Parks & Public Health team up to offer Step it Up! program for a third year
Register online by April 2: https://www.miottawa.org/parks/stepitup.htm

Step it Up! is free, 8-week program is designed by Ottawa County Parks & the Department of Public Health to help participants get active and visit new parks. All levels of fitness welcome!

Step it Up! participants will have access to a free online step and activity tracker where they can record their progress throughout the challenge. Each week, participants who track their activity are eligible for incentive prizes, including 2018 Ottawa County Parks passes and gift cards to local farmers markets and outdoors stores, Meijer, and the Outdoor Discovery Center.

In order to help participants stay active throughout the program there are weekly guided walks, with varying pace groups, offered for free in both Ottawa and Allegan County Parks. To encourage participants to try other types of exercise, Step it Up! has expanded to include new activities including kayaking, biking, trail running, navigation, and disc golf. These activities are free-of-charge to registered participants who are recording their activity.

“Step it Up! has helped participants get more active, achieve fitness goals, meet people, and discover parks for three years. We hope that the new activities we are offering this spring motivate more people to sign up and participate,” said Ottawa County Parks spokesperson, Jessica VanGinhoven. “Beginners are welcomed and encouraged- this is the time to try something new!”

Participants can also see their progress along a virtual trail. “The Ottawa County GIS Department creates a virtual map for each season of Step it Up! to show participants how many miles they can travel in just two months. This spring, participants will be able to see how far they have traveled along the Appalachian Trail when they record their activity,” said VanGinhoven.  “It’s fun to see how much your progress adds up over time.”

It can also motivate participants to travel to and explore new places. “The season after our virtual walk followed the North Country Trail, participants emailed to tell us that they had traveled to hike the actual NCT because the photos were so beautiful,” said VanGinhoven.

The challenge begins on April 9.
Commit to fit & register by April 2: https://www.miottawa.org/parks/stepitup.htm

Allegan & Ottawa County Group Walk Schedule

April 11: Grand Ravines (South), 6:00 pm 
April 19: Paw Paw (East) , 6:00 pm 
April 21: New Richmond Park, 10:00 am – Celebrate Earth Day with a walk in the park!
April 28: Pigeon Creek Park, 10:00 am 
May 5: Bysterveld Park, 10:00 am
May 8: Kirk Park, 6:00 pm 
May 14: Allegan Sports Complex, 6:00 pm 
May 16: Grand River Park, 6:00 pm 
May 22: Crockery Creek Natural Area, 6:00 pm 
June 2: Hemlock Crossing, 10:00 am – National Trails Day! Following the walk, we’ll have the wrap up party.