Walking Challenge under "10 000 Steps a Day" Campaign to be enrolled this Thursday
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With the slogan of "Walk Together for Health and Happiness", the DH said today (October 10) that the second phase Walking Challenge aims to raise awareness of the physical and mental health benefits of walking, encourage family members or friends to support each other and walk together, integrating walking 10 000 steps a day into their daily life. Enrolment will start on October 12 for the challenge period in November this year. The public can join the challenge with their family members or friends by forming a team of two to four members.
The DH is committed to combating NCD through, among other means, reducing the prevalence of insufficient physical activities in the local population, which is one of the nine local targets to be achieved by 2025 as set out in the Towards 2025: Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent and Control Non-communicable Diseases in Hong Kong launched by the Government in 2018.
A spokesman for the DH said, "Walking is a simple form of physical activity that most of us are doing every day, and it brings us plenty of health benefits such as improving cardiopulmonary function, strengthening muscles and bones as well as reducing anxiety, depression and the risk of common chronic diseases such as obesity, hypertension and diabetes.
"Adults are recommended to gradually increase their daily step goal to 10 000 based on an individual's own physical conditions, abilities, pace and circumstances. Any amount of walking is better than none, even if the goal cannot be reached yet," the spokesman added.
Details of the Walking Challenge are as follows:
- Target participants: Team with two to four members per group (all team members must be aged 5 or above, and enrolment should be done by a team member who is 18 years old or above)
- Enrolment period: October 12 to 31
- Challenge period: November 1 to 30
Enrolment through the event's official website will be commenced on October 12. Participants are required to use a step-counting mobile application, a wearable device or a pedometer to record their steps during the event period, keep photos or screen shots of step records and log in the event website to provide the step count record. Participating teams with each individual member achieving an average of 8 000 steps per day or above (i.e. 80 per cent of the daily step goal of 10 000) throughout the event period will be rewarded. Moreover, the top 100 teams with the highest total step counts and achieving the target step count throughout the event period will be given additional awards and certificates. The enrolment quota is limited and is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Please visit the event's official website for more details (www.10000stepsaday.hk/?lang=en ). Let's join hand and walk together for health and happiness!
Ends/Tuesday, October 10, 2023
Issued at HKT 16:00
Issued at HKT 16:00
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