You want to exercise good judgment?
Just log onto washingtonwalking.org and become part of a new Web-health partnership that will help you find a buddy and track your get-into-shape progress.
And it's free.
Spurred by Washington County Commissioner J. Bracken Burns, and inspired by a brainstorming task force at Washington County Health Partners, the Web Development Team at California University of Pennsylvania designed an easy-to-use interactive Web site for community members.
Official kickoff festivities are scheduled Saturday at 11 a.m. at Falconi Field in Washington.
Washington Walking is designed to increase physical activity by providing free Web site support for members to monitor their progress, as well as issue and accept individual group challenges.
Residents can log in, create and maintain individual health profiles in following a common fitness goal.
The site also includes a wealth of health-related information.
"WCHP called us last summer to see if we'd be interested," said Pam Delverne, Web master for the CUP Student Association. "We have students who develop Web pages for various departments here, but we also have some who are interested in pursuing this as a career.
"We look for opportunities like this to give them experience in working outside of the campus community. It's a service and it's done with a client so it's a different set of expectations."
The site encourages residents to walk as exercise and also provides them with customized information and resource materials as well as message boards to foster communication among walkers. Even "where to walk" locations are detailed.
"We form task groups in response to the health needs of our community as detailed in assessments," said Lee Rutledge-Falcione, executive director of WCHP. "This particular task force was trying to create a resource that would reach as many people as possible without a lot of overhead.
"Walking is free, the Web site is free, so this fits that goal well. We tell people when you use walking as exercise, you only have to do it a little each day -- you don't have to make it a marathon."
"Once the students got started, the WCHP saw that they were capable of providing a product beyond what was expected and that's when the Web page really took off," Delverne said. "These are the kinds of projects that can often separate candidates for a job so it's great when we can provide that for students."
Jeff Patsko, a senior who is a double-major (computer science and information technology), described the project as "a nice change. It was more challenging for us because with the projects we do on campus, we all have a first-hand view, one that can affect us personally.
"Working for someone else brings a different set of challenges. We try and do at least one off-campus project a year."
The Web site has been up-and-running for about a month and the WCHP has been creating awareness of the Web site at such sites as senior citizens centers and libraries.
"It's quick and easy enough to do just by going to the Web page, and the library has computers people can use, too," Falcione said. "We have people who can help. We hope businesses will get involved with some 'friendly challenges,' and, in the fall, we hope to expand into the schools."
