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WHAT IS MILES FOR WELLNESS?
Miles for Wellness is a statewide Worksite Wellness initiative designed to encourage all state employees to incorporate daily movement into their lives.
WHY SHOULD I PARTICIPATE?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity has immediate and long-term benefits.
IMMEDIATE BENEFITS:
- Reduced short-term feelings of anxiety
- Sharpened thinking, learning, and judgement
- Improved sleep
LONG-TERM BENEFITS:
- Weight maintenance
- Reduced risk of depression
- Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease
- Reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome
- Improved blood glucose levels for those with Type 2 diabetes
- Lowered risk for developing some cancers
- Stronger bones and muscles
- Reduced pain and improved function for adults with arthritis
- Improved ability to do daily activities and prevent falls, for adults 65+
- Increased life expectancy, including reduced risk of death from flu and pneumonia
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Team captains submit their team's total step count every two weeks for a total of eight weeks. Based on these step counts, teams are placed in one of four divisions designed so teams compete against other similar performing teams.
DO I HAVE TO WALK OR RUN?
No. Many forms of physical activity can be converted into an approximate number of steps using the activity dropdown of options in the participant spreadsheet. Employees are encouraged to take part in whatever physical activities they enjoy, from high impact aerobics to yoga. Even everyday activities like gardening, scrubbing the floors, vacuuming, and washing a car can be converted to steps through the program.
HOW DO I CONVERT OTHER ACTIVITIES?
We've done the work for you. Challenge participants receive a spreadsheet with a dropdown menu of activities. Once an activity is selected and a duration (in minutes) is added, the spreadsheet automatically populates with a step count conversion.
WHAT IF I DON'T HAVE A STEP COUNTER OR OTHER FITNESS TRACKER?
No worries! While they may help track daily activity, a fitness tracker is not required. The spreadsheet provided to participants can help you estimate your step count for walking or running, too.
QUESTIONS?
Visit the Office of State Human Resources website to learn more about Miles for Wellness Challenge 34 or email milesforwellness@nc.gov.
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