Competitions are great to motivate people to get walking! The 3-month Walk In Shape competition aims to help friends, family, colleagues, and community members encourage each other by challenging one another in a fun and friendly way. The free, downloadable kit enables participants to compete to do all or one of the following: 

1. Walk the farthest distance
2. Walk the most steps
3. Walk at a moderate pace for the longest amount of time
4. Lose the most weight 

It's easy and it's designed for any fitness level.

Where to Begin

To start a Walk In Shape program in your community, download the following resources from the Walk BC website:

• Walk In Shape Walking Log for participants
  • January to March
  • April to June
  • July to September
  • October to December
• Walk In Shape Overview for participants - for programs with prize incentives
• Walk In Shape Overview for participants - for programs without prize incentives
• Walk In Shape Guide to Goal Setting for participants
• Walk In Shape Registration Sheet
• Walk In Shape Tips for Coordinators

Note: your Walk In Shape program can be based on tracked distance, time, the number of steps taken, and/or weight loss. If your program incorporates logging steps taken, you will need to purchase pedometers for participants. If you are interested in purchasing pedometers, here are some suggestions: 

• Well.ca
• Canoe.ca
• Running Free
• Optimal Health Products
• London Drugs
• Sport Check  

Start Planning

Now that you're ready to start your Walk In Shape program, we encourage you to take time for Program Planning. You may want to consider partnering with organizations in your community that will help you  

• market and promote your program (i.e. community newspaper, local health professional offices, local colleges, etc.)
• facilitate or run your program (i.e. an indoor track, fitness facility, etc.) 

We recommend that you develop a plan that outlines:

• Dates that your Walk In Shape program will start and end on (January to March, April to June, July to September, or October to December). Make sure you leave enough time to actively promote the program.
• How you will promote your Walk In Shape program. For marketing tools such as customizable posters and more, please visit Physical Activity Strategy's Marketing Action Plan to Get People Moving.
• Where you will promote your Walk In Shape program. For example, will you promote it in local hospitals and health facilities, schools, office buildings, recreation centres, fitness centres or at your municipal hall?
• How you will distribute Walk In Shape Walking Logs.
• How you will collect Walk In Shape Walking Logs.
• How you will motivate participation and reward winners. Prizes are great way to encourage full participation. You may want to consider asking local businesses to sponsor prizes in return for cross-promotion.
• How you will measure success of your Walk In Shape program. You may want to measure success by the number of participants, the number of sponsors, etc.

Find Sponsors

You may want to find sponsors to help cover costs such as: 

• Pedometer costs (if your program will require a pedometer)
• Printing costs - costs associated with printing posters and Walk In Shape Walking Logs for participants
• Advertising costs - costs associated with running media ads or maybe even building a website
• Administration costs - to cover your time and any other costs associated with running your community Walk In Shape Program.

Start Promoting

Start promoting your program! There are a number of resources available to help you with marketing and promotion. Check out the Active Communities Marketing Toolkit or visit Physical Activity Strategy's Marketing Action Plan to Get People Moving.

Run your Program!

Get your community to Walk In Shape!