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Registration open for spring walking program

1:17 p.m., Feb. 15, 2005--Employees and retirees are encouraged to sign-up for the Employee Wellness Center's most popular program, the annual spring walking program, which begins April 3. This year's program, "Ship to Shore," involves walking for eight weeks and taking an imaginary trip through the state of Delaware, beginning at the Port of Wilmington and ending at Fenwick Island.

Participants choose a walking level, and set a goal of walking 5, 10 or 15 miles each week. Logs are provided to each walker to track their progress. Each week that they meet their goal, they are advanced to the next stop on the imaginary trip downstate. Walkers also receive motivational e-mails weekly, and a handy UD shoe wallet just for participating.

The shoe wallet attaches to your shoelaces, and is perfect for carrying an ID, key or money. It's great for beach walking, or just for traveling light.

"We understand that employees are at different levels when it comes to fitness,” Linda Smith, program coordinator for the Employee Wellness Center, said. “That’s why we have designed our walking program to be user-friendly for everyone from couch potatoes to fitness fanatics."

"Walking is an excellent form of physical activity," Marianne Carter, program director, said. "It can be done anywhere, and does not require special equipment. The UD campus during spring is beautiful, and provides many safe walking routes."

Carter said that the Wellness staff's goal is to exceed last year's enrollment of 755 employees. "We have close to 4,000 employees on campus, and there aren't many who wouldn't benefit from enrolling in this program."

The cost of the program is 15 Wellness Dollars. Full-time employees receive 50 Wellness Dollars to use before June 30 for wellness programming.

New this year is the opportunity to sign up in teams of five. The team captain receives a discounted price of 10 Wellness Dollars. Lots of incentives have been built into the program, and there will be weekly drawings for some great prizes for individual participants or teams. The grand prize for a randomly selected team is lunch for five and each team member will receive a $50 gift certificate to Save on Sneaks. One lucky individual will win a weekend stay at UD's Virden Center in Lewes, donated by UD Conference Services.

The program runs from April 3-May 28. The registration deadline is Thursday, March 17.

Employees who sign-up before Thursday, Feb. 24, will be entered into a drawing for one-night's stay at the new Courtyard Newark-University of Delaware.

Employees and retirees who want to participate should download a registration form at [www.udel.edu/wellness], fill it out and send it in to Employee Wellness, 125 Carpenter Sports Building, or fax it to (302) 831-3303.

For more information, call (302) 831-8388.

Photo by Kathy F. Atkinson

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