Representatives from more than 200 companies and groups throughout Arkansas and the nation gathered Tuesday to Invest in Fitness at the kickoff of the 2009 Blue You Fitness Challenge held at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.
Governor Mike Beebe declared Tuesday Fitness Challenge day in Arkansas in recognition of the sixth annual competition to promote wellness in the community and at the worksite.
Invest in Fitness was the theme of the kickoff as companies and groups made their deposits toward fitness in increments of 30, 60 or 92 virtual checkpoints across America.
“Thousands of Americans are making a move toward a better health by participating in the challenge this year,” said Richard Cooper, Vice President of Human Resources for Blue Cross, Blue Shield and team champion for the Challenge.
The exercise competition has grown from two entities in 2004 to a possible 107,000 or more employees/individuals competing in 2009. The Blue You Fitness Challenge begins March 1 and runs through May 31 and is hosted by Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, the Arkansas Department of Health and the Arkansas Department of Human Services.
The Challenge encourages employees to work toward the public health recommendation of 30 minutes of physical activity each day for adults, most days of the week. Exercise requires only a small investment of time and movement, and promises a great rate of return on your health. Thousands of Americans are making a move toward better health by participating in the Challenge this year, said Cooper.
During the contest, participants engage in eligible cardiovascular-oriented exercises to work their way through at least 30 virtual checkpoints across America during the three-month contest, although 92 checkpoints (the number of total days of the contest) are on the virtual map.
Participants start in Little Rock where the Fitness Challenge all began then exercise through all state capitals, many national parks and some interesting places in between, to finish in Hot Springs National Park, the oldest national park in the system.
Blue You Fitness Challenge participants register and log their exercise online (click here). Participants are able to watch real-time data to see how their stats compare to others in the competition. The winning entity is determined by the greatest employee/group participation and the highest scores in four categories.
For the fifth year, the Arkansas Department of Human Services is excited to be a part of this program, which continues to grow each year. As our more than 7,500 employees take care of our citizens across the state, we want them to remember to take care of themselves too, said John Selig, director of the Arkansas Department of Human Services. Regular exercise is a good way to reduce stress, combat the sedentary nature that often comes with office jobs and improve cardio-vascular health. We are happy that this home-grown program has put Arkansas in the national spotlight for worksite wellness.
We believe programs like the Blue You Fitness Challenge are a fun, motivational way to help people begin to change their lifestyles and, ultimately, improve not only their individual health and fitness but also improve the overall health of Arkansans, said Paul Halverson, Dr. PH, director of the Arkansas Department of Health. Current research tells us that getting more physical activity means lower health-care costs for individuals and families. The United Health Foundation does their state health rankings each year to determine which states are the healthiest in the nation Arkansas came up five levels in 2008, from 48th to 43rd.
The Employee Fitness Contest Kit, a free guide to organizing an employee exercise competition, is available in notebook and/or CD format by calling toll free, 1-800-686-2609, or by stopping by the nearest Arkansas Blue Cross regional office. The kit also may be downloaded by clicking here. Read more at arkansasmatters.com.
