Walk Your AS Off

Join in, it’s simple!

It is now easier than ever to participate in Walk Your AS Off! Simply register on the SAA website and you will find a step counter waiting for you. Log your steps daily, weekly, or monthly! 

You can also do some fundraising for NASS whilst taking part in WYASO!

Many of our supporters take the opportunity to fundraise whilst challenging themselves to take more steps during the month of May. This year, we are encouraging our supporters to all sign up to the Walk Your AS Off 2025 JustGiving campaign page in order to raise funds for NASS.

That means that every penny that our fundraisers raise goes into the same pot! Wether you raise £20 or £200, every little bit counts and helps us to provide much needed support and information to people living with axial SpA. You can join a team, such as our long-standing yearly participants NASS Orange Apples, AS Buzzers and NASS PAWs, or get your friends and family together and create your very own walking team! Or you can simply share the link with your friends and family while posting your step updates and as them to support you. 

This is about being a part of something together, taking on a step challenge, tackling World AS Month and raising as much awareness as possible. Create your fundraising page here: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/walkyourasoff2025

Here’s how you can help raise awareness of axial SpA during Walk Your AS Off:

• Got a story to tell? Help us to inspire and empower people with axial SpA by sharing your experience with our community. To share your story and why you are taking part in WYASO, email fundraising@nass.co.uk to receive a blog template. Read more inspirational stories written by people with axial SpA.
• Send us the link to your fundraising page along with a photo of yourself in your NASS t-shirt to fundraising@nass.co.uk, and we’ll share it with our followers.
• During May, upload your photos and remind your friends, family and colleagues to sponsor you. Take lots of photos and share on social media using #WYASO as the tag.
  @National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society
  @NASSexercise
  @NASS_exercise

How can I get a NASS t-shirt during my walks?

Once you raise £20, get in touch to get your orange NASS t-shirt! Call us on 020 8741 1515 or email fundraising@nass.co.uk to order your t-shirt. We stock small, medium, large, XL or XXL sizes for men and women – just ask! Sizes are subject to availability.

Do I have to do a certain number of steps every day?

You can do as little or as many steps as you like at any time during May. It’s just about getting active. Whether you walk 50 steps or run 5,000, it all adds up to our collective team step total.

I’m a wheelchair user – can I still join in?

Absolutely! You can convert time spent in your wheelchair, or doing other activities like housework, swimming, cycling or Pilates, into steps too. It can be all converted with our step conversion chart.

I’ve been recently diagnosed with axial SpA. Do you have any advice for walking with axial SpA?

Yes, we’re here to help. Here are our top tips:

1. Wear comfortable shoes. Choose shoes with good grips on the soles so you don’t slip. If you’re walking in the countryside, consider investing in some good walking shoes.
2. Do a few gentle movements to warm you up before setting off.
   Try gently marching on the spot and swinging your arms for one minute to loosen your joints and warm your muscles before heading out.
3. Start gently. If you’ve not been very mobile recently, start with a 10-minute walk, and try to add 5 minutes to your walk each day.
4. Don’t overdo it. Listen to your body and cut back on your walking if you flare. Don’t worry about how fast and how long you walk – just get out there and enjoy the fresh air! Remember, some days you’ll find it easier than others.
5. Get a friend involved. It’s much more fun walking when you can chat. Or think about offering to take a friend or neighbour’s dog for a walk with you. That way you’re combining a good deed with exercise.
6. Use an app, your phone or a pedometer to keep track of how far you’ve walked every day. Seeing how many steps you’ve walked each day can really help with your motivation. If you join the challenge with a friend, you can share your steps. Don’t forget to upload your steps onto the WalkAsOne team page! 
7. Consider trying Nordic Walking. In the UK you can contact Nordic Walking UK and British Nordic Walking. Both have instructors across the UK, and you can join group sessions to learn to walk with poles. Using walking poles can significantly reduce the stress on your joints.
8. Think about your route and the time of day you’re walking.
   If you can only walk in the evenings, you might want to consider wearing a reflective jacket or walking with a friend.  
9. Make sure you have enough water and snacks. If you’re walking a longer distance, make sure you have enough provisions with you.
10. When you get home, do a few gentle stretches to cool down. Check out our ‘Stretches in the kitchen’ video on our YouTube channel, NASSCentral.

Does NASS organise Walk Your AS Off?

No. Since last year, Walk Your AS Off has been organised by the Spondylitis Association of America. Thank you to Walk As One for all the amazing work they have done since 2015 to mobilise and motivate a global community to raise awareness and address the challenges of those affected by axial Spondyloarthritis and its family of related conditions.

Last year’s heros!

A huge thank you to Gillian Eames and Kathy Miller for leading 3 amazing NASS teams to walk an incredible total of 32,399,847 steps to raise awareness of axial SpA. 

• AS Buzzers – A huge well done to team captain Kathy Miller and the entire AS Buzzers team for walking a total of 26,469,122 steps, coming 1st out of all teams across the globe who took part in WYASO – congratulations!
• NASS Orange Apples – NASS Trustee Gillian Eames and her whole Orange Apples team walked a total of 5,172,927 steps, the 6th highest total out of all the teams who participated, and raised over £400 for NASS! What an achievement! 
  
• NASS PAWs – This small yet powerful team and walkers, led by Gillian Eames in memory of her dog, Rosie, with their four-legged friends, pulled off an incredible 719,033 steps!

Thank you to our amazing team of fundraisers for raising over £4,500 for NASS – enough to support another 450 people with axial SpA to live better with their condition.

Sign up here and join a community of people axial SpA on Facebook by joining either NASS Orange Apples, AS Buzzers or NASS PAWs.

We can’t wait for you to join us for Walk Your AS Off 2025!

Thank you to everyone who joined Walk Your AS Off 2024!

By joining Walk Your AS Off (or WYASO, for short), you:

• Kept active.
• Raised awareness of axial SpA.
• Raised over £4,500 for NASS.
• Became part of a community of people living with axial SpA.