• By Rebecca Thompson
• Posted Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Go Out & Play with Step Up Forsyth!

Step Up Forsyth is a physical activity program provided by the Forsyth County Department of Public Health and the BeHealthy Coalition. This September marks their 10th year of motivating community members to be more physically active!

Step Up Forsyth is a FREE eight-week (on your own) physical activity program, held each year from September – November. The goal of the program is to encourage participants to be physically active for 30 minutes per day, five or more days each week. Participants are encouraged to track their physical activity minutes online, and prizes are awarded at random for those meeting the exercise goal. Each week, participants receive an electronic newsletter highlighting community events, seasonal recipes, exercise tips, weekly prizes and more.

Each year, Step Up Forsyth takes on a new theme. In 2012, Step Up Forsyth went local by promoting farmers markets and local foods. This year, they “Go Out and; Play” by promoting local parks, greenways and regional attractions. In addition, new for 2013 Step Up Forsyth will offer FREE group exercise classes and cooking classes for participants.

Interested in joining Step Up Forsyth? Participants can join as an individual or form a team. Registration and program details can be found online at www.forsyth.cc/publichealth/stepupforsyth/. On the Public Health homepage, click on the Step Up Forsyth logo. All ages are welcome to join, however children must have parental consent to participate.

Step Up Forsyth will begin on September 15th, with a kick-off at the Cycling Sunday & Family Fun Day event in downtown Winston-Salem. The event will be from 3:30-6:00pm along the streets and greenway surrounding the Gateway Family Practice (390 W. Salem Avenue). Streets will be closed for car-free cycling; and educational and physical activity stations will line a portion of the Salem Creek Greenway.

In 2012, Step Up Forsyth had 1,035 participants who logged a total of 1,210,469 minutes of physical activity. Upon completion of the 2012 program, prizes were awarded at random to participants who completed the program, and team trophies were awarded to largest teams in select categories.

Join Step Up Forsyth as they “Go Out and Play!” in 2013. For more information, please visit the Forsyth County website (www.forsyth.cc/publichealth/stepupforsyth/), or call Rebecca Thompson at (336) 703-3219.