Tri-North Steppers: Part One by Thomas Thayer

Something new is afoot (pun intended) here at Tri-North this month. We’re in the middle of an elective step competition among our team members. Our goal is simple: to be more active. Yes, even in the construction industry, plenty of us could use a little extra motivation to get up and move more!

Why Steps?

The benefits of walking are well-documented and numerous. In terms of physical health, it’s often called a “miracle drug” because of its positive effects on basically every health condition and research-proven ability to actually prolong life. Walking can help maintain a healthy weight, improve circulation, prevent or manage various conditions such as high blood pressure and heart disease, strengthen bones and muscles, improve balance, and even protect vision throughout aging.

As if that’s not enough, studies have also shown amazing benefits of walking on mental health.  An amazing mood-lifter, regular walking can improve depression, calm stress, improve sleep, heighten creativity and problem-solving abilities, and in general, help to clear one’s mind. The icing on the cake is that people who walk regularly (wearing sunscreen) often look younger than their age.

We chose a step competition for the reasons above, but also because walking does not require any special equipment. And not only does it cost nothing more than a pair of sneakers, it can actually save individuals money long term in healthcare costs.

What We’re Doing

We split all participants up into teams. Each team elected a captain responsible for tracking the team’s daily step totals and reporting weekly step totals. We also extended the challenge to spouses and significant others to further encourage participation. Steps are counted with our new Tri-North pedometers which we provided to all participants.

Prizes!

We’ve set a weekly step goal that increases each week. Any individuals who meet the weekly step goals are entered into a weekly drawing for great prizes like last week’s $250 gift card to J. Crew (one of Tri-North’s clients). At the end of the competition, the team with the most steps over the course of the challenge will win the grand prize. Additionally, the individual with the most steps throughout the challenge will also win a prize.

What We Know So Far

We just wrapped up our second week of the competition, and already it’s clear that the challenge and group effort is encouraging our team members to be more active. We saw an 11% increase in this week’s numbers versus the first week’s totals. That amounted to a 664,986 total step increase across all teams, or roughly 330 more miles in our second week than our first! Tri-North Project Controller, Mindy Twilegar, says, “Our step competition was the push I needed to be more active and start walking more. The weekly raffle prizes and team accountability are great motivation for me to meet the weekly step goals!”

Stay tuned for “Tri-North Steppers: Part Two” where we’ll announce review our program and reveal our total steps!