‘Walk’ across South Carolina in the 12-week WalkSC step challenge program 

WalkSC is a 12-week program beginning next week encouraging you to walk the equivalent of the length of South Carolina without actually making the trip.

Based on a step challenge, and developed by Clemson Extension, participants who sign up gain access to a private Facebook group and receive a two-to three-minute video each week about a diet or exercise topic and flier with nutrition, exercise and health tips

Each of the weeks corresponds to a section of the Palmetto Trail, which stretches from Walhalla to Awendaw on the Intracoastal Waterway. The step challenges each week are just under 10,000 steps. By the end of the program, participants will have walked the equivalent of the distance across the state.

All participants have to do is track steps on either their phone or a wearable device and submit a weekly step count the day they receive a new challenge.

“Ultimately, WalkSC will be used as an additional online program to run alongside our other Rural Health and Nutrition Extension programs,” said Logan McFall, health Extension agent at the Joseph F. Sullivan Center. “I will be offering it from campus and our other agents will eventually be delivering it from the county offices.”

“The primary goal is to increase activity through the step challenges and social support,” McFall said. “The Facebook group is predominately for interaction with other participants and the coach.”

It will feature photo contests and provide a forum for successes and struggles to help with engagement.

The first week of WalkSC begins Monday, March 9. To sign up, access the provided link here.