USU 'Be Well' Program Co-Sponsoring Logan Walk

Cache Valley residents will have the opportunity to walk with national walking sensation Debra Flinn Saturday, May 17, as she nears the completion of her 150-mile Utah walk.

The Logan portion of her walk, which is held in conjunction with the Utah State University “Be Well” program and Logan City, will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Logan Recreation Center and follow a five-mile loop around the USU campus and Logan City before returning to the Recreation Center at 10:30.

 

In 2007, Flinn walked nearly 900 miles from Florida to Tennessee in an effort to change her lifestyle and jump-start her way to living a healthier and happier life. By the conclusion of her Utah walk in Cache Valley on May 17, Flinn will have completed more than 3,000 miles in regional and local walks since June 2007.

 

“We all need wellness role models, and with the ‘Be Well’ program we encourage our employees to be role models for others,” said Caroline Shugart, employee wellness coordinator for USU. “We are looking forward to joining Debra and setting an example of healthy, active lifestyles.”

 

The USU Be Well program is an employee wellness program designed to support and enhance the health and wellness of university employees. Among its many benefits, the wellness program includes an Aggie walking club and participants are invited to join Flinn in a portion of her Cache Valley walk.

 

Logan Mayor Randy Watts said Cache Valley’s gorgeous setting is truly unparalleled and walking is a great way for individuals and families to enjoy the city.

 

“We are excited for Debra to complete her statewide walk in beautiful Cache Valley, and we encourage our residents to get out and get walking,” Watts said.

 

USU First Lady Joyce Albrecht also supports the walk and said healthy diet and exercise are key to maintaining a balanced lifestyle.

 

“In our busy lives, we all want more balance,” said Albrecht. “Eating well and exercising helps me maintain that balance.”

 

During Flinn’s walk in 2007, which took 66 days to complete, she averaged 15 miles per day. She contacted the Subway restaurants in that area to sponsor her walk by providing sandwiches along her route. She ate Subway twice a day during the walk and went from a “tight” size 22 to a size 14. Flinn continues to participate in regional walks around the country to maintain her healthy lifestyle and encourage and inspire others along the way.

 

“I hit a point where I knew I needed to make changes and take control of my life before my life was taken from me,” said Flinn. “I literally needed to put one foot in front of the other and move forward.”

 

Flinn will walk nearly 150 miles in Utah in cities from St. George to Smithfield and share her inspirational story with groups and communities along her route. Following the community five-mile walk, Flinn’s route will continue to her final destination in Smithfield.

 

“Debra connects on so many levels with the people she meets and inspires on her walks,” said Robert Sherwood, board chair for the Subway restaurants of Utah. “She’s an ordinary woman who has done an extraordinary thing to reclaim a healthy, happy life and she genuinely wants others to find that same satisfaction in their own lives.”

 

For more information, visit www.debrawalksutah.blogspot.com for up-to-the-minute information about Flinn’s Utah walk.