Start 2019 off on the right foot with APHA's Billion Steps Challenge

Millions of Americans are setting new fitness goals this week. At APHA, we’ve set a goal this year of taking 1 billion steps or more by the end of National Public Health Week — and we want you to join us!

The Billion Steps Challenge begins Jan. 1, 2019, with a goal of reaching more than 1 billion collective steps by APHA’s National Public Health Week celebration, April 1-7.

It’s easy to create a team and get your whole community involved. APHA will track each team’s total steps, and you can track your individual and team progress through the end of the challenge in April. No matter how big or small, APHA’s Billion Steps Challenge makes it easy and fun to promote good health and physical activity in your community.

Regular physical activity like walking is a great way to prevent chronic disease. Walking can greatly reduce the risk of conditions such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer. It’s also been shown to have mental health benefits.

To help you successfully get moving, we’ve partnered with MoveSpring to give Challenge participants free access to their fitness-tracking platform. You can start a team at any point during the Challenge.

Sign up for the Billion Steps Challenge on the MoveSpring website or by downloading the MoveSpring app (available at Google Play or in the App Store). If asked, enter “APHA2019” as the organization code for APHA’s Billion Steps Challenge.

Check out or guides on how to get started, and how to be a team captain. We also have an FAQ about the challenge available on nphw.org.

There are countless ways to start logging steps. Take family walks, schedule walking meetings at the office or walk your children to school. The more people who join, the quicker we’ll reach our goal and encourage healthy habits.

We can’t wait to see how far the Challenge will take us this year! Be sure to spread the word about your team’s progress on social media using #APHABillionSteps.