Shape Up Vicksburg Celebrates First Anniversary with Walk at Outlet Mall

all people involved in becoming healthier.  Mississippi is the “heaviest state” in the nation and Linda is determined to have a large enough impact to get Mississippi off the top of that list.  She began talking with like-minded people and formed a committee to develop the program, it’s goals and objectives and it’s direction. “Walking is free,” says Linnie.  “It’s the easiest exercise, the most inclusive exercise.  Almost everyone can do it.  All you need is a good pair of shoes and some comfortable clothes. “The plan that the committee developed was to recruit people to participate in walks that we scheduled.  We select only safe places to walk; places that people will feel comfortable returning to.  We’ve walked at the Riverfront Park, the Vicksburg Mall, the Vicksburg National Military Park and the Outlets at Vicksburg.  We’ve walked 33 miles this year and many of those walks were designed to serve a dual purpose.  We want people to get healthier, but we scheduled the walks in places that will, hopefully, encourage the participants to support local businesses.  We try to promote our local businesses every chance we get. “Our most successful event was “The Battle of Vicksburg,” which took place last May.  Over 250 people showed up for the walk that started at Sherman Avenue elementary and wound through sections of the (Military) Park.” “There is no cost to join Shape Up Vicksburg.  We accept ALL people.  Registration is free and every person who signs up gets a free t-shirt.” Linnie’s face really lit up right then.  You could tell she was about to impart some really amazing story.  She did.  As it turns out, all those t-shirts that are given away were purchased with funds provided by Southern Beverage Company. “We’ve had so much response from the community in support of this program.  We’ve had some really great corporate partners, like Southern Beverage who provided the money for our shirts.  They didn’t even ask us to put their logo on the shirts.  How often do you see that?” “You don’t,” I replied, and the truth is you really don’t.  This is a real rarity! Linnie continued her story about all of the support they’ve gotten from corporate entities and private individuals in the Vicksburg area.  They’ve had really great prizes to give away and lots of donations to help run more events and promote healthy living in our community. She told me how much the City of Vicksburg – the Vicksburg Police Department in particular – have cooperated in furthering their mission.  Chief Walter Armstrong has perfect attendance at Shape Up Vicksburg events.  “One thing that I can say is that we have had very generous support for our local officials. I asked Linnie about the number of people who have registered for the program and she estimated the number to be somewhere in the neighborhood of five to six hundred and all of them have attended at least one of the walks. She told me about some of the correlating events that have been offered.   Blood pressure checks and cholesterol screenings have been offered at some of the walks and they are working on a way to offer a diabetes screening at a future event. Events are not always walks.  Shape Up Vicksburg has offered many different classes around town, most recently conducting low-impact exercise classes at the Vicksburg Mall. Shape Up Vicksburg has done lots in the past year, and it looks like this year is shaping up (pardon the pun) to be even bigger and better. Vicksburg Daily News is proud to support this organization, and we’ll be bringing you news about their events as it becomes available to us.  We hope to be able to help them grow their membership to include as many people from our reader base as possible. All that said… Plan on showing up for a brisk morning walk this Saturday at the Outlets at Vicksburg.  Registration begins at 8 am and the walking starts 30 minutes later.  There are multiple courses for people with different ability levels. There is a half mile course for beginners and one, two and three mile courses for the more advanced walkers.  Take this opportunity to get healthier while hanging out with a great group of people. When you’re finished with the course (or courses), stick around the Outlets and visit the Home and Garden Expo, which takes place from 10 – 6 and features lots of vendors.  V-105 will be broadcasting live from the event and will have great giveaways from the Outlets at Vicksburg and McDonald’s.  You can also register for a romantic getaway from Dr. Pepper.]]]]> ]]>