Residents, Students Ready to Step Out

It’s time for Hermosa Beach residents to put on their walking shoes and get to steppin’ as part of the annual Steppin’ Out challenge, which kicks off this year on April 26.

Local students will be equipped with pedometers and families are encouraged to the walk the neighborhood as the national competition requires participants to track their daily walking steps for a week.

“The goal is for everyone to get 70,000 steps to meet the Surgeon General’s recommended 10,000 steps a day, needed to maintain proper health,” said Michael Shaw, director of communications for Beach Cities Health District.

The district last year, and Shaw said that the local participation and steps logged are sure to increase this year.

“Last year we had more than 300 million steps in our community alone, which was a 15 percent increase from the year before,” he told Patch. “This year, because we’re going to have so many more participants, I expect we’ll see at least a 25 percent increase in steps.”

The increase in participants is thanks in part to support from Skechers and the Vitality City initiative, which will enable every student in both the Hermosa Valley and View schools to track their steps on a pedometer.

“We are excited to get moving and we have our sneakers ready,” said interim Principal Rita Flynn of Hermosa Valley School. “Faculty, staff, students and parents are looking forward to the kick off April 26, when we'll receive our pedometers and will watch the numbers climb daily.”

Hermosa View School Principal Sylvia Gluck sees the Steppin’ Out challenge as a great way to inform community members about the healthy choices they can make in their daily lives, she said.

“It is vital that students and families become aware of the important health benefits one can gain from daily exercise,” Gluck told Patch. “Walking to school not only allows families to do something good for their body and participate in a healthy lifestyle, but it also provides parents with quality time with their children.”

In conjunction with the Steppin’ Out challenge, which will run from April 26 to May 2, the Hermosa View School will start a new program called “Stop Talking, Start Walking” on April 20. 

“The program is designed to motivate Hermosa View students to walk more, connect with the environment, and gain independence,” Gluck said. 

She added that children from kindergarten to second grade also will have the opportunity to participate in “Walk to School Wednesdays.” 

“Children who walk to school will receive a ‘walking stick’ that will be collected in front of their class,” Gluck said. “At the end of the month, an assigned parent volunteer will award the classroom with the most sticks a class prize.”

Challenges like these that encourage students to be more active are the best way to start them on a path to a healthy life, Shaw said.

“Healthy attitudes start at a young age and are kept for a lifetime, so getting kids active and walking now will get them active and walking later on,” he said.

Anyone who wishes to participate in this year’s Steppin’ Out competition can register online.

The Hermosa Beach kick-off event will be held April 26, from 6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. at .