Get Ready for HealthTrails!
Some of you may have already heard of HealthTrails and how awesome it’s going to be, but if you have not, get ready for an amazing challenge that we’re sure you will enjoy. So, what is HealthTrails? HealthTrails is a six-week long University System of Georgia (USG) sponsored competition for all 29 institutions. It is a virtual challenge that allows you to complete different trails around the world such as those in Greece, South America, Northern Africa and beyond. It is truly an experience rich in culture.
HealthTrails is designed to allow you to track three healthy habits: steps, water consumption, and kindness. With steps, you want to aim for 10,000 steps or more a day for the greatest health benefits, including lowering your risk for many chronic conditions. You may record as many steps as you’d like, but to encourage consistency a maximum of 15,000 steps a day will count toward your movement on the trail.
Water is essential for helping your body digest food, absorb and transport nutrients, and maintain temperature. Aim for six 8-ounce glasses of water each day. You may record as much water as you’d like, but to maintain consistency a maximum of ten 8-ounce glasses a day will count toward your movement on the trail.
Brightening someone’s day lifts your spirits too. Aim to perform 1 act of kindness, random or not, per day. You may record as many as you want, but a maximum of 2 acts of kindness a day will count toward your movement on the trail.
To qualify, Georgia State needs at least 500 employees (staff & faculty) to sign up and participate! You can either join as an individual or create your own team. Teams consist of 4 to 10 members, including the team leader and at least 3 other people. Participants can be a member of only 1 team. Once you join a team, you may not switch to another team. The individual who starts the team is the team leader and can accept/send team requests. For teams, scoring is based on the team’s average miles/day. The more miles participants move along the trail, the greater the impact of their overall team score.
Here are some important dates for the HealthTrails Challenge:
- USG HealthTrails Challenge Registration Opens: March 1
- GSU HealthTrails Challenge Kickoff Event & Walk: March 2
- Challenge Start Date: March 20
- Registration End Date: April 3
- Last Day to Form a Team: April 3
- Challenge End Date: April 30
- Ending Celebration: May 12 (TBD) from 12:30 -1:30pm (Tentative)
To register for HealthTrails, all participants must visit the HealthTrails website at https://usgwellbeing.healthtrails.com using your last name and birth year.
During account setup, you will be asked a series of questions. If participants do not currently own a tracking device and have not received one from the USG Well-Being program, then they will qualify for a $44 Fitbit subsidy. This subsidy will be available for the first 5,000 who qualify within the USG.
For more information, please visit employees.hr.gsu.edu/healthtrails
Contributing Writer: Tony Price, Health & Wellness Coordinator, Employee Development and Wellness Services, Georgia State University