Posted April 26, 2011 - 5:39pm by Tracy
Well Community wellness challenge check-in
Last week, Well Community staff members challenged themselves and each other to observe a week of wellness.
This test originated from Galter LifeCenter’s “70,000 steps in 7 days” challenge to celebrate Medical Fitness Week (April 18-24). The walking challenge tasked Galter LifeCenter members and people in the community with wearing pedometers and logging their steps every day for one week, with a goal of reaching 70,000 steps.
After committing to the walking challenge, Well Community staff upped the stakes by adding additional challenges, such as using yoga balls or standup desks rather than chairs for the week.
The week was difficult — our backs and feet are sore — but it was worth it.
Check out our staff’s reactions to the challenge below, then let us know what you think. Would you take on a challenge like this?
The walking challenge
“It was interesting to see how some days steps added up quickly, while other days it took more work to get to 10,000. I think that moving forward I will pay more attention to this and on days I feel l like I have been trapped at my desk, I will force myself to get up and move around because it really does make you feel better.” — Monique Sheibley, physician liaison
“This is a reminder that any time you track your wellness — from nutrition to fitness — you improve your results. Using a pedometer was an eye-opener to the impact that a lazy day can have.” — Leigh Ginther, editor in chief
“It was great being able to track my activity level for the day — and when I forgot my pedometer for half a day, I couldn’t stop thinking about all the steps that weren’t being logged. I’m going to wear the pedometer as often as possible.” — Tracy Hernandez, senior staff writer and deputy editor
“I’m wearing a pedometer right now but I feel like that will get harder with the spring/summer wardrobe so I’m not sure how long that will last. My boyfriend made fun of me last night because I was only 90 steps from the 10,000 goal so I paced around his apartment a few times. It was worth it.” — Kristin Walters, Galter LifeCenter marketing coordinator
“My boyfriend joined the cause, so having him to compete with — and go on walks with — helped motivate me. We’d planned on going for walks every night that week — but the bad weather and lots of ‘to dos’ got in the way. But we were determined to make up for it. So over the weekend, we set out to make up the remaining 30,000 steps we needed. That meant walking. Pretty. Much. All. Weekend. The challenge clearly worked for us.” — Angela Fornelli, managing editor
“It was shocking to see that on some busy ‘desk days’ it was noon and I only had 1,000 or so steps. It made me aware of my inactivity and forced me to get moving more. On days that I was low, I made a point to stop by the gym for even just 30 minutes. On days that I was very active (like a kickboxing class) it was very motivating to see so many steps on the pedometer. It was a real sense of accomplishment — And who knew that an hour Group Kick class at Galter LifeCenter logs 6,000-7,000 steps. Insane, but awesome!” — Jenise Celestin, North Side Inside and Out blogger
Using a yoga ball instead of a chair
“The last couple of days when I have been back in my chair, I have noticed that I seem to be sitting straighter in my chair which is definitely a result of sitting on the yoga ball last week. I’m definitely keeping my yoga ball at my desk and will try to sit on it as much as possible. ” — Monique Sheibley, physician liaison
“I started the challenge off by reconfiguring my desk to a standing position. This was tiring (and called for lots of stretching my hamstrings throughout the day), but I really liked it. My step counts on these days were very high, probably because I could move so easily, and I felt like I had accomplished something. I switched to the yoga ball the second half of the week. It was obvious that my core strength can improve, because I found myself leaning on my desk to stay upright! Would love to reconfigure my desk to a standing position for good.” — Tracy Hernandez, senior staff writer and deputy editor
“The challenge made me realize how long I am actually sitting in one spot sometimes. No wonder they say when you get a desk job you gain weight. I started using the yoga ball instead of a chair and the first day I instantly felt a difference in my back and posture. It was a little sore after the first day, but now I’m used to it. Hopefully that means I strengthened those muscles that were inactive when I was sitting in a chair.” — Kristin Walters, Galter LifeCenter marketing coordinator
“I learned that sitting on an exercise ball at my desk while typing/working makes me feel seasick.” — Jenise Celestin, Jenise Celestin, North Side Inside and Out blogger
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