UTMB’s Center for Addiction Research is taking teamwork to a new level. More than 90 percent of the employees at the Center have signed up to take part in the 2015 UT System Physical Activity Challenge.
“Teamwork is the greatest resource to accomplish any goal,” said Jim Kasper, a postdoctoral fellow with the Center for Addiction Research. “As the first few members joined the Challenge, the excitement spread quickly. Our Center strives together, as a team, to succeed in our shared research, education and outreach goals. The Physical Activity Challenge is a wonderful platform to strengthen team building and networking while promoting wellness in our center.”
The Challenge began April 6, with the goal to complete 50,000 steps per week – or the equivalent activity – for at least five weeks out of the six-week challenge. Tracking your activity is easy, as all participants who register for the challenge by Friday, April 10, receive a pedometer, an activity chart and other interactive tools.
“When groups or departments get involved in activities like a physical challenge, it helps initiate change in some individuals that may not have done it on their own, but enjoy being part of a team,” said Gerald Cleveland, UTMB director of HR Health Promotion & Wellness. “That positive change, whether in a single person or a department leads us closer to an institutional culture of health.”
The six-week physical activity challenge is hosted through the Living Well online platform, which offers a variety of interactive tools and resources to help you achieve and maintain your fitness goals. For more information on the Challenge, or to sign up, go to https://livingwell.provantonline.com.
The institution with the highest percentage for both registration and completion of the challenge will be awarded the coveted “Traveling Trophy.” UTMB is your team, so get together with your coworkers and find ways to fit physical activity into your day. Take a walk at lunch, meet up at the gym, encourage each other to get moving – and keep track of what you do!