North Lanarkshire locals take part in Step Count Challenge

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A record number of participants have travelled the equivalent of 40 journeys around the Earth in this year’s spring Step Count Challenge.More than 4,000 people across 800 teams from organisations large and small, including 108 people from North Lanarkshire, took part in Paths for All’s challenge and recorded over 2.3 billion steps in eight weeks.The collective effort meant that Scottish workers travelled more than one million miles over that period of time.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android The Step Count Challenge is designed to motivate teams to walk, wheel, or cycle more during the workday to increase physical activity levels while improving mental health, social connections, and overall wellbeing.In addition to boosting physical activity, the challenge saved an estimated 31,030 kg of CO2, roughly the weight of five elephants, as participants chose walking, wheeling and cycling over driving.Data from the challenge found new healthy habits were formed during the eight weeks with a fifth (21 per cent) of participants reporting they had added a lunchtime walk to their weekly routine, and 18 per cent of people took the stairs rather than the lift.Kevin Lafferty, Chief Executive Officer at Paths for All, said: “The workplace is where most of us spend a majority of our waking hours, so it’s crucial we