In August of 2016, Tri-North kicked off our first company-wide elective step challenge aimed at promoting a healthy and active lifestyle. During the five week period, the Tri-North steppers logged a collective total of 31,687,432 steps! That’s over 15,843 miles! This summer, over 75 employees, spouses, significant others, and children are participating in the second TNB step challenge. In its first week alone, Tri-North steppers logged 6,152,341 steps!

Week 1: Establishing a Baseline

A Fitbit, pedometer, or other step tracking device does not automatically improve your health or fitness simply by wearing it. What it does do is provide an effortless way of collecting useful data about your physical activity levels. The data received helps to measure personal daily activity levels, including your most active times of day, establish your baseline of steps, and help you recognize areas for improvement. Your baseline can also assist you in estimating how many calories you burn throughout the day through physical activity, which is a useful tool in determining how many calories you should consume.

A common recommendation by government and health organizations as a healthy guideline for daily activity is 10,000 steps a day. That equals about 5 miles, a distance in which you’ll burn approximately 500 calories. If you take 10,000 steps every day, that translates to a total of approximately 3,500 calories burned in a week, the number of calories in 1 pound of fat. Not only can walking help you burn calories and lose weight, but according to a survey published in the October, 2000 issue of The Physician and Sportsmedicine, people who walk regularly (3 or more times a week for a half hour or more), it can save you $330 a year in health care costs!

Participants of our step challenge will benefit not only from increased physical activity as the challenge goes on, but also from the camaraderie and encouragement of their step team and co-workers (and of course through a little friendly competition!). Weekly raffle prizes are being offered as further incentives. At the completion of the 8 weeks, the team AND the individual with the most steps accumulated overall will also win prizes!