What is an Idita-Walk?

Idita Walk in North Carolina

An Idita Walk is a fun  way to improve your health and keep physically fit.  It involves creating a walking program and using the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race® as the theme or inspiration for the exercise program.  An Idita Walk is a project that children and adults can participate in to not just be healthier but hopefully help create healthy living habits.

Research shows that walking is a great way to stay physically fit.   Experts say that taking 10,000 steps a day or 30 minutes of physical activity most days, helps reduce a risk of disease and leads to living healthier lives.  While some schools across the nation are decreasing recess time and physical education classes, others are recognizing that children must have time in their day to exercise and play.  Most experts are recommending 60 minutes a day– movement or play time for children.  What better way to tackle healthy living goals than through an Idita-Walk program.

Create or join and Idita Walk and get walking!

The Idita – Walk program can be designed to meet group or individual goals.  One can also create a flexible program to include other physical fitness activities such as swimming, jogging, or any activity that keeps people moving!

Ideas:

Display a large Iditarod Trail Map as a visual.  Supply each participant with a cut out of a sled, husky, or musher.  As participants meet their goal, they move from checkpoint to checkpoint along the Iditarod Trail.

Set walking (or physical movement) goals that are appropriate for the participants. Examples:

• 30 minutes a day= one checkpoint  (minutes of physical movement equate to checkpoints)
• use pedometers to ‘count’ steps and equate steps to miles using an appropriate scale
• laps around the gym = checkpoint

Celebrate success as the mushers arrive in Nome!

Download a PDF Document with Idita- Walk (and Idita Races) Information.

Download and print out a map to use for recording progress.

Looking for another idea?  Download 2006 Teacher on the Trail™ Terrie Hanke’s Checkpoint  Fitness Activity:  (click here)

Review a lesson plan by Sybil Jemmett, UT, click here!

Lesson Summary: Students run, jog or walk for a predetermined amount of time and intensity around the gym.  When time is up students choose a checkpoint to go to.  A student rolls the die to determine what exercise the group will do. All students perform the exercise.

Visit a website telling about the Nome’s Idita Walk.

We’d enjoy hearing about your Idita- Walk.  Send us a brief update about how your run your project.  Send pictures if you want, too.  We’ll share your ideas to help others create an Idita-Walk program in their school or community.  Click here to send an email.