Lewes focuses on health and fitness with a twist
Third year drops miles for hours
For the third consecutive summer, the City of Lewes is inviting people of all ages in the area to join in the Lewes Steps Out For Fitness program. The kickoff ceremony, registration and Family Night - complete with face painting and a magic show - will be at 6 p.m., Thursday, June 26, at the George H.P. Smith Park in Lewes.
This year's theme is Make Every Minute Count, and with that new theme is a change in the goal of the event. Instead of having participants add up the steps they walk or run, participants will add up the minutes they spend in healthy activities that get their hearts pumping and improve their overall physical fitness.
"Summer is a time when people can get outside and enjoy our city and the beautiful environs around us," said Lewes Mayor Jim Ford. "So this year we want to support people in all the activities they enjoy, such as sailing, kayaking, swimming, skating and bicycling, as well as walking and running, knowing that it's the minutes that count, not the miles."
The objective of this year's Lewes Steps Out Committee is to get 400 participants to exercise 30 minutes each day for five days a week, between June 26 and Sept. 18, equaling 720,000 minutes of healthy exercise. All participants will receive stopwatches when they sign up, so they can count the minutes they exercise.
Participants will gather every other Thursday evening at 6 p.m. to take part in fitness-related programs and to share in the fun. Nurses from Beebe Medical Center will be on hand to check blood pressures every evening. This year the gatherings will be at the George H.P. Smith Park, which surrounds Block House Pond.
The park is centrally located, so Lewes residents are encouraged to walk and ride their bicycles to the events. For those who drive, parking is free and available in the park's parking lot, in the Sussex Consortium's parking lot that is adjacent to the park and in the Beebe Medical Center parking lot nearest to the park.
"We want to encourage people of all ages to come out for the activities," said Lewes Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Betsy Reamer. "Those who are unable to come the first night to register can register at any one of the Thursday events."
Lewes Steps Out For Fitness is sponsored by the City of Lewes, Lewes Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau, Quest Fitness, Beebe Medical Center and Cape Gazette. For details, call Reamer at 645-8073.
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Lewes Steps Out For Fitness 2008 Events
June 26: Kickoff and sign-up event and family night with magic by Charlie Joseph and face painting by Kim Klabe
July 10: Tai chi demonstration and group activity with Mark Blaskey of Beebe Medical Center
July 24: Bicycle Safety Night with demonstrations, information and an organized ride; presentations by Lewes Police Department
Aug. 7: Yoga demonstration by Quest Fitness
Aug. 21: Pilates demonstration by Quest Fitness
Sept. 4: Healthy cooking demonstration and healthy recipes by Béseme restaurant
Sept. 18: Closing ceremony and awards presentations to take place at Lewes Public Beach
Lewes Steps Out committee members
Matt Carter
Peggy Diehl
Wally Evans
Jim Ford
Dennis Forney
Jeffrey M. Fried
Betsy Reamer
Mark Thompson
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