Read What People Are Saying About Walking!
Orchard Brands/Appleseed's, a Beverly-based company kicked off it's 4th annual Summer Walking Program on June 1st. All employees are eligible to participate and the rules are simple, clip on your pedometer each morning and keep track of all your steps taken throughout the day. A team captain is responsible to report the average steps taken for the team on a weekly basis (teams can range from 1 - 5 employees). Each participant is given a pedometer and weekly tips and motivational information are provided. The program runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Employees really look forward to this program and the competitions among the teams is greater each year! Employees can be seen walking around the building at lunch, taking the stairs more, etc. This year we have a total of 62 employees participating, almost triple the participation of last year! - Pam, Benefits, Specialist, Appleseed's
Draeger Medical Systems in Andover, MA has started a walking club. We even got a request for a biking club. Posters went up today and there's already been a lot of talk and enthusiasm about this. So thanks for the idea and if this weather would only stop raining I think we'd see a lot of people out walking! Draeger Medical Systems, Inc., Andover, MA
I am the director of health and nutrition at Rosie's Place. We are a multi-service agency for poor and homeless women. I am going to use the corporate kit as a basic model to try to interest the women who come to Rosie's Place in exercising. I am thinking of involving our staff by having them begin walking and then inviting the women to join us.Their lives are so filled with struggle and have so many limitations that devising an exercise plan for themselves is not something they are apt to see as a positive addition to their daily routine. We have nothing to offer them as an incentive other than companionship but that might be just what is needed. Thanks for the inspiration. Anna Barbara
Hello! My name is Saba Alhadi and I am the founder of PhotoWalks, Boston's first and only photo walking tour company. Each walking tour is presented with fascinating commentary and creative photography tips. Participants discover Boston's rich history and capture amazing photographs while sightseeing. Walking is one of the best ways to explore our photogenic city! So, grab your camera and bring comfortable walking shoes as you discover Boston's hidden treasures on a PhotoWalks tour. Visit www.photowalks.com.
Our organization, Massachusetts Veterans, Inc., has had a walking club for about six months now. Every day at noontime our "president of the walking club", Richard, leads everyone either outside for a walk around the neighborhood, or in poor weather right next door to a Drill Hall owned by the National Guard Armory. The walking group takes about 20 minutes a day to complete their walk. It was a great idea and has no signs of slowing! John in Worcester
Thanks for the tools. I'm trying to boost my mood, lose weight, improve my balance, and walk mindfully. Suzanne in Manchester, NH
I walk 2 miles to work every morning because I want to show people at my job at Trader Joe's and the customers that it's never too late to get in shape. I went from 305lbs to 264lbs and I feel great! I'm in better shape then I was in my teenage years. I've been doing push ups and I went from a size 44 to a size 40 and I'm still losing weight and inches off my midsection! I feel lighter and more athletic! Joshua in Newton
I walk home from the T. Ann in Winthrop
I was in a slump for about 2 yrs with very little exercise (desk job not much movement or fun). Then for my 58th birthday I received a birthday card from a friend (yikes) that got me moving :) Now I wake up at 5:00 a.m., have a cup of coffee and watch the news in bed till 5:30 a.m., stretch for 5 minutes then get dressed, leash my dog, and off we go. First we go through the woods onto the main road, which we walk for about 4500 steps (2 miles+). Since then (which was April), I have joined a Yoga Class (a first), and taken up kayaking (also a first). I walk every morning rain or shine (I actually like the rain). I went for my physical and received a clean bill of heath and the weight is coming off. Take a couple of steps :) Enjoy :) Pat in Whitinsville
I'm 275lbs, trying for 200lbs. Just started walking to lose 75lbs due to diabetes. Walking 1 mile per day at this time. I'm 63 yrs old. Paul in Windham, NH
Just started walking at lunch time. I am overweight and have decided to take control. I started eating healthier and walking for 30 min. a day. Not too bad for someone who has never exercised! Denise, Newton
My main motivator is my "little man" Baxter, a "tweenie" long-haired dachshund. Liz, Beverly
Thank you for the walking log! It makes keeping track much easier. Suzanne, Framingham
My son and I walk every afternoon around the block (it's about a half mile) and now we're walking after dinner. I can already tell it is making a difference. Keri, Watertown
I have been taking a longer route when I walk my dog each day. By going down a few extra blocks, and by stepping up the pace a bit, I’m finding I have more energy throughout the rest of my day. – RD, Natick, MA
Analogic
At Analogic, a Peabody-based Company that makes medical and security imaging systems, the executive team is challenging its employees to a walking contest to promote health and wellness. In partnership with AWareT Technologies, 90 Analogic employees, grouped in teams of 10, are wearing AWare's ActionTrackers to count the steps they take every day. The team that takes the most steps during the six-week program will have lunch served to them by the team that takes the least. (We're all betting the executive team will be serving lunch!) Doug Rosenfeld, VP of Human Resources, said, "We wanted to do something enjoyable with our employees while at the same time encouraging all of us to take a more active role in our health." With less than a week to go, Analogic has clocked in more than 43 million steps.
Cape Cod Healthcare
As part of its overall effort to help Cape Cod Healthcare staff slim down, shape up and relax, the Working On Wellness (WOW!) team is launching its Walking Challenge. The goal is for employees to increase the number of steps they take each day by 10 percent a week. An active adult should be taking about 10,000 steps a day. A baseline week will allow participants to track their normal day. After that, the 4-week challenge will begin. All participants who meet their goal will be entered into the drawing for door prizes at the end of the session. A second 4-week challenge will begin in June. After a short break, another will begin in September. Michael Lauf, Chief Operating Officer of Cape Cod Healthcare said, “Healthier employees translate into a healthier workplace. There is less health care cost to the organization and a happier work environment. Good nutrition and exercise improves your quality of life across the board.”
Q. Good morning! I would like to start a Walking Program at our church (North River Community Church in Pembroke). Any material available for motivation and help would be a significant boost--jump start !! Dwight in Marshfield
A. Thank you for your e-mail, Dwight! BIDMC's CardioVascular Institute will be getting in touch with you to help launch your walking program!
Neiman Marcus Boston
One of Boston’s most stylish retailers is hip to walking! Neiman Marcus, the upscale Back Bay department store, is kicking off a new employee walking program June 1. As a participant in the BIDMC Walking Club sponsored by the CardioVascular Institute, the company received and distributed pedometers to all interested employees. The CVI’s Joseph Kannam, MD, of Copley Square Cardiology met with the staff for a lively chat about the cardiovascular benefits of walking. Neiman Marcus has provided employees with a club membership list so they can connect with walking buddies and spur each other toward the goal of 10,000 steps a day. These retailers have a leg up -- being on their feet is already part of the job.
American Red Cross
More than 850 Northeast Division staff members have pledged to get into step and start counting their cups of fruits and vegetables during the eight-week "Eat Well. Live Well. Challenge." sponsored by the Northeast Division, this health and wellness program has teams in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Northern New England, New York and Pennsylvania competing to see who can walk the farthest and eat the most servings of fruits and vegetables between April 26 and June 26. Participants wear pedometers every day and are encouraged to walk 10,000 steps, while also adding at least five cups of fruits and veggies to their diets. The grand prize? The chance to look and feel better than ever! -- Melissa Quinlan, American Red Cross
Mintz Levin
Mintz Levin, a Boston-based law firm with 500 attorneys and over a thousand employees across its 8 offices, has a program called MPower Walks. Gina Addis of Mintz Levin writes: “we started the program three years ago as part of a larger health and wellness program, MPower. One element of MPower is the walking program which includes custom maps showing courses of various distances for each of our 8 offices, that can be downloaded from our intranet site. In addition, we encourage people throughout the year to participate in organized walks like the American Heart Association's "Start Walking" program or to simply take a lunchtime walk on their own.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
We have more than 1,000 employees signed up for a program we call “Summer Steppin’.” Staff are breaking up into teams and recording the number of steps they take each day by using a pedometer. The team that has the greatest percentage increase in number of steps from the first day to the last day of the campaign, will win a prize!
Draeger Medical Systems in Andover, MA has started a walking club. We even got a request for a biking club. Posters went up today and there's already been a lot of talk and enthusiasm about this. So thanks for the idea and if this weather would only stop raining I think we'd see a lot of people out walking! Draeger Medical Systems, Inc., Andover, MA
I am the director of health and nutrition at Rosie's Place. We are a multi-service agency for poor and homeless women. I am going to use the corporate kit as a basic model to try to interest the women who come to Rosie's Place in exercising. I am thinking of involving our staff by having them begin walking and then inviting the women to join us.Their lives are so filled with struggle and have so many limitations that devising an exercise plan for themselves is not something they are apt to see as a positive addition to their daily routine. We have nothing to offer them as an incentive other than companionship but that might be just what is needed. Thanks for the inspiration. Anna Barbara
Hello! My name is Saba Alhadi and I am the founder of PhotoWalks, Boston's first and only photo walking tour company. Each walking tour is presented with fascinating commentary and creative photography tips. Participants discover Boston's rich history and capture amazing photographs while sightseeing. Walking is one of the best ways to explore our photogenic city! So, grab your camera and bring comfortable walking shoes as you discover Boston's hidden treasures on a PhotoWalks tour. Visit www.photowalks.com.
Our organization, Massachusetts Veterans, Inc., has had a walking club for about six months now. Every day at noontime our "president of the walking club", Richard, leads everyone either outside for a walk around the neighborhood, or in poor weather right next door to a Drill Hall owned by the National Guard Armory. The walking group takes about 20 minutes a day to complete their walk. It was a great idea and has no signs of slowing! John in Worcester
Thanks for the tools. I'm trying to boost my mood, lose weight, improve my balance, and walk mindfully. Suzanne in Manchester, NH
I walk 2 miles to work every morning because I want to show people at my job at Trader Joe's and the customers that it's never too late to get in shape. I went from 305lbs to 264lbs and I feel great! I'm in better shape then I was in my teenage years. I've been doing push ups and I went from a size 44 to a size 40 and I'm still losing weight and inches off my midsection! I feel lighter and more athletic! Joshua in Newton
I walk home from the T. Ann in Winthrop
I was in a slump for about 2 yrs with very little exercise (desk job not much movement or fun). Then for my 58th birthday I received a birthday card from a friend (yikes) that got me moving :) Now I wake up at 5:00 a.m., have a cup of coffee and watch the news in bed till 5:30 a.m., stretch for 5 minutes then get dressed, leash my dog, and off we go. First we go through the woods onto the main road, which we walk for about 4500 steps (2 miles+). Since then (which was April), I have joined a Yoga Class (a first), and taken up kayaking (also a first). I walk every morning rain or shine (I actually like the rain). I went for my physical and received a clean bill of heath and the weight is coming off. Take a couple of steps :) Enjoy :) Pat in Whitinsville
I'm 275lbs, trying for 200lbs. Just started walking to lose 75lbs due to diabetes. Walking 1 mile per day at this time. I'm 63 yrs old. Paul in Windham, NH
Just started walking at lunch time. I am overweight and have decided to take control. I started eating healthier and walking for 30 min. a day. Not too bad for someone who has never exercised! Denise, Newton
My main motivator is my "little man" Baxter, a "tweenie" long-haired dachshund. Liz, Beverly
Thank you for the walking log! It makes keeping track much easier. Suzanne, Framingham
My son and I walk every afternoon around the block (it's about a half mile) and now we're walking after dinner. I can already tell it is making a difference. Keri, Watertown
I have been taking a longer route when I walk my dog each day. By going down a few extra blocks, and by stepping up the pace a bit, I’m finding I have more energy throughout the rest of my day. – RD, Natick, MA
Analogic
At Analogic, a Peabody-based Company that makes medical and security imaging systems, the executive team is challenging its employees to a walking contest to promote health and wellness. In partnership with AWareT Technologies, 90 Analogic employees, grouped in teams of 10, are wearing AWare's ActionTrackers to count the steps they take every day. The team that takes the most steps during the six-week program will have lunch served to them by the team that takes the least. (We're all betting the executive team will be serving lunch!) Doug Rosenfeld, VP of Human Resources, said, "We wanted to do something enjoyable with our employees while at the same time encouraging all of us to take a more active role in our health." With less than a week to go, Analogic has clocked in more than 43 million steps.
Cape Cod Healthcare
As part of its overall effort to help Cape Cod Healthcare staff slim down, shape up and relax, the Working On Wellness (WOW!) team is launching its Walking Challenge. The goal is for employees to increase the number of steps they take each day by 10 percent a week. An active adult should be taking about 10,000 steps a day. A baseline week will allow participants to track their normal day. After that, the 4-week challenge will begin. All participants who meet their goal will be entered into the drawing for door prizes at the end of the session. A second 4-week challenge will begin in June. After a short break, another will begin in September. Michael Lauf, Chief Operating Officer of Cape Cod Healthcare said, “Healthier employees translate into a healthier workplace. There is less health care cost to the organization and a happier work environment. Good nutrition and exercise improves your quality of life across the board.”
Q. Good morning! I would like to start a Walking Program at our church (North River Community Church in Pembroke). Any material available for motivation and help would be a significant boost--jump start !! Dwight in Marshfield
A. Thank you for your e-mail, Dwight! BIDMC's CardioVascular Institute will be getting in touch with you to help launch your walking program!
Neiman Marcus Boston
One of Boston’s most stylish retailers is hip to walking! Neiman Marcus, the upscale Back Bay department store, is kicking off a new employee walking program June 1. As a participant in the BIDMC Walking Club sponsored by the CardioVascular Institute, the company received and distributed pedometers to all interested employees. The CVI’s Joseph Kannam, MD, of Copley Square Cardiology met with the staff for a lively chat about the cardiovascular benefits of walking. Neiman Marcus has provided employees with a club membership list so they can connect with walking buddies and spur each other toward the goal of 10,000 steps a day. These retailers have a leg up -- being on their feet is already part of the job.
American Red Cross
More than 850 Northeast Division staff members have pledged to get into step and start counting their cups of fruits and vegetables during the eight-week "Eat Well. Live Well. Challenge." sponsored by the Northeast Division, this health and wellness program has teams in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Northern New England, New York and Pennsylvania competing to see who can walk the farthest and eat the most servings of fruits and vegetables between April 26 and June 26. Participants wear pedometers every day and are encouraged to walk 10,000 steps, while also adding at least five cups of fruits and veggies to their diets. The grand prize? The chance to look and feel better than ever! -- Melissa Quinlan, American Red Cross
Mintz Levin
Mintz Levin, a Boston-based law firm with 500 attorneys and over a thousand employees across its 8 offices, has a program called MPower Walks. Gina Addis of Mintz Levin writes: “we started the program three years ago as part of a larger health and wellness program, MPower. One element of MPower is the walking program which includes custom maps showing courses of various distances for each of our 8 offices, that can be downloaded from our intranet site. In addition, we encourage people throughout the year to participate in organized walks like the American Heart Association's "Start Walking" program or to simply take a lunchtime walk on their own.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
We have more than 1,000 employees signed up for a program we call “Summer Steppin’.” Staff are breaking up into teams and recording the number of steps they take each day by using a pedometer. The team that has the greatest percentage increase in number of steps from the first day to the last day of the campaign, will win a prize!
