TWO WEEKS AND 250,000 MILES

Wow! In just the first two weeks of Miles for Wellness Challenge 32, state employees and retirees moved for a total of the equivalency of nearly 250,000 miles, already surpassing the distance from Earth to the moon.

How many miles did your team walk? And where did they rank compared to other teams? Download the team rankings sheet to find out. And, remember, you can visualize your team's progress using the maps on the Challenge 32 webpage.

REMINDER

If you missed the deadline to submit your team's steps, simply report your step count for weeks 1-4 during the next reporting period, Monday, October 20–Wednesday, October 22.

BIONIC HARE

1st: Mustangs

Captain: Gayatri Nanduri

Dept. of Information Technology

Total Steps: 3,202,675

2nd: BCAS Road Warriors 1

Captain: Jennie Vaughn

UNC Chapel Hill

Total Steps: 2,927,706

3rd: HSBIA Product Pushers

Captain: Brook Clements

Dept. of Health and Human Services

Total Steps: 2,853,930

SUPER HARE

1st: Campus Cruisers

Captain: Elaine Carmon

NC Community Colleges
Total Steps: 2,097,156

2nd: The System Steppers

Captain: Elysia Lash

UNC System Office
Total Steps: 1,968,451

3rd: CMAST Kraken

Captain: Emily Christiansen

Dept. of Natural and Cultural Resources

Total Steps: 1,927,710

HARE

1st: Team Watson-Brumit

Captain: Wendy Wilt

Appalachian State

Total Steps: 1,394,616

2nd: Titans

Captain: Esteban Soto

NC Community Colleges

Total Steps: 1,391,383

3rd: Assorted Nuts

Captain: Tracie Rhoads

Dept. of Health and Human Services

Total Steps: 1,390,384

TORTOISE

1st: Prize Winning Pacers

Captain: Gabby Banks

Dept. of Insurance

Total Steps: 1,116,992

2nd: College Walk

Captain: Cyndy Hummel

NC Community Colleges

Total Steps: 1,115,982

3rd: Carolina Stroll Patrol

Captain: Jessica Pyjas

UNC Chapel Hill

Total Steps: 1,115,346

HOW DIVISIONS ARE DETERMINED

Divisions are determined based on the average number of steps per week, per member, so teams compete against like-performing, similarly active teams throughout the challenge. To find the average steps for each division, refer to the FAQ section on our website.

HOW RANKINGS ARE DETERMINED

Rankings within a division are based on a team's total number of steps. Miles for Wellness is designed to promote teamwork and team building, so it's ideal to recruit a full team of 10 to increase the likelihood of winning within a division. Teams of less than 10 shouldn't be discouraged — there's always a way to improve! Many small but mighty teams strive to move up to a higher division or overcome full teams within their division. And remember, as long as you're building habits that promote daily physical activity, you're reaping the benefits of the challenge.

Congratulations to our current leaders! Click the button below to find out how your team measures up.

No matter where your team landed on the leaderboard, there's nothing better than knowing so many state employees are improving their health together.

BELOW ARE EXCITING HIGHLIGHTS:

• The Outdoorsy Troop, captained by Tiffani Sherman from NC State, made the most of rainy days by logging steps with housework and shopping trips. And one team member even dropped their car off at the nearest shop and walked to the office!

• "I play Pokemon Go with my son, and we've received the 25km reward the last two weeks! We intend to reach the 50km goal by the end of this challenge" - Danielle Eastup, Ribbon-Winning Wellness Walkers captain from UNC Wilmington

• Members of Mountain Maniacs, Sandra Chisholm's team from the Dept. of Health and Human Services, had a Friday dance party to get their numbers up, while members of Janice Badstein's Walking Specimens, from UNC Chapel Hill, are using the beautiful fall weather as a motivator to get outside and move.

• A member of Agony of de Feet - Delcourt, captained by Jennifer Delcourt from the Dept. of Transportation, shared, "I've only hit 10k+ a few times, so I'm not sure I'm qualified to give advice, but it is my new daily goal! Keeping a tracker on me throughout the day really helps; sometimes, we're moving more than we realize. I also reviewed activities in the drop-down conversions...it inspired me to try barre, dancing, and yoga workouts on YouTube."

• "We have several folks returning from the last challenge who are already doing better than last year!" - Michelle Maclay, TraCS Blue Ribbon captain from UNC Chapel Hill

Remember to put your team's successes big and small in the comments section when completing the bi-weekly reporting form for a chance to be featured.

BI-WEEKLY REPORTING FORM

Submit your team's steps for each check-in and the final deadline using the bi-weekly reporting form.

The reporting periods for each check-in are:

• Weeks 1-4: Monday, October 20-Wednesday, October 22
• Weeks 1-6: Monday, November 3-Wednesday, November 5
• Weeks 1-8 (Final Submission): Monday, November 17-Friday, November 21

HOW TO USE YOUR TRACKING SHEET

Not sure how to use your captain's spreadsheet? The video here can help. We also have a video to help your team members use the participant tracking sheet and directions for converting other exercises to steps. NOTE: The dates in the training videos are examples from a past challenge, not the reporting dates for Challenge 32.

TRAIL FACTS

Check out the points of interest guide here to learn more about each zoo your team will explore along this virtual adventure.

NEED MORE INFO?

Each message we send captains is filled with valuable information to help you make the most of Miles for Wellness. Find past emails on the Challenge 32 page.

Still can't find the answer you're looking for? Email milesforwellness@nc.gov.