Total of 12,470,804 steps (9,502 km) equivalent to the distance from Drogheda to Brazil!
Staff and members of Drogheda’s Boomerang Youth Café have taken part in a six-week long “Steps to Health” challenge and achieved a whopping total of 12,470,804 steps.
Starting the challenge back in January, Boomerang set an initial target of one million steps. However, that was beaten in the first week, with a total of 1,815,191 steps recorded. The local youth service then set their sights on a new goal of 12,000,000 steps.
The daily number of steps by each staff member was compiled and the overall total was announced each week. 41 members of staff took part in the “Steps to Health” challenge, with 17 members completing the full 6-week challenge.
The “Steps to Health” challenge was originally launched by the HSE to encourage staff to walk more during working hours and leisure time. According to the official HSE webpage, Steps to Health is a 5-week long challenge, with the aim of walking 10,000 steps per day. 10,000 steps, or 8 km / 5 miles is the recommended daily number of steps for health benefits.
Sally-Anne, a public Senior Community HP&I Dietitian, from the Wellbeing Division of the Health Promotion & Improvement Department met with the staff of Boomerang. The Wellbeing Division aim to promote the “Steps to Health” challenge to the public and encourage a more active lifestyle.
Week 1 saw a total of 1,815,191 steps (1,383 km), which is the distance between Drogheda and Berlin.
Week 2 saw an overall increase of 573,512 steps, with a total of 2,388,703 steps (1,721 km). This is the distance between Drogheda and OzorkoÌw, Poland.
Week 3 saw a total of 2,392,530 steps (1,823 km), approximately the same distance as previously mentioned.
Week 4 saw a total of 2,178,702 steps (1,660 km), which is the distance between Drogheda to Pistoia, Italy.
Week 5 saw a total of 1,767,500 steps (1,346 km), which is the distance between Drogheda and Murchante, Spain.
The final week saw a total of 1,534,393 steps (1,169 km), which is the distance between Drogheda and Torrelavega, Spain.
The combined total was an incredible 12,470,804 steps (9,502 km), which is the total distance between Drogheda and São Miguel Arcanjo, Brazil.
The three members of staff with the highest total of steps were Mary, with a whopping total of 1,204,804 steps (918 km), Anthony, with a total of 888,546 steps (677 km), and Alice, with a total of 577,780 steps (440 km).
