The Girl Scouts don’t just want to help promote better healthamong their members and other interested citizens, they want tohelp train people to get in shape the right way.

That is the goal of the Step It Up seminar to be held tonightfrom 6-7 p.m. at King’s Daughters Medical Center, said EventCoordinator Julie Pounds.

The seminar is open to people of all ages who would like tolearn more about learning to walk or jog the right way. This is thefirst year for this event, but Girl Scouts hopes to make it anannual occurrence.

Mississippi Track Club’s Jack Ward will teach the adult class,and representatives from Girl Scouts will conduct the children’sclasses.

“They’re going to give people a projection of what you can do ona daily or weekly basis,” said Pounds. “Things like walk two laps,or park farther away when you go to Wal-Mart. He’ll go over what hecalls ‘From the Sofa to the 5K in 12 Weeks.'”

Ward’s plan involves 12 strategic steps, one for each week inthe plan.

Pounds said the children’s classes will be geared to put them onthe track to a healthier lifestyle.

“The kids part is going to be done in stations. We’ll have anutrition station, a fitness station and a stretching station,” shesaid. “They’ll also be given a daily log book to log what they’vedone each day. “

The reason such importance is put upon training right is notonly because of the 5K Run/Walk, which will be held June 9, butalso because the Girl Scouts are trying to promote better healthamong today’s young women and in people in general.

“It’s especially for Girl Scouts, as we’re promoting healthyliving and trying get them exercising more,” said Pounds. “We’retrying to get them started training young. Hopefully they’ll make apersonal goal to do the race in June.”

For those who make it a point to train toward June’s race, orany other, for that matter, there will also be instruction on howto properly prepare and train for the heat.

“The representative will go over proper hydrating,” said Pounds.”Especially with kids, we’re going to go over drinking water,because we’ve noticed at camps and things that they don’tnecessarily like to do that.”

As always, the Girl Scouts are also hoping for plenty of supportand participation from families. Pounds said the best way tofitness for children is having parents who are interested inincluding them in a daily routine.

“We’re hoping the parents will make a goal to do this,” shesaid. “Sometimes they’re the ones that are going to train andhopefully people will encourage their kids to also.”

The day of the actual 5K Walk/Run, Pounds hopes to have severalbooths for people who attend and participate.

“We’ll have lots of different health screenings and things theday of the race. It will be more like a family day,” she said.”We’re hoping to have people taking blood pressure, and screeningsfor diabetics among other things, to see if you need to be checkedout by a doctor. We want it to be a community event.”

For those who are unable to attend tonight, the Girl Scouts willrepeat the training seminar on March 27 at the First Baptist Churchin Jackson.