Stepping ahead

The cool fall weather calls out, inviting everyone to get on their feet and walk out of their doors. It is neither too hot nor too cold for outdoor sports and activities, and fresh air is a wonderful way to stave off the common cold. This is a clear indication of why fall is the perfect time of year to participate in Walktober.

Open to all members of the Portland State community, Walktober is an opportunity to get motivated and incorporate walking into one’s daily routine. Since Oct. 10, participants have been keeping track of their walking minutes online and engaging in friendly competition, either in teams or as individuals.

This 31-day challenge, continuing until Nov. 11 here at PSU, aims to encourage participants to incorporate walking into their daily routines and stick to that exercise routine even after the program is over.

Throughout Walktober, there have been events such as guided walks through Portland, which included giveaways and prizes. In trying to earn at least five leaf stickers every week, participants keep track of either their steps or their walking minutes, earning a red leaf for every 30–44 minutes or 6,000–7,999 steps, an orange leaf for every 45–59 minutes or 8,000–9,999 steps and a gold leaf for every time they walk for at least an hour or for at least 10,000 steps. By setting goals, the participants are motivated to go outside and exercise.

Referred to as National Walking Month by Exercise TV, a television network offering videos on demand, Walktober continues to gain popularity in its 21st year. Exercise TV even uses Walktober as a way to promote its exercise videos, piggybacking on the popularity of the month-long walking event.

A non-profit organization known as The Last Green Valley also uses Walktober to promote itself. Dedicated to preserving the resources of their east-coast location, the people involved in The Last Green Valley seem to be interested in Walktober because of its involvement in the outdoors.

The Last Green Valley offers more than 100 free guided walks as part of Walktober. The organization also holds an event called Winter Wanderings. Now in its third year, this revolves mostly around other sports activities such as skiing. Walktober may have been an inspiration for Winter Wanderings and other season-specific exercise events around the country.

Other universities have been participating in walktober this year. American University, Minnesota State and Northwestern Oklahoma State are a few examples. Each participating university promotes campus fitness through the publicity they give Walktober.

Each participating university used different starting and ending dates for Walktober. While most people and universities tend to use the month of October from beginning to end, starting the event on Oct. 1, Portland State had it begin on Oct. 10. For the Portland State community, the event will keep going into November.

From the popularity of Walktober throughout the country, it is a wonder that it is relatively unheard of among the students and staff at Portland State. This may simply be because the events for Walktober at Portland State are limited to the first 250 participants. It could be due to a lack of on-campus publicity. There is a distinct lack of posters and flyers about the event—and, more importantly, of people who have heard of it.

Walktober is on its way to becoming another month-long sensation, much like National Novel-Writing Month and Black History Month, but it has a long way to go before truly becoming a popular nationwide event.

To achieve this, however, it should be more widely publicized on campus the next time around. More students should be involved in Walktober. If there is better advertising, perhaps fewer students will stare blankly and ask for a clarification about what Walktober is when they hear about it. With any luck, they’ll instead answer with their opinion on it and if they are participating.

There is no reason why participation in an event that will help people improve one’s health by doing something as simple as walking should not be encouraged more. If more students were to participate, they would realize that their busy work and school schedule would allow for exercise after all, as they can simply keep track of the amount of time they spend walking and be encouraged to set goals for themselves and do more walking.

It might be the tail end of Walktober, but that’s no reason not to bust out the old pedometer and take it for a spin. Just put one foot in front of the other and start making strides for your health.