Make September…STEPtember

STEPtember is America On the Move’s national month-long celebration highlighting how easy it is to be active and eat healthy. Individuals, families, worksites, schools, and communities can help make September STEPtember by joining the challenge at www.september.americaonthemove.org. Through out the month of September, the STEPtember challenge will empower millions of Americans to experience the simplicity, power and success of living healthier through small changes.

By participating in the STEPtember challenge participants will have access to America On the Move’s free online resources that have helped hundreds of thousands of people achieve positive, lasting results.

Registering for the STEPtember Challenge is easy. All you have to do is register anytime between August 17 - September 30. Once registered, start a six-week challenge (42 days) and you can receive daily tips on nutrition and physical activity that assist in small lifestyle changes. You can also track your activity to determine your progress on the America On the Move website.

Maintaining a healthy weight depends on achieving energy balance. This is accomplished by balancing the amount of energy burned and food consumed in your day. Small changes in the types of foods you eat and in the portion sizes you choose will quickly add up to 100 reduced calories, or even more! By walking an extra mile (equivalent to 2000 steps) and reducing 100 calories (equivalent to 1 pat of butter) you’ll see how easy it can be to achieve energy balance.

The goal of STEPtember is to allow everyone to experience how small steps can lead to a healthier lifestyle and healthy weight for life.

America On the Move is a national non-profit initiative with the aim of improving quality of life-for individuals, families, communities, and society. America On the Move engages people of all ages in programs that emphasize energy balance-a balance between the amount of calories eaten and the amount of calories burned through physical activity. America On the Move research shows that achieving energy balance is an effective approach to healthy weight management. Small, specific changes in physical activity and calorie intake can make a big difference.