Diabetes UK Cymru invites people in Wales to sign up to summer steps challenge
People across Wales are being invited to step it up this summer and raise vital funds for Diabetes UK.
The One Million Step Challenge is ideal for anyone who rediscovered their love of walking in the great outdoors during the pandemic, or anyone looking for a way to get more active as lockdown restrictions are eased.
The challenge is simple – you take one million steps over the course of three months and get sponsored for every stride.
You do not have to limit yourself to walking to complete the challenge. You could choose to jog, or even dance the steps away. But whichever way you choose to move, you will need to take around 10,000 steps a day from 1 July to reach your million-step goal.
This year’s challenge features two other options. There is the half-a-million step challenge, perfect for those short on time or for anyone who may find taking 10,000 steps a day difficult. And there’s the longer 1.7 million step challenge, for those who really want to push themselves this summer.
Lee Morgan, 43 from Tonypandy who lives with type 1 diabetes said: “I am doing this challenge for the first time to show that anyone can get involved. Diabetes doesn’t have to hold you back and the condition can be viewed in a positive way. I have been taking steps locally, connecting with new people and spreading awareness”.
Lee, a Special Effects Make-Up artist started going for long walks before the challenge begun: “I have already done more than 150,000 steps and it all adds up, even if I’m on an off day, the motivation to continue is really high because this it matters to me and my family”.
More than 209,015 people in Wales are now living with diabetes. This is 8% of the population aged 17 and over – the highest prevalence in the UK – and the numbers are rising every year. This is the first time over 200,000 people have been diagnosed with diabetes in Wales.
There are an estimated 4.9 million people living in the UK with diabetes − a condition where there is too much glucose in the blood because the body cannot use it properly. If not managed carefully, both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can lead to devastating complications, including sight loss, amputation, kidney failure and stroke. There is currently no known cure for any type of diabetes, while an estimated 13.6 million people in the UK are at risk of type 2 diabetes.
Registration for the One Million Step Challenge is free and you can take on your steps wherever you like, from your local park to your living room. Anyone who signs up will get a Million Steps profile page where they can log their steps and track their fundraising. You can use a fitness tracker, such as a Fitbit device, to track your steps, and they will be automatically added to your profile page. Alternatively, you can use your phone or pedometer to track them and upload your steps manually.
The challenge runs for 92 days, ending on 30 September 2021.
Find out more and sign up at step.diabetes.org.uk.
