As I was trying to find something that would get me exercising more during my day and while I am at the theatre at night, I discovered “Virgin Healthmiles” via my day job’s corporate website. The idea behind the program is pretty simple… I take 7,000 or more steps each day which are recorded into a free pedometer they provided me and they credit me with “health miles” that I can use to lower or even pay for my copay for my doctor visits. Quite ingenious. Get people to stay healthier so you don’t have to pay huge amounts in insurance claims when their lethargy and obesity cause other more expensive health problems to arise. I jumped on this right away and ordered my free pedometer. I have been using it for a few weeks now and love it!
Then I hit a wall… What would drive me to take MORE than the minimum needed to pay for my doctor copay? I know that I SHOULD take more steps but it is the program itself that is keeping my fitness in focus. In steps the “challenges” portion of the Virgin Healthmiles website. When my co-workers got hold of their own pedometers, they started right in on challenging each other to contests. Yesterday I was challenged by some of my teammates and I gladly accepted. Seven of us are now competing for the most steps taken in two weeks. The person who comes in last place buys lunch for the person who comes in first place. Thanks to the pedometer’s ability to upload to the website, we are all able to see where we stand in the contest and make adjustments accordingly. The competition gives just enough of a nudge for my progress in daily steps to be in the forefront of my mind. I look forward to seeing what affect this has on the rest of my health in the coming months!
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