On Wednesday, February 7, Alberta Blue Cross® challenges Albertans to get bundled up, get walking and join us for Alberta Winter Walk Day 2018.
What is Winter Walk Day?
Winter Walk Day celebrates our Alberta winter while promoting the year-round health benefits of walking. On this special day, all Albertans are encouraged to walk at least 15 minutes outside. Last year, more than 100,000 Albertans took part.
Why participate?
Winter Walk Day is not only a great way to stay active during the winter months, it is a chance to come together with different groups and organizations from communities across the province to take part in the shared pursuit of keeping healthy and having fun.
But don’t take our word for it. Here is what one of our employees had to say about his first-time Winter Walk Day experience.
When I felt the first blast of cold air hit my face, I started to seriously consider the fact that I might have made a big mistake. It was first Wednesday of February and I had committed myself to going for a walk outside with my coworkers as part of this Winter Walk Day event.
As anyone who has ever been through a winter in Edmonton can tell you, February can be nasty and this day was no exception. I probably would have skipped out on the walk all together if it wasn’t for my coworkers. They had seen posters up around the company and were excited to sign up.
Another friend of mine just really wanted to get out and take part. I didn’t know at the time but Winter Walk Day was a province-wide event. In 2017, more than 100,000 Albertans registered to take part and they were joined by more than 400 Alberta Blue Cross® employees. That was pretty cool and it was neat to see a few TV crews out covering the walk.
We headed south from our office, through the Legislature grounds before finishing on the steps of the Legislature where we took a group photo. My face felt completely frozen but it was very neat to get out with my friends and other coworkers and go for a walk. When I got back, and had thawed out a bit, I was convinced that there was nothing more Albertan than what we had just accomplished. Before heading out, I definitely had my doubts, now, I’ll definitely be back again next year!
If you are interested in taking part in Winter Walk Day, more information can be found on SHAPE Alberta’s website. Have you participated in Winter Walk Day? If so, share your story with us.
