Week 1: Get Active, Living with Diabetes
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has great information on getting started, finding your active life balance and celebrating the activities that you enjoy! Setting a goal each day or each week can help us stay motivated and on track to take control of our health. The links below will guide you through understanding what physical activity does for you, where to start, and setting your goals
We are excited that you are joining us in this physical activity program designed to establish a habit of regular physical activity.
Remember, you are not in this alone; each adult team may include up to 8 team members, all working together to reach the 832-mile goal.
Over the next eight-weeks, you will receive weekly newsletters with tips for a successful virtual journey across Texas and resources tailored for individuals who would like to learn more about diabetes self-care and management.
Congratulations on completing the Walk Across Texas! Adult – Diabetes Edition program!
The official end date of the WAT! Adult - Diabetes Edition was Tuesday - April 19th. While that date marks the end of the program, you still have until Friday, April 29th by 11:59 PM to enter in final mileage. Also, we ask that you please complete the program wrap up form, located in your Howdy Health accounts.
W – WOW: 2022 TAMU College Edition Close-Out
Let’s put a bow on it…this message marks our final official communication as part of the WAT! Adult – College Edition.
We started this project with the goal to reach a college audience! In 2021, the average age for WAT! Adult program participants was 45 years. The 18 – 23 age group comprised of only 6% of participants.
This project intended to use new tactics and resources to target a younger audience. Preliminary results highlight success with the recruitment of the intended audience. The average age of WAT! Adult – College Edition participants was 33 years (18 – 23 age group = 50%).
Week 8 Topic: Being Your True (Best) Self
How can we be our true (best) self? Think about what you want. If you want to improve self-management for living with diabetes, consider the lessons and tips you have learned and find ways to incorporate them into your lifestyle. It is not easy to do, and it will not happen overnight. You will not be “perfect” while working to make these changes each day, but it is worth it to keep trying. Do not give up! Every day is a new day to begin with a fresh start. It takes small positive steps, over time, to include new habits that lead to a healthier you. Set goals and take steps to reach them.
W – WOW: College Edition Update
We are coming to the home stretch for our WAT! Adult program – College Edition adventure! In this next to the last newsletter, we want to tell you about where we are going. We are committed to continually improving the program so that it meets the needs of participants while remaining steadfast in the recommendations of research. The amazing thing about research is that, in our relentless pursuit of knowledge, we are always learning new, often surprising, information about how the human body responds to physical activity. The research so far has told us that WAT! is effective. It works! But, just like any behavior based program, it only works when action is taken. Fortunately, the anecdotal evidence – the stories we have heard – also tell us that WAT! has value in helping people feel good about physical activity. Although feeling good about it may not mean that it makes a measurable difference right now, it does have the potential to make big differences in the future as attitudes change.
Week 7 Topic: Family Fun
There are a lot of stressors and events that impact the amount of time we have. You have learned that physical activity and healthy eating are key components to help reduce the risks of complications when living with diabetes. Find fun ways to involve family as your support team to improve family health. Plan activities that will help you in your journey towards better diabetes management practices.
W – WOW: College Edition Update
This is the time of year when we often spend time focusing on the end of the semester academic activities or other professional and personal happenings. With everything going on, physical activity may seem low on the list of priorities. However, physical activity contributes to wellness in so many ways. Walk Across Texas! is a fantastic way to practice healthy habits that are integral to wellbeing.
As we near the completion of the WAT! Adult – College Edition program, we want to say that we believe in the power of healthy habits. Most importantly, we believe in YOU and your ability to create and maintain a healthy and active lifestyle!
Week 6 Topic: Turn Excuses into Solutions
Beginning a new activity can be easy, but continuing that activity is the hard part. It’s easy to lose motivation, especially when we are met with barriers that may impact our ability to do more physical activity.
Below are a few basic tips and suggestions to turn excuses into solutions!
W – WOW: College Edition Update
This week, we would like to share a few more details about the WAT! Adult – College Edition program and what it is all about! In one of our previous newsletters, we talked about the history of the Walk Across Texas! program. This past year (2021) was another great year for the program, reaching over 40,000 participants and over 2.22 million miles were recorded. These participants reported an increase in mileage during the program and it helped non-active participants become more active.
Despite this success with physical activity promotion, college students and young adults are typically an underrepresented group in the WAT! Adult program. Last year, the average age of WAT! participants were 45 years and the 18 – 23 age group comprised of only 6% of participants. These groups are an important audience to reach to help address the decline in activity levels through the lifespan.
Week 5 Topic: Mindful Living
Is your mind constantly wandering? Do you have a hard time concentrating? Are your thoughts and experiences clouding your judgement?
Mindfulness meditation practice may help wandering minds to focus and fully experience the present moment—all by applying nonjudgmental thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Mindfulness is a way of living and a method intended to pave the path for a complete awakening.
Below are a few basic tips to get you started with Mindful Living!
W – WOW: College Edition Update
Happy Spring, y’all! Our clocks have sprung forward, and the April showers are coming early!
Spring brings change, and let’s be real, change can be uncomfortable. Sometimes, we want things to slow down and not change so much, and sometimes things don’t seem to change quickly enough. Of course, the one thing we can count on is that things will change. Even when change is welcomed and wanted, the process of change itself can create lots of stress.
Fortunately, we can practice mindfulness that can help with stress. Mindfulness meditation practice may help wandering minds to focus and fully experience the present moment—all by applying nonjudgmental thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Mindfulness is a way of living and a method intended to pave the path for a complete awakening.
W – WOW: College Edition Update
Great to “see” everyone again! And, “welcome” to those of you who recently joined us. Did you know that the Walk Across Texas! program started in 1996? Yes! You are part of an elite group with a rich tradition. Back in those days, miles were turned in on paper and calculated by hand. But since then, WAT! has had over 650,000 participants and has contributed to an estimated economic impact of over $2.25 billion dollars!
Often when we start a new project, we are super excited to begin. The first few weeks are new and different, but then as time passes other things take priority and we get distracted or discouraged. While this is our second newsletter, we are now into our Week 5 of the program! Reflecting on your path so far can be helpful. Here are some questions to contemplate regarding your current WAT! experience…
Week 3 Topic: Balance and Fall Prevention
Building upon last week’s topic, we will dive a little deeper and provide information and tips on balance and fall prevention. As you continue with your physical activity journey, it is crucial to incorporate balance training into your week. Balance training reduces falls among older adults, improves poster stability, and reduces the risk of lower-extremity injuries, such as knee and ankle injuries. We hope you can avoid any preventable setbacks and do that by incorporating intentional and beneficial balancing exercises.
W – Welcome
On behalf of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the College Edition team, we would like to thank you for joining the 2022 TAMU College Edition league.
For the remaining weeks of the WAT! Adult program you will receive a weekly update with resources and tips created by and for college students. If you are not a college student, don’t worry! With each newsletter, you’ll be introduced to various topics relevant to health and wellness too!
Week 2 Topic: Safety First
Physical activity is an excellent way to help manage diabetes. As you are starting your physical activity journey, always keep safety in mind. Whether you are being active inside or outdoors, be sure to follow appropriate safety tips!
Howdy!
Welcome to the Week 3 update for the 2022 TAMU College Edition League! In our league, we currently have 43 teams with 154 participants who have taken on the challenge.
Week 1 Topic: Get Active, Living with Diabetes
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has great information on getting started, finding your active life balance and celebrating the activities that you enjoy! Setting a goal each day or each week can help us stay motivated and on track to take control of our health. The links below will guide you through understanding what physical activity does for you, where to start, and setting your goal
We are excited that you are joining us in this physical activity program designed to establish a habit of regular physical activity.
Remember, you are not in this alone; each adult team may include up to 8 team members, all working together to reach the 832-mile goal.
Over the next eight-weeks, you will receive weekly newsletters with tips for a successful virtual journey across Texas and resources tailored for individuals who would like to learn more about diabetes self-care and management.