St James' Primary School children in fitness program
ST JAMES' Primary School children are putting in the hard yards to combat obesity.
The Sebastopol school is one of 10 in the region to have taken on the "Ballarat to Beijing Challenge" as part of Ballarat and District Nursing and Healthcare's "Footsteps to Fitness" program.
To complete the challenge, pupils must walk the distance between Ballarat and the Olympic city before the games opening ceremony on August 8.
So far they have clocked up about 4500 kms, but school principal Brian Lynch said the it was part of a multi-pronged strategy to get pupils on the move.
He said the school was also using the Bluearth program to encourage greater awareness among students of their bodies and movement.
As a result, pupils - including those with weight issues - had taken to the Beijing challenge with enthusiasm.
"They didn't see it as intimidating," Mr Lynch said.
"The bigger kids had already set their goal. They wanted to get fitter and when this came along they thought great - another opportunity to get even fitter."
A 500m course has been plotted out around the school's playground, around which pupils do laps during most recesses and lunchtimes.
Footsteps to Fitness challenge project manager Naomi Caulfield said the program was designed to be accessible to as many people as possible.
"We've chosen walking because everyone can do it of all ages and abilities. In our program we have people with disabilities of all types."
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