Walking the Rez
Fitness program strides toward healthy communities
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MISSION VALLEY — “Be good to your heart and start,” is the motto of Tribal Health’s exercise program Walking the Rez, which is in its sixth year. The program, designed to get people out and about, lasts 13 weeks, starting every Valentine’s Day and ending on Mother’s Day. The idea is that after this time span, residents of the Mission Valley will have walked 200 miles, the estimated length around the Flathead Indian Reservation.
And though participants have already taken to the streets and their local gyms, Tribal health educator Margene Asay said people are still welcome to join.
“It’s open to everybody and anybody,” Asay said.
In fact, Asay expects more participation this year since it’s now easier for walkers to keep track of their miles.
The way Walking the Rez used to work was that pedometers were given out to participants to keep track of all the steps they took in a day. Walkers then phoned in the results to their nearest fitness centers in Arlee, St. Ignatius, Ronan and Elmo. But people would often forget or lose their pedometers, Asay explained. Now walkers can phone in how long they walk instead of how many steps. The goal used to be to walk 200 miles; now participants are striding toward an estimated 2,000 minutes around the reservation.
Asay explained though the program encourages and sees a large number of schools and families participating, a huge chunk of participants are already steady gym-goers.
And because they are, Walking the Rez times are also recorded every time people work out at the four Tribal fitness centers.
“Our crowd pretty much is people who come into the gym,” Asay said, adding that local gyms often receive a large amount of foot traffic through their doors as the holidays fall back and spring steps right around the corner.
Fitness specialist Amelia Adams said February was a busy month for the small Ronan facility. In one month alone, 520 people used the fitness center’s weight room and exercise equipment. This number includes multiple visits, but Adams said they also had 24 new gym members, which is high compared to the typical five or six each month. Adams estimated that bigger facilities such as the one in St. Ignatius, which features a gymnasium and saunas, boasts even higher numbers.
“(Walking the Rez) is really popular,” Adams said of the Ronan gym members’ participation, which she said could be one reason for the high numbers in February. “If you are just starting out, walking is a good way to get your body adjusted to physical activity and setting up a routine,” she added.
“We recommend 30 minutes a day, five times a week … we will even take 15 minutes,” Asay said. “It’s very achievable … there’s times I put five miles on in the morning and I’m like, ‘holy smokes.’”
Studies have shown that the minimum daily requirement to prevent weight gain is 30 minutes a day of walking or 12 miles a week of walking or running.
According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, physical activity is an important part of weight management.
Though most weight loss occurs because of decreased calorie intake, sustained physical activity such as walking is most helpful in preventing weight gain. Physical activity also reduces cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Along with a new step toward health, participants at the end of the program receive a T-shirt and possibly a new workout schedule and routine.
Asay noted the annual Buttercup Run in Arlee March 31 might spark an interest with Walking the Rez participants.
“Our goal is to get people off the couch,” Asay said. “(Even) if they walk for two weeks or (the whole) 13 weeks, we hope (walking) becomes a habit.”
