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Walk Your A.S. Off

by | Apr 3, 2023 | Live Events, Resources

Walk Your AS Off - Rolling Image

Join the Canadian Spondyloarthritis Association (CSA) during the month of May to raise awareness and get active with Walk Your A.S. Off.  

Walk Your A.S. Off is a global community event that has held an annual“virtual” walk event in May since 2011. Virtual simply means registered participants log their steps through WalkASOne.org.   Walking or other activities such as swimming, Pilates, Yoga, cycling  can  count towards steps.

Register now
WYAO - Step Count total 2023

For the last 12 years, participants around the globe have taken enough steps to reach  the moon! Now in the NEXT ten years, our aim is to collect enough steps to walk to Mars! 

This year, we want you to join the A.S. Busters Canada Team.   With your participation this year in Walk Your A.S Off we can educate more Canadians about Spondyloarthritis while raising funds for the CSA .

Why 10 years?

The average length from symptom onset to diagnosis of AxSpA globally is 10 years! This is too long, and just one of the reasons why we raise awareness.

Who can participate? 

EVERYONE!  – Invite your friends, family, colleagues to join you and participate in the challenge. Get everyone involved! You don’t have to be an athlete or have Spondyloarthritis..

Walk Your A.S. Off 2023 is part of CSA’s ongoing plan to offer  programs to our community to raise awareness of Spondyloarthritis.

Walk Your A.S. Off offers opportunities for everyone to get  moving and capture their activities.  All types of movement can be converted to steps and recorded.  Whether that’s a few steps per day or gentle chair exercises, getting on a bike, yoga or pilates mat or even running marathons (there’s one or two who do!) people from all walks of life, countries around the world, and of all ages have participated in Walk Your A.S. Off, and we welcome everyone.

Why does CSA promote this event?

To raise awareness of a seemingly invisible disease. Had you ever heard about Spondyloarthritis before you received a diagnosis? Not likely.  Your participation will help raise awareness for this condition.

Due to a lack of awareness among the general public and healthcare providers, the  delay to  diagnosis is a real challenge for Spondyloarthritis .  This delay to diagnosis can result in damage to the spine and other joints and causes unnecessarily long suffering.

This year we’ve expanded event and added an option for participants to raise funds for the CSA . Check out our We’ve built a Walk Your A.S. Off fundraiser here.   This platform allows you to start a page to raise funds for CSA amongst your friends, family and colleagues.

Donations are used to help people with SpA live better lives through the support, information, and advocacy programs offered by the CSA.

How can I participate?

It’s simple. Join a team or start your own. Teams create a support system and team members can  motivate each other, while team captains help answer questions and encourage their team to log steps.  Think of your team as a virtual community.  Some teams may be local and able to meet up in person. If you have team members that live close to each other, you could consider organizing group walks . 

Walk Your AS Off - Walking Image

Step 1: Join the Canadian A.S. Busters team here – 

Visit WalkAsOne.org and register

Participants are also able to join the private Facebook group named AS Busters Canada. This is a great group to connect with other participants, gather a new or fun ideas. Check it out.

How do I create a team? You will have the ability to form your own team when you have registered. There are no limits on team size. Since we’ll be tracking our steps from May 1st until May 31st, please try to get your team ready to log steps starting on launch day on May 1. 

    Step 2: Record your steps

    There are many ways you can record your steps.

    • Apps – there are several different apps you can download to your phone or smart device that will count and track your steps. Choose the one that meets your personal needs best
    • Personal devices – use your fitbit, apple watch, garmin, strava or other personal devices.
    Walk Your AS Off - Stretching Image

    Step 3:  Log your Steps 

    Login on WalkAsOne.org between and log your steps between  May 1 and May 31.

    All exercises can be converted to steps. Whether that is at the gym, doing yoga, participating in group class or gardening and housework. It can be all converted with our step conversion chart.

    Interested in training? Use April as your training month. You can log your steps for fun to watch your progress. The month of May is the official challenge month and you should log your steps weekly.

    What else can we do to raise awareness?

     

    • BUILD a Fundraising Page, using our new donation platform!
    • POST Selfies on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and use the hashtags #walkasoneworldwide #ASwalkSelfie #WalkYourASoff2023 #ASwalkSelfieCanada  also tag @walkasoneworldwide
    • BRAG about your steps and post them with the hashtag to challenge others. Be sure to share why you are walking and use the hashtags #WalkYourASoff2021
    • RECORD a short video talking about the challenge, your walk, and what it means to you
    • SHARE with others why you are participating in the challenge
    • POST pictures of areas you have walked or hiked and the where and why you walked there. Be sure to include the hashtag #WalkYourASoff2023

    Questions or Concerns?


    Reach out to our team here, and we would be happy to help answer your questions.