This Valentine’s Day, Marshall University’s Exercise Science department will offer a free Valentine’s Day event – the first annual Sweat-Heart Couples’ Walk. The department is hosting the event to encourage the community to walk together, and offering prizes valued at up to $230.00.
There are two ways to participate in the walk. A group of students will be going to Ritter Park to walk from noon to 2 p.m. on Feb. 14, weather permitting.
Additionally, couples can participate from afar, as follows:
- Use any fitness app or tracker to track step count (for example, a Fitbit or Apple Health App).
- Take a screenshot of the step count of each partner.
- E-mail both screenshots of the step counts to MUEPL@marshall.edu.
Participants without a romantic partner can also participate, by teaming up with another person and submitting step counts together.
The couple with the most steps will win two free exercise tests – a $230.00 value. Each partner in the winning couple will receive a free Resting Metabolic Rate and Body Composition test from the Exercise Physiology Lab at Marshall University. These tests show the number of calories the body burns in a day, and a person’s body fat percentage.
Marshall is part of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Exercise is Medicine initiative, an effort to increase physical activity participation and classify activity as a vital sign to health. This event was created as part of the initiative, as a way to encourage people to be active while spending quality time with their partners.
Registration is free and open to all. To register and receive announcements about the Sweat-Heart Couples’ Walk, please contact Marshall’s exercise physiology lab by e-mail at MUEPL@marshall.edu.