Thank you for Health Walkers.

Ellie has been a great motivator for me. I read about her in our newspaper the first year of Healthwalkers and decided that I, too, could walk. She has motivated me by staying on top of the list and also by personally encouraging me by e-mail.

I have been going to Weight Watchers 2 years tomorrow. By walking, riding a bike, exercising and physical therapy I have needed to do I have become more athletic - at 56 years of age! Of course, diet also plays an important role. I have learned how to eat healthy and try to walk every day.

The total amount of weight I have lost because of all these factors is about 72 pounds as of yesterday. I still have at least 24 more pounds to go, but I KNOW I can reach my goal.

Healthwalkers has kept me accountable for recording activities and trying to maintain a status on the front page, even though I've had some surgeries and some medical problems during this time period. I also challenged one HW member to a goal to be higher on the first page by Dec. 10, 2005. I did win the challenge, but I actually think we both won because we are both more active because of this. By challenging her I have also gained a long-distance e-mailing friend.

Keep up the good work!

Thank you, Healthwalkers!

I found this site by googling "Walk Across America" hoping somebody had set up a way of translating daily walking miles into a cross-country virtual walk.  Health Walkers is even better than what I'd hoped for, very complete but not too complicated.  It's really kept me motivated. I'm more than half-way across Illinois (yeah, I started in my home state, not on the East Coast) then it's on to Iowa and points west!

When you walk around the mall, you'll get more than you bargained for: A leg up on fitness. Mall walking is a perfect way to make exercise feel less like a chore and more a part of daily life. Shopping centers are heated in winter, air-conditioned in summer, safe, well lit, and free of snapping dogs and pollen. Not only will you burn calories and tone your legs, if you maintain good posture when you walk, you'll give your abs a workout. Keep yourself straight up while holding in your ab muscles; every step becomes a mini sit-up. Most of us lean forward when we walk, but we can catch ourselves easily at the mall: Just check your posture in your reflection in the windows.

Thank you so much.

I just wanted to add my thanks to the many others who are benefiting from your web site. I have lost 13 lbs since joining up this past May and I know that consistent walking has been the difference. Your site is the easiest I have found to keep track of miles walked and it challenges me to make an entry every day. Unfortunately, I may have charged out a little too exuberantly. I have developed blister on both heels! So I will be backing off a little for the next couple of weeks, getting in what I can.  But thanks again for your wonderfully simple but extremely useful web site!

I read the article that Dean Woodbeck wrote for MTU Tech Topics almost a year ago and I saved it. It took a whole year to actually DO something about it, though!

One thing I would enjoy seeing is a count of the number of days of recorded activity in the month. I've been a sporadic exerciser for many years, and my goal this year is to turn this into a HABIT. Being the analyst that I am, seeing numbers and trends is a big motivator for me, so I am really enjoying your site.

This website has been a big encouragement to me.  I am diabetic and need all the encouragement to get on the treadmill even when I don't really feel like it.  With the "Survival" special events, I have been increasing my miles and it has been a great health benefit too!. Today I walked 8 miles and feel GREAT!