WALK 500 MILES – TAKE THE CHALLENGE    
Get Ready to Walk the World!

Fitness Advocate/Adventure Travel Guide to appear April 4 at The Watermark at 3030 Park

Fairfield, CT. – Ward Luthi, founder of the Walk 500 Challenge, will appear April 4 at The Watermark, 3030 Park Avenue, to talk to residents and guests about the ageless benefits of walking. All participants will have an opportunity to register for the “Walk 500 Challenge.” Endorsed by the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA), The Walk 500 challenges anyone over the age of 50 to start reaping health benefits by committing to walk 500 miles over a 12-month period, an average of 1.3 miles per day.

At 9 a.m., Luthi will discuss the benefits of walking and begin registering those residents and guests interested in participating in the Walk 500 Challenge. At 10 a.m., Luthi will lead registered walkers on the inaugural 1.3 miles of their 500-mile trek. Weather permitting, the walk will be held on the outdoor walking paths on the campus of The Watermark at 3030 Park. If weather is inclement, the walk will be moved indoors. Following the walk, all registrants will receive free lunch and a pedometer, courtesy of The Watermark at 3030 Park.

At 2 p.m. members of the general public are welcome to attend Luthi’s slide presentation on the worldwide walking adventures available through his Colorado-based adventure travel company, Walking the World.

Situated in the heart of Fairfield County, on Park Avenue between I-95 and the Merritt Parkway on the Fairfield town line, The Watermark at 3030 Park is home to more than 200 active older adults.  The Watermark offers maintenance-free living with a wide variety of services plus activities, classes, workshops, clubs and discussion groups on site. The Watermark encourages the public to take their first step towards better health and fitness by attending this free event.  For reservations call 203-374-5611.

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About the Walk 500
The Walk 500, endorsed by the International Council on Active Aging, was created by Ward Luthi, founder of the Colorado-based adventure travel company, Walking the World. Luthi respectfully challenges anyone age 50 or better to walk 500 measured miles within 365 days, an average of 1.3 miles per day. The most important part of the challenge is to begin--and continue--a regular program of walking any distance in order to reap the health benefits of walking. To date, Walk 500 has engaged people in 34 states to accept the challenge. The Watermark will be the first retirement community in the state of Connecticut to take the challenge, according to Luthi.
Ward Luthi and other health experts agree that walking…

• contributes to Your Physical Well-Being
• helps Reduce Stress in Your Daily Life
• is Fun and Sociable.
• helps Prevent Osteoporosis
• can Help You Lose Weight
• is a Great Way to See The World

About Walking the World
For the past 20 years, active older adults in growing numbers have been joining Walking the World on its worldwide adventure travel walking vacations. The company caters to the over 50 crowd because they have both the time and the means to see the world in this unconventional way.  The company’s founder, Ward Luthi explains, “adventure travel is a way of experiencing the world, not as a passive observer, but as an active participant. And walking, more than any other type of activity, allows you to experience firsthand not only a country's majestic natural areas, but its rich and varied human cultures as well.” Walking the World participants have felt the soft sea breeze along the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, learned about the Anasazi Indians and stopped to marvel at prehistoric dinosaur tracks while walking the high desert canyons in Utah, sampled fresh lobster and blueberry pie in Maine, swum with sea lions and penguins in the Galapagos, and witnessed the breaching of a whale from the bow of a small boat in Newfoundland. www.walkingtheworld.com. 

About Adventure Travel Expert, Ward Luthi
Ward Luthi left behind his 9-5 desk job life to experience the call of the wild. From 1985-1986 he was appointed to serve on the President's Commission on American's Outdoors. As a staff member for the Commission, he helped with the 18-month review that looked ahead for the next 25 years at the state of the nation in outdoor recreation and natural resources. Policy recommendations were then made to the President and Congress.
In 1987, Ward founded Walking The World, the world's leading adventure travel company for 50 plus individuals. His company is the official travel partner for the International Council on Active Aging.
A veteran traveler, Ward has led adventure-seeking adults on exotic adventures in over 25 counties around the world and all across the United States.
His views on travel have been featured in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Redbook, McCalls, US News and World Report, and hundreds of newspapers across the country.
A popular speaker, Ward shares his passion for adventure travel with groups around the country. When he's not traveling the world, he enjoys the picturesque views from his home in the mountains of Colorado.
Ask Ward:

• Why many active adults are discovering the wonder of adventure travel, even if they've never traveled before
• What the top "must see" destinations are for 2007
• The hottest trends for adventure travel among the 50+ generation
• Ways that taking an adventure travel trip can be a life-changing experience
• How seniors can plan and get prepared physically for an exotic adventure trip
• Secrets to make your next travel the adventure of a lifetime

Reach Ward Luthi at:  1-877-340-9255