who doesn’t? But I have had to redefine the size and shape of those lines.

How about this instead? I am driving my car pretty darn fast to make a school assembly at Bridgetown Middle School. I’m hopelessly lost and starting to really panic. Sounds like one of my marathons! Then all of the sudden, my car crests a hill and there is a huge sign in front of an old school building that says Welcome Olympian Julie Isphording.

Olympian Julie Isphording at Bridgetown Middle School

My heart soars.

Another finish line.

There were 700 kids in the gymnasium. Energized. Happy. Fun-loving. The World Fit message is so loud, clear, and easy to communicate.

After all, I believe that we were meant to dance through every day and every tomorrow; that living a healthy life should be fun; that choosing a healthy life comes to us with an exclamation mark at the end, not a question mark. There should be no doubt about it!

I get up, put on my “party pants,” lace up those big brave shoes, jump higher than I ever have before, and bless that road I’m on today.

It’s what we are all about.

Now we just have to share that message with all the children in the world. One child at a time.

Here’s something else I told those wonderful Bridgetown kids: Most of the beautiful things in life come by twos and threes, by dozens and hundreds – Plenty of roses, stars, chocolates, sunsets, rainbows, friends, lovers – but there is only one YOU in the whole world. Take good care of yourself!

We ended the assembly with the finish line pose – 1402 little arms straight in the air.

Lisa at the 2002 Olympics

Lisa Kosglow
Olympian, Snowboarding 1998 & 2002

I retired from competition in 2006 and since then have been processing my experience as a competitive snowboarder. Transitions aren’t usually easy in general and retirement is no exception. Like many athletes, we live and breathe our sport for most of our lives and when we decide to move on to other endeavors there is often a space left where our sport lived inside us.

Of course, the sport isn’t gone. I still snowboard, especially during our snowy Oregon winters but it’s different now. I don’t focus my attention so heavily on my strict eating habits and workouts, preparing for competitions and recovering from injuries. While I still eat well and exercise, I now look for ways to use my experience in my sport as a platform for something good.

Believe me, I don’t like to go around tooting my own horn but if a child will listen to something I have to say because I’m an Olympian than I can put my discomfort aside. I was reminded of this while I spoke to two middle schools in my home town of Hood River. I went to the cafeteria to meet some of the kids the day that I was to speak and was initially met with questioning looks. “Who’s this lady sitting at my table?” I started talking to the kids and when I told them I was speaking at the assembly their faces lit up.

Middle school can be a tough time for kids, it was for me. If I can reach a couple kids or help influence a few kids to make good choices than my efforts are worthwhile. Seeing these kids reaction to the “O – word” fires me up. You can bet I’ll be out there walking with those kids over the next few weeks.