Doha: Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF) is celebrating the first anniversary of its hugely successful ‘step into health’ programme by launching a range of complimentary initiatives that will see three new services added to the nationwide fitness drive.
The new phase of the initiative further illustrates Aspire Zone’s mission to raise awareness of the importance of sports in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.
Over the past year, over 19,000 people across Qatar have adopted a more active lifestyle by participating in the step into health campaign, collectively taking more than 4.5 billion steps, amounting to an incredible three million kilometers.
The new initiatives includes the launch of a smartphone application, which acts as a pedometer and counts the number of steps a participant is making.
Designated ‘step into health’ parks have also been introduced, featuring tracks with the number of steps marked out, as a useful guide for walkers who do not have pedometers.
A campus initiative has also been added with a specifically designed plan for students and staff.
“One of Aspire Zone Foundation’s priorities is to promote a healthy lifestyle for all members of society, and the new initiatives will certainly entice more people to join the step into health programme,” said Mohamad Gaith Al Kuwari, Director of the Healthy lifestyles Program at Aspetar, member of Aspire Zone Foundation.
He added: “The statistics collected prove the popularity of the initiative and the positive reaction amongst local people up to now, with the participation of 11,000 Qataris, including 7,000 women. As for age categories, the 30 to 45 year age bracket was the most involved.”
Abdullah Saeed Al Mohannadi, a health promotion researcher at Aspetar, said: “The new initiatives this season will focus on one goal, namely to encourage people to walk 10,000 steps or more daily. We have launched the step into health application for smartphones, in Arabic, to count steps and provide weekly health advice, in addition to calculating calories burned. The registration of members through www.stepintohealth.qa makes it easy to join the programme and then download the application in any smartphone store.”
As for step into health’s new parks initiative, Al Mohannadi said: “We provided coloured tracks with the number of steps marked out at Aspire Park, and the visitors can use these track to train. We did the same in the Barzan Olympic Park, in cooperation with the Qatar Olympic Committee, where colored tracks are also available with distances marked out, in addition to the step into health signs.”
Salam Nasser Al Sulaiti explained how her walking stamina has improved over the last ten months through a combination of regular exercise and a healthy diet.
“My fitness levels have increased drastically since joining the ‘step into health’ programme in December 2012,” she revealed.
She added: “When I started I could walk for 15 minutes a day, but after a few weeks this increased to 45 minutes, and then to one hour. I now walk for at least two hours a day.”
Another participant, Nabila Mohammed Abdulah Maarafi, also praised the programme for the impact it has had on her wellbeing. “Since joining in April 2013, I have noticed a big improvement in my health, especially in lowering my blood pressure levels,” she said.
She added: “My results inspired my friends to begin walking, and we have started a mini-competition between us to see who can walk the furthest.”
To help motivate members, free pedometers are given and are advised to upload their results on the website. THE PENINSULA
