Let's Get Moving!

So my friend Chris B. runs this cool startup company that pays people to walk. That's right, they pay. You. To walk.

Actually it's not quite that simple. They sell incentive-based wellness programs to large corporations who want their employees to be more fit. The pitch goes something like this:

• unfit workers cost you more (through decreased productivity and increased health care costs)
• thus you want to get your workers fit
• studies have shown that the best way to get unfit people fit is not through dieting, but by getting them active
• therefore you want to get your workers active
• and the most effective way to do that is to pay them!

The company goes in and sets up and runs the program which involves kiosks for monitoring vital stats e.g. weight, blood pressure, etc., and tracking activity levels - which at this point is largely focused on tracking steps through "smart" pedometers. Then they set up incentive programs which reward increase in activity levels. Rewards may be additional time off, or cold hard cash.

So I was fascinated as Chris explained all this to me last Friday night over dinner, especially the stats about the percentage of the population which is considered sedentary (65-70%!!!!), the incremental cost (to a company) of worker inactivity ($2400 per inactive worker per year), and the effectiveness of the program in getting people to lose weight and keep it off.

Perhaps most interesting were some of the tidbits Chris shared with me about his own personal transformation from sendentary to active. He is now religious about wearing his pedometer and has increased his daily step count from below 3000 (sedentary) to over 8000, by doing very simple things. He takes the stairs (ok we've all heard that one). When he meets with coworkers he often does so by taking a walk rather than sitting in a conference room (why not???). At night he walks on his treadmill while watching movies. All of these little things have made a huge impact in his energy level (even I noticed, he looks great).

Talking to Chris was definitely an eye-opener for me, and an inspiration. I also got a great note from fellow fat-blogger Tony who said that walking every day has been a cornerstone of his success.

So here's the deal. I have to get moving. For a variety of reasons (work, moving, money) I have not rejoined the gym yet. But walking is the answer, at least for now. I am ready to commit to walking for at least 30 minutes a day, at least five days a week. I'm also going to look into getting a pedometer and tracking my daily activity. I would love to find ways to build more activity into my every day life. Meanwhile, I'll be walking...