Emily Sauerteig

On a recent Saturday in Washington, D.C., Emily Sauerteig went for a jog around the National Mall, taking the final steps in her pledge to run 750 miles in 2012. The 10-month project was an effort to spread awareness about one of the nation's most pressing public health problems: childhood obesity.

   

PHWEEK first reported on Sauerteig's project, Strides to Stop Childhood Obesity, in July. Since then, she has raised more than $2,500 to fight the epidemic, which she plans to donate to Action for Healthy Kids, a national organization that promotes healthy eating and physical activity for children.

 

Sauerteig, who lives in Atlanta, said the project has been an unforgettable experience.

 

"It's been very inspiring personally, but I was also inspired to see so many people come out to support me and combat this national epidemic," Sauerteig said.

 

It all started as a New Year's resolution for 2012. After a friend fulfilled a pledge to run 500 miles in 2011, Sauerteig promised herself she would run 750 miles by the year's end. She said the decision to focus her project on childhood obesity was a natural fit.

 

"It's so important to me as a citizen and also as a mother who wants her child to have a healthy diet, as well as knowledge and education about being healthy," she said.

 

Almost one in three children nationwide is overweight or obese. Georgia's childhood obesity crisis is the second largest in the U.S., with 40 percent of the state's children falling into the overweight or obese categories.

 

Sauerteig's accomplishment shows dedication to an important cause, but it's also a marvel for anyone who has ever made a New Year's resolution and been less than diligent. When she made her resolution, Sauerteig was a new mother and hadn't run in several years.

 

"A lot of my friends said great job, but you're crazy," she said. "I also heard from people I hadn't spoken to for 20 years who said I inspired them to work on their resolutions or get back to the gym, which was really touching."

 

Sauerteig said she has some advice for anyone trying to make a resolution: set an achievable goal, and take things one day at a time.

 

"You can go 300 miles or 100. You can walk or run. Even if you can only do a quarter of a mile one day or zero, you can always start the next day," she said. "The key is to focus on a healthy lifestyle."

-Story by Carrie Gann, DPH Communications