Get Healthy De Soto

…having a long-lasting positive impact on the health and safety of the De Soto community by encouraging healthy lifestyle choices, through programs promoting physical activity, healthy nutrition, weight control and disease and injury prevention.

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Walk Your Way to Thanksgiving

October 24, 2019 by Melissa Leave a Comment

We are just over a month away from Thanksgiving, and that can be a challenging time for people trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. There are so many dessert options, and like all good mammals roaming my yard, I’m looking to store fat for my long winter of hibernation…even though I don’t hibernate…and there’s rarely food scarcity in this country that would require hording.

It is perhaps a bit psychological, but my waistline doesn’t care about the psychology of it. 45 minutes of moderate exercise can counteract some of those urges to overindulge, and a month ahead of Thanksgiving seems a great time to add that to your schedule. (Added bonus: increased physical activity will also reduce your stress as we head into the holidays.)

Leslie Sansone, who has energy in spades, encourages people to walk. A few years ago, she developed a 4-week walking program. It is something to consider if you don’t regularly incorporate physical activity into your daily routine. It can also be a little boost for those who are already moving regularly and just want to change gears or add something extra at the end of the day.

You can download the walking plan here. She included links to purchase her workout music, which I consider totally unnecessary. Just remember to pay close attention while walking outside because that music or anything being piped through earbuds can be a distraction.

The plan is fairly gentle, and you might use it to feed into a Thanksgiving Day race. I’m a fan of the one that the YMCA in Festus does (nice being close to home) and the Turkey Trots (four of them this year) in St. Louis; Run, Gobble, Nap. They are all walkable races that are 5 kilometers or just over 3 miles.

The plan looks very similar to my weekly running routine with one major deviation. I believe in a rest day every week! That would be my caution too. If you get overly sore or fatigued, take a rest day and then get back to it. If you aren’t physically up to walking two miles at a brisk pace, do it slowly and work on increasing your pace incrementally over time. This should be specific though, and you’ll need to measure it.

There are apps you can use, but a watch works well too. If you start at the kiosk near the new swings at Walther Park and walk on the trail south to the loop by the dumpsters and then back up the road through the park, there are 1/4 mile markers. Time yourself to see how long it takes to walk a mile. Then, try to shave 15-20 seconds off the next time you walk. It might not seem like much, but incremental change is more about slow and steady. Just make sure you don’t stop to chit chat too much.


⬇⬇⬇An example of Leslie Sansone’s energy⬇⬇⬇

Filed Under: Get Healthy DeSoto Tagged With: move more, Thanksgiving, walk, walking plan

Walking School Bus

April 22, 2015 by Melissa Leave a Comment

Kids will be walking to the Vineland campus this summer on Tuesdays! If you’d like more information, please contact the school or Debby Campbell.

Meeting at library
Safe Routes Logo

The Walking School Bus is a national program organized by the National Center for Safe Routes to School.

Safe Routes Logo

Filed Under: Get Healthy DeSoto Tagged With: library, summer, walk, walking school bus

Woodland Nature Trail Receives Funding

February 8, 2015 by Melissa Leave a Comment

On Wednesday, January 28th, the City of De Soto received news that grant funding from East-West Gateway had been approved the bridge and surfacing for the Woodland Nature Trail. This rustic walk-trail (currently in use) connects the De Soto Senior High School Campus to the Vineland Elementary Campus. It offers the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of nature and provides the benefit of the walking experience. Funding begins in 2015 and the project is to be completed in 2016. Get Healthy DeSoto applauds the vision of the city to enhance this walk trail and to David Dews, City Administrator, for writing and obtaining the grant.

The Woodland Nature Trail has been developed through partnerships with the City of De Soto, De Soto Public Schools and Get Healthy De Soto. Additional partnerships include the De Soto Rotary Club, who donated mulch and a sign, multiple dedicated volunteers, and many in the business community who donated machinery, equipment and supplies. Additional information about the upcoming project is outlined below:

  • Project consists of development of 0.7 mile multi-use trail
  • Project has been discussed for years and is recommended in the City’s Walkable Bikeable Community Plan
  • Project to include 8 ft. wide asphalt surface, entire length of project
  • A 10 ft. wide at-grade bridge crossing over the Tanyard Branch to be constructed
  • Every effort will be made to accommodate all persons by following the guidelines set forth by the Americans with Disability Act
  • Total Cost of the project is estimated to be $406,405.00

If you haven’t enjoyed walking this trail, we will offer guided walks during the DeSoto Home Show on March 28th. Please stop by the GHD booth for more information.

Filed Under: Get Healthy DeSoto Tagged With: exercise, health, trail, walk, Woodland Nature Trail

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