Count Those Steps
Wellness Challenge Is Under Way, With 36 Teams Registered
The race is on.
Thirty-six teams — 144 individuals — registered for the "Stepping Up for Spring"
wellness competition for Alma College faculty and staff that began May
1 and continues through May 31. The campus goal: 10 million steps, or
5,800 miles, which translates to walking to Quito, Ecuador, and back.
Faculty and staff who walk or run during their lunch hour are
reminded that they are permitted, with supervisory approval, to
move their schedule a half or full hour either way from the normal noon
to 1 p.m. lunch hour and to extend the lunch hour 15 minutes if needed
to get in a workout, cool down and be back to work.
To acknowledge the international scope of the challenge, a world map will be displayed at the Stone Recreation Center that shows where participants are counting steps during the contest.
Participants are asked to share their stories about the program. These
could be anything from interesting places you walked to events that
took place during your stepping times. Please send those locations and
stories to Tammy Rees at rees@alma.edu or to Julian Springer at
springer@alma.edu.
How do I work the pedometer?
The pedometer can measure steps or miles, but we are only tracking
steps for the program. On the back of the pedometer are three buttons —
one on the left and two on the right. The button on the upper right is
for the mode. Press it to make sure the mode is for steps (the first
choice on the display to the right side of the large digital numbers).
The button on the left is to reset your pedometer. Make sure you reset
every morning or every evening when you log your steps.
What do I do if my pedometer breaks or I lose it?
Bring your broken pedometer to the Recreation Center for a replacement.
Where do I put my pedometer?
To work most accurately, place the pedometer on your belt or waistband
on the side of your body. If you don’t have a waistband or belt,
you can clip it to a pocket as close as you can to your side. The
idea of duct tape has been raised, but we are afraid that may take off
a bit of skin when removing, it is, however, an intriguing idea.
Do I need to take bigger steps than normal for it to register on my pedometer?
No, just take normal steps, but remember that running will also register as a step.
Help—my pedometer accidentally reset itself during the day!
Relax, this has happened on more than one occasion. Some folks have
attributed it to “their belly hitting the reset button” or if the
pedometer was dropped. Either way, if your day is pretty much
like the previous few days, take an average and use that for your
count. In other words, make an educated guess. For the
belly issue, we may have to address that in future Wellness programs.
Do I count my steps only at work?
No—this competition can include every step you take between the time
you wake up in the morning to the time you go to bed at night,
including weekends.
How do I keep track of my steps?
An Excel file has been provided to the participants. At the bottom are
two tabs—one for individual tracking and one for team tracking. Since
these are Excel files, you can save them and just type in your numbers
or print them off and write in by hand. Make sure you tell your team
captain your steps each week.
As a team captain, how do I submit the steps for my team?
You can call Julian at 7950 or e-mail him at springer@alma.edu with
your step counts or just forward your Excel spreadsheet—just make sure
you name or your team name is on the sheet.
When are my step counts due?
We are counting steps Monday through Sunday. The step counts are
due the Tuesday after the week the steps are counted (May 6, 13, 20, 27
and June 3). Since May 1 is on a Thursday, the first counts will
only be for four days and the last week will be for six days (May
26-31).
How can I see the results of the stepping competition?
A display of the results will be located at the Stone Recreation Center
May 1–11 and 26–31. The display will move to the Dow Lobby May 12–18
and will be relocate again to Tyler-Van Dusen May 19–25. Also,
Public Relations will be sending out weekly e-mail messages to update
campus on the results.
Is it appropriate to ask other participants how many steps they have taken and to compare teams?
Certainly. “Walking trash talk” and side competitions are encouraged.
For example, Three Ladies and a Dude have challenged Three Amigos and a
Fruitcake to walk more steps – the exact terms of the agreement are
still being negotiated but we think homemade cookies may be involved.
What is the one idea I should take away from this competition?
Get up and move — it's good for your physical and mental health. Every step counts.
— Tammy Rees
Posted: Wed, April 30th, 2008 at 12:13AM
