The mission of LEEding Toward Wellness is to educate, empower, and connect all Lee County residents to opportunities that provide them with healthy resources that improve their overall well-being. Sanford Steps Out is a social media campaign created by LEEding Toward Wellness in partnership with Downtown Sanford. This initiative seeks to leverage the present growth surrounding Downtown to create a positive culture of health among the residents, visitors, and business owners.
A social media campaign is used to reach a large number of people and used in hopes of changing behavior over a long period of time. The overall objective of this campaign is to spark the engagement of physical activity when arriving in Downtown. Phase 1 of the campaign will be focusing on the further free unlimited parking lots with positive messaging around parking further for extra steps for your health! The parking lots closest to Horner Boulevard and Cole Street have been identified as ones that are not used as much, yet are great park and walk locations. We say let’s park there and get extra steps!
Modest increases in steps per day are tied to better health. According to the American Heart Association, adding an additional 500 steps a day is associated with a 7% drop in cardiovascular-related deaths. Walking is associated with improved sleep, prevention of weight gain, and reduced risks for serious conditions like heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
How can you engage with Sanford Steps Out?
When arriving in Downtown Sanford, choose to park in the further parking lots so that you can 1) get extra steps in your day and 2) be able to enjoy and experience all that Downtown Sanford has to offer for as long as you want.
Over the next year, LEEding Toward Wellness will partner with Downtown Sanford on promoting Sanford Steps Out and ways that YOU can be active in your community.
N.C. Cooperative Extension’s goal is to provide the residents of the community with research-based knowledge. For more information on nutrition, health, food preservation, and food safety in Lee County please contact the Family and Consumer Sciences Agent, Ashley Szilvay. For more information on how to involve your youth in 4-H please contact the 4-H Agent, Pamela Kerley. Both can be reached at 919.775.5624.
