News

Kinesiology Professor David Westwood works at his standing desk (Lauren Salim photo)

Walktober has officially kicked off! The month-long campaign challenges Dal faculty and staff members to form teams and encourage each other to walk 10,000 steps a day, the amount required to gain maximum health benefits.

Co-led by Health and Human Performance Professor David Westwood and Dal Human Resources’ Janice MacInnis, Walktober’s goals are to raise awareness about the benefits of physical activity through team visibility, participants being conscious about their daily steps and exercise level, encouraging one another and starting discussions about the health benefits of active living.

Daily routines have become more and more sedentary, which recent research shows contributes to many negative health outcomes. Westwood originally became interested in the impacts of inactivity while teaching an introductory kinesiology class at Dal. While giving out assignments and activities to his students, he began a yearlong journey to ‘practice what he preached.’

This started with the purchase of a standing desk, standing during meetings or suggesting walking meetings either on the track in the Dalplex or outside. Initially, Westwood received some confused looks when he would stand during a meeting, but his colleagues have become used to it. Today, ten standing desks are in use at the School of Health and Human Performance and Westwood actively encourages his co-workers to convert their desks due to the increased productivity.

“Standing or walking – as opposed to sitting – while working has the benefit of increased performance,” says Westwood. “Maintaining posture while standing activates the same part of the brain that is used to alert and arouse the rest of the brain.”

Additionally, Westwood has found that many participants find walking meetings more memorable – key points are more easily recalled since they are given a locational context.

Encouraging the Dal community to get moving

The Walktober campaign has roots in the Nova Scotia Heart and Stroke Foundation’s ‘walkable communities’ grant.

“Janice and I saw this grant and the concept of ‘Walktober’ as an opportunity to have a positive impact on Dalhousie university employees,” explains Westwood.

The goal of Walktober is to have members of your team increase their activity level, ideally reaching 10,000 steps a day for as many days as possible throughout October. There are also conversion tools for participants involved in other activities, such as swimming. Activities can be tracked through pedometers and posted to the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s website. There are also weekly prize draws based on participation.           

The Walktober campaign is one of many initiatives that Dal is undertaking to encourage a healthy lifestyle amongst staff and faculty.

“There are plenty of institutional benefits to having more active employees,” says MacInnis, who works with Dal’s Organizational Health team. “These include improved health and increased productivity.” 

Studying the effect of physical activity           

Walktober isn’t the only Dal initiative promoting an active lifestyle. As part of his research on the benefits of activity on concentration levels, Westwood is collaborating on a Run for Life Foundation initiative called Sparks Fly, which promotes exercise in the classroom. This program is being rolled out in schools within the Halifax Regional School Board.

“Exercise is a way for kids to naturally manage energy levels,” says Westwood. “Schools are beginning to see the negative side effects of phasing out physical activity during the day. These kids are deemed hyperactive and put on calming drugs when they are most likely just underactive.”           

Sparks Fly fundraises to put kid-sized spin bikes into classrooms. “Teachers are trained to see an off-task or distracted child, and invite them to spend a few minutes on the bike as a way to collect thoughts and get ready to learn again,” Westwood explains. “This is an alternative to punishing children for not focusing, and teaches them that exercise is an important part of everyday life.”

Keeping active throughout the work day

Looking for ways to sneak exercise into your workday? Leisure Studies professor Laurene Rehman suggests starting with little changes: taking the stairs instead of the elevator, setting up a walking meeting or suggesting an office wellness session to generate discussions on the importance of physical activity.           

Interested in getting involved in Walktober? Visit the Walk About NS website to create a profile, join an existing Dal team, or start your own. The website also provides a forum to track your steps and communicate with team members to set up walks.