Your challenge is simple: Spend eight weeks "walking" Georgia.

Through a new program called Walk Georgia, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension's Wilkes County Office invites you to spend eight weeks increasing your physical activity level in a fun, community oriented way. The goal is to be active, whether you're walking, biking or dancing.

"We hope that participants will start being active if they aren't already and continue to do some kind of physical activity when the eight-week period ends," said Rick Smith, Wilkes County Extension agent. "We hope the program will be a lifestyle change that will improve participants' quality of life."

Walk Georgia is an online program where you can log your real time exercise virtually. Your aerobics class during your lunch break counts, and so does a walk with your dog at home or pick-up game of basketball. Using a dropdown menu, you can record these activities. The time is then translated into miles, and the Web site gives you the goahead to "move" around the state.

"Through an online map, you can electronically chart a course as you 'walk' Georgia," Smith said. "Whether you visit the coast or hike the mountains, as you move you will read about the counties you visit and learn new ways to improve your health."

Walk Georgia is a statewide program, so someone here in Washington could challenge her cousin in Canton and her brother in Savannah to a Walk Georgia contest. Or a family who is spread across the state could walk as a four-person team.

"We wanted to do a statewide program that all of Georgia's counties could be involved in at the same time," Smith said.

Registration for Walk Georgia is free and open August 24 - September 14. Visit www.walkgeorgia. org to register yourself or your four-person team. While an e-mail address is required to register, individuals without one can join as part of a team as long as the team captain has an e-mail address.

On September 7, participants can start logging their physical activity at www.walkgeorgia.org. The program concludes November 1.

For more information, contact Rick Smith at your local Extension office at 1-800-ASK-UGA1, 706- 678-2332 or uge3317@uga.edu.