WOW Makes You Want to Walk

The is in its second and final week of its Walk-One-Week, or WOW event, with dozens of participants ditching their rides to school and hitting the pavement to get there instead.

The benefits of the event, which started March 30 and ends Wednesday, are twofold: Students are improving the environment by reducing harmful vehicle emissions, and they’re getting more exercise than they would in a car.

City officials believe the economic benefits of the city’s WOW event are boundless and so are the participant’s individual gains—exercise and fresh air.

“What a fantastic idea that promotes a fun and healthy alternative to getting to school. Ditch your cars and join the walk,” said Cupertino City Councilwoman Kris Wang.

The event gets kids moving, Shailee Samar, a ninth-grader at and event coordinator and teen commissioner. Another bonus is that they can win prizes such as iPods or Jamba Juice gift cards along the way.

Child obesity rates are soaring, and inactivity is jumping, too. The problem is always the same—consuming too many calories and burning too few. According to the American Heart Association, nearly 70 percent of Americans do not get the recommended amount of physical activity each week. An estimated 17 percent of children ages 2-19 in the United States are obese, according to results from the 2007-08 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the reported.

With statistics this large, it’s no wonder this event holds such value.

According to WOW event organizers, the benefits breakdown is clear. Cupertino has 30 schools and 28,000 kids. If 25 percent of the students, that’s 7,000 kids, walk an entire week, that amounts to about $185,000 in just one week in gas and parent's time. Additionally, organizers say that assuming kids take about 15 minutes to walk a half-mile, they will burn 50 calories each way. Thus, children of Cupertino will get 17,500 hours of exercise and burn 3.5 million calories, all in one week.

Developing healthy habits for your family doesn't have to take place only around Earth Day. Take a look at the items listed below and incorporate them into your family routine. 

• Plan outdoor activities with your family and get moving. Go on a hike, bike ride or walk to the park.
• Be a good role model: Modeling good behaviors shows children that you value a healthy life.
• Limit TV, video games and computers: Sedentary habits are hard to break.
• Encourage fun activity: Find physical activities that your child truly enjoys doing.
• Limit fast food and unhealthy snacks.
• Find new rewards: Reduce the urge to reward good behavior with candy or snacks.
• Eat as a family: Eating together will limit snacking and poor food choices and encourages
• Make meal preparations a family affair: Talk about what foods are good for you and those that are not.