5 questions for professionals tasked with organizing walking programs

Photo by Carol Daly

You’re in a team meeting. You’ve just been given the task of starting your agency’s fall walking program. Autumn is an exceptional time for outdoor group exercise. The only problem is that it’s already October.

Ideas in this brainstorm session start off manageably, with one foot in front of the other. Sample thoughts include: “Let’s give out pedometers,” or “Let’s bring awareness to breast cancer.”

Soon, visions become grandiose, higher and longer than any smartphone app can measure in distance. Examples I’ve heard include: “Let’s do blood pressure readings before each walk and reward people who have the biggest change,” or “Let’s offer insurance discounts to all participants.”

For 13 years, I assisted or created walking programs for all sorts of settings, from a major university to a hospital to a bustling senior center.

Walking is often considered the less serious sibling to running. In meetings, you will pick up on this judgment immediately. Yet walking has so many textures, from a vigorous race walk to an easy stroll. Each pace is a mini celebration.

Stand up for walking

Sports medicine doctor Robert Sallis says in a 2021 Consumer Reports blog that “walking is the most studied form of exercise, and multiple studies have proven that it’s the best thing we can do to improve our overall health, and increase our longevity and functional years.”

In 2018, a scientific report to the United States Department of Health and Human Services raved about walking. Benefits include: “reduced risk of excessive weight gain in adults, children, and pregnant women; improved cognitive function and a reduced risk of dementia; and reduced risk of cancer of the bladder, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, lung, and stomach.”

In short, walking is a low-injury activity that can fit into many wellness plans. It’s flexible.

However, you need at least four months to plan a strong program with a clear mission, something you can replicate year after year with a few updates. 

Likely though, you will be rushed to come up with something wonderful in a short time. And you can handle it.

5 questions for your next team meeting

I offer 5 questions when designing a walking program. For clarity, bring these (and a winning attitude) to your next team meeting:

1. Who will participate? Academically minded people call this your “intervention group.” I like to think of potential participants as protagonists who will be different at the end of the program than when they started. Just like heroes in a novel or movie, your participants will be more confident, healthy, and well as a result of completing the walking program. If you target employees in a company versus older adults in a senior center, your approach may be different for generally healthy people versus a population that worries about falls. Also, employees may appreciate regular email and social media notices. Older adults may not have the same access to technology and may prefer encouragement through paper flyers and announcements.

2. What is the duration of the intervention? Six to eight weeks is standard, long enough to be impactful and short enough to work during various holidays. In my experience, longer or ongoing programs tend to have high drop-out rates. People get bored. If your program were a story, you want to write an exciting arc for your heroes. Offer periodic challenges they can master. Build them into your timeline. At the end, you want participants to feel good, better than when they started. I like to schedule a final brunch where participants can talk to each other and share their stories.

3. What is the mission? Your group may want to generate fundraising dollars toward a cause, build awareness of a specific health issue, or simply to build camaraderie in a beautiful outdoor setting. Whatever your mission, stick to it when hiring guest speakers or buying supplies like hats or notebooks. Before agreeing to action items in team meetings, ask if you are taking a side journey. Come back to the main path.

4. What safety issues do you foresee? In the COVID-19 era, your participants may need to show proof of vaccination. Maybe they wear masks, whether they are indoors or outdoors. Also, the number of participants may be more limited if you chose to do the program indoors versus outdoors. If you walk in the park, do you need a permit? Certainly, you will carry a first aid kit for minor cuts and scrapes. If you need to call 911 for someone, what is your company’s emergency action play for off-site ventures? Don’t assume. Get agreed-upon procedures in writing. Choose well-lit locations where participants do not need to worry so much about injury.

5. What is the budget? I present this question last because it will bring your team back to the ground with shoestring realities. T-shirts don't manifest without a little green. Neither do bagels and cream cheese. Also, let’s talk about marketing. Yes, Facebook ads are free. But they reach a larger and more targeted audience if you pay to reach that larger, targeted audience. Yes, community websites may not charge. But your event will attract more eyes if you pay for a higher billing on the website’s listing. Printing can be expensive, especially if you choose to advertise in color. Finally, pause if you’re directed to use a slogan that sounds trademarked. It probably is and could get you into costly legal trouble. As a team, create a title that is unique to your organization and makes sense to all of your participants.

I am a health and wellness director in Manhattan. I consider myself a cruise director on land and screen, executing health-based adventures. By the way, that’s me in the photo!

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