Get WalkIN'

You know you should be more active, but there are often many things that seem to get in the way. It’s time for some positive thinking. No more excuses!

Think you can’t get your walk in because you’re traveling or because you don’t have enough time? Here are some tips to overcome your barriers to walking.

• Make your walking time flexible. Split up your walking time to better fit your schedule. If you can only have time for a 10-minute walk, that’s OK. Leave longer walks for the weekend to make up for lost time.
• Add walks to your calendar. Just as you would for business or family events, plan your walk. This lets you mentally and physically prepare to start and complete your walk.
• Adjust your perspective. Exercise is no longer an extracurricular activity. As obesity rates rise and chronic diseases reach an all-time high, exercise is an investment. Think of it as a retirement account that enhances your life now and in the future. As you must eat, sleep, and breathe, you must exercise.

Check out this site for more information on overcoming barriers to being physically active.

Walking qualifies as “hard to find me time” – it can be like working out and relaxing at the same time!!

Walking with other people can turn a bout of exercise into an enjoyable social occasion. Suggestions include:

• If you are walking with children, ensure the route and length of time spent walking are appropriate to make sure the route and length of time spent walking are appropriate to their age.
• Babies and toddlers enjoy long walks in the pram. Take the opportunity to point out or highlight items of interest to young ones, such as vehicles, flowers and other pedestrians.
• Look for the self-guided nature walks that have been set up in many parks. Younger children enjoy looking for the next numbered post; older ones can learn about the plants and animals of the park, and perhaps take photos or record their experience in other ways.

• Schedule a regular family walk – this is a great way to pass on healthy habits to your children or grandchildren, and to spend time together, while getting fit at the same time.

Make Walking a Pleasure:

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/walking-for-good-health#make-walking-a-pleasure

Activity

Email me, Karen Richey, your local Purdue Extension Educator in Marshall County, at krichey@purdue.edu with your top reasons for not walking more and provide one strategy you will use to overcome this barrier.

Next Topic: Progress!

• • Always walk facing oncoming traffic.
  • Use the sidewalk. If there is no sidewalk, look for a smooth, stable surface alongside the road. If there are guardrails, see if there is a smooth, flat surface behind the barrier where you can walk. If you need to walk on a paved shoulder, stay as far away from traffic as possible.
  • Be careful on bridges and narrow shoulders of the road.
  • Be sure drivers can see you. Wear brightly colored clothing, and if you walk during low-light hours, such as dawn or dusk, be sure you have reflective material on your clothing or walking shoes, and carry a flashlight.

https://www.plymouthin.com/topic/index.php?topicid=50&structureid=24

https://www.plymouthin.com/egov/apps/map/viewer.egov?view=map;id=3

Located in Plymouth, IN

News 2025:

Greenway Trail Extension Project - River Park Square:

Construction on this project has been completed! We are currently working on the plants and flowers that will be placed along the trail.

Greenway Trail Extension Project - Price's Pond:

Construction on this project has been completed! We are working on a few finishing touches that will be done in the springtime(2026)!

Bourbon community Parks Information

https://www.bourbon-in.gov/community/parks/bourbon-community-park

There is no cost to enter the park!

Hiking:

Our nearly five miles of trails are open daily from sunrise to sunset for your enjoyment. All our trails are rated easy to moderate. They offer a relaxing change of pace, as they wind through forests and fields and past our wetlands and the Tippecanoe River.

Geocaching/Letterboxing:

Go on a modern day treasure hunt. There are several geocaches on the park for your enjoyment. Nighttime geocaching is not allowed. The park has 5 official boxes placed through out the park. If you would like to add a box they must be pre-approved and coordinated with the park manager prior to placement. https://www.geocaching.com/play/search

Dog Walking:

Dogs are allowed on park trails. Dogs must remain on leash at all times! The owner must maintain control and is responsible for the actions of the dog. Please acknowledge our other visitors and leave your dog home if it is not people friendly. Proper disposal of pet waste is required.

There is also fishing, bird watching, canoe/kayak rentals and many more available here! To see all that Potawatomi Wildlife Park has to offer visit: https://www.potawatomiwildlifepark.com/thingstodo

Address:

16998 State Road 331
Tippecanoe, IN 46570

Marshall County's America 250 is hosting a Cemetery Walk at Oak Hill Cemetery on Saturday, April 18th at 1 pm! This event is free and open to the public. America 250 celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. There will be live storytellers relating the biographies of the listed women. These women are buried in Oak Hill and their fathers were Revolutionary War patriots. Plan to be there about 15 minutes early. Generally visitors walk from one grave site to the next to hear the stories of those buried there.

Address: 1300 Chester St, Plymouth, IN 46563

Save the Date!

To find more information and register visit:

https://runsignup.com/Race/IN/Culver/CulverCommunitySchoolsBoosterClubColorRun

Choose between a fun 1 mile walk/run or a 5k. The 1 mile route will run around the Culver Schools Corporation and the 5k route will run through downtown Culver. The race will start at the front of Culver Community High School, Door 32. Both routes will finish on the Culver Middle/High School football field. This will be a fun run with several color stations manned by our athletes ready to toss color powder on you as you pass by! Registration includes a white race t-shirt and neon sunglasses to wear to show off your colors! Join us for the after party on the football field!

Save the Date!

Download the digital guides to water and greenspaces, including trails you can walk in Kosc. Co! Check these out as you get started. https://visitkosciuskocounty.org/digital-guides/

RideWalk.com has these great walks with special interests in Warsaw, IN.

https://ridewalk.com/maps/recommended-walks/ Click the title in yellow to view the actual route. The total distance and elevation is listed under each description.

Kosciusko County Freedom Fest will celebrate America's 250th birthday in Warsaw on June 5,6,7 2026 at the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds at 1400 East Smith Street, Warsaw, right on Winona Lake.

Join the Stars, Stripes & Steps Challenge or join the Freedom 5K! Information below or visit their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61580110891106

https://link.thestepupapp.com/FFZdNB?fbclid=IwY2xjawRJ745leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe5HlvNeBM50e3Z_QgCevzd280WdLYWFS9tvfFLdaUTMa7p1R5_YDw9TwtyhY_aem_qn49lEUqiUKeDvWTMsVc0g

Date: May 16, 2026

Address: 409 IN-14, Silver Lake, IN 46982

Join the Lilly Center for a wildflower identification hike held on the beautiful trails at Wildwood Acres Land Trust. The Hike will be led by Gavin King, the regional manager for ACRES Land Trust, where he'll teach participants how to identify local wildflowers and plants.

The hike will take place on easy trails with minimal hills; however, comfortable, close-toed shoes are recommended as there will be a lot of walking. The Lilly Center will provide light snacks and identification books to borrow during the event. Spring is in full bloom, so let's celebrate its arrival by learning how to identify its lovely blossoms!

This event is underwritten by Depuy Synthes, Zimmer Biomet Foundation, and City of Warsaw Stormwater Utility.

Disclaimer: Event Photography
We often take photos at events that may be used in future Lilly Center communications. Please tell a staff member if you do not want your photo used in Lilly Center media. Event by Lilly Center for Lakes & Streams https://www.facebook.com/events/2312231295925866

To submit your steps weekly please use the Google Form link below!

https://forms.gle/AQ6PyziG6jWtiWy97

or

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScMsw7ee_kQjkatpnaMkBduGnoDpgSvrWE6aEs2Yi5y0tMnmA/viewform

Input a total of steps for the entire week. You will use the same link each week but please only submit steps for the previous 1 week of steps.

**If the link is not working try copying and pasting it into the browser directly. It looks like Kosc. firewall may be blocking the link from this page***

Karen Richey

Email: krichey@purdue.edu
Website: extension.purdue.edu/Marshall
Location: 112 W Jefferson St, Plymouth, IN, USA
Phone: 574-935-8545
Facebook: facebook.com/marshallHHS

Purdue University is an Equal Access / Equal Opportunity Employer.