Entries Tagged 'HealthMiles' ↓

I have written several posts this year about the Virgin HealthMiles activity rewards program. The program is available to individuals but is available to us through our health insurance in The United Methodist Church.

The program involves wearing a pedometer to track steps. Depending on how active you are, you can progress through various stages, earning a little money at each stage (up to $300/year for all five stages, and actually, our insurance program added $125 in other incentives along the way). I decided to chart the course here on the blog through the first year, and today, I reached the highest level (5), nearly four months after reaching Level 4.

Interestingly, after the big HealthFlex HealthMiles Challenge (where more than 2,800 United Methodist participants competed in a national month-long challenge; 17 of us, including me, reached the daily maximum of 30,000 steps each day of the 29-day challenge), I haven’t been nearly as active as I was before the challenge. Of course, I expected a bit of a slump (or recovery time), but overall, my daily step counts are lower. I should get back on pace around the end of the year and the beginning of the new year, though.

On our “anniversary” date (the date we signed up for the program), participants start over, so on January 23, 2010, I will start all over again and work toward Level 1 (and beyond) during the second year.

Anyway, I’ve written these posts this year just to say that I think the program (or even simply wearing a pedometer, which provides instant feedback on activity level) is good incentive for getting/staying active!

As I wrote in mid-July, there was a big HealthMiles challenge open to the members of HealthFlex, the health insurance plan of The United Methodist Church.

In all, more than 2,800 participants logged more than 709,581,760 total steps during the 29-day challenge. The challenge sponsors set a 30,000-step daily limit, and a number of us shot for the limit each day. In the end, 17 of us finished in a tie with 870,000 steps.

The top three finishers were determined in a random drawing. I was not one of the three (who will receive $100, $75, or $50 for first, second, and third places). The other 14 of us will get $25 (along with the rest of the top-50 finishers).

There were 33 teams (31 conferences plus the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits and one college) in the team competition. My team/conference, which averaged 273,228 steps/person, finished 8th.

As I said at the beginning, I simply wanted to see what I could do. I didn’t really intend to do 30,000 steps a day for 29 days in a row. I thought I’d start out with 30,000 on the first day and see what the competition looked like. I knew it was going to be tough when 50+ people uploaded 30,000 steps the first day. From then on, I took it one day at a time!

My biggest challenges were mental (constantly tracking my daily progress and keeping myself moving) and, of course, time. The biggest thing that helped was getting up earlier and starting the day with a 60-90 minute walk, racking up 7,500 to 10,000 steps first thing in the morning. I also used this time for prayer and planning. It was a great way to start the day!

Beyond that, it was a fairly normal but very active day. There were a few days (especially toward the end) where I was finishing my day with a 30-45 minute walk to get those remaining 3,000+ steps (a sign of getting tired?). Overall, though, I felt pretty energized. It was probably the adrenaline!

The toughest day was the 28th day of the 29-day challenge. We had to leave for Pittsburgh at 4:30 am for a 9-hour continuing education event. We spent about 6 hours on the road to and from Pittsburgh. I knew that didn’t leave much time for sleep!

I got up at 3:00 (on 4 hours of sleep) to walk for (only) 45-minutes. I walked at the Mellon Arena when I could (which wasn’t much). When we got home, and after Ethan went to bed, I walked for about an hour and a half to get my 30,000 steps for the day. I think I finished around/after 11:00 pm. Then I had to get up a few hours later for the final day of the challenge!

Well, in the 8 full days since the challenge ended, I’ve held myself to 12,000 – 15,000 steps a day with one day over 20,000. Soon, I’ll get back to aiming for 16,000 – 20,000 steps a day.

During the challenge, I thought a lot about the theme of “running the race,” the commitment to “keep moving forward,” and the utter importance of “finishing well” (which happens to be the topic of tomorrow’s sermon, my first since the challenge and a few days of vacation).

Yesterday, I reached Level 4 (of 5) in the HealthMiles walking incentives program, less than six months after signing up. That leaves me plenty of time (six months) to reach the final level (Level 5). At my current pace, it should take up to four months.

I reached Level 4 on day 7 of the 28 day marathon I blogged recently. The challenge, involving 2,830 people from across The United Methodist Church, is going very well. I am doing as well or better than I expected and am running with the leaders, so far.

HealthMiles, which is now available to individuals (not just organizations), is an excellent program. I like the instant feedback (by uploading my steps to the HealthMiles website), the focus on cumulative activity, and the ability to track progress at the website. The financial incentives are a nice touch as well.

I tend to get a lot of steps simply because I move a lot. A few days ago, Ethan’s first words after waking up in the morning (which I heard via the baby monitor) were, “Daddy, walking” (and I get most of my steps while he’s asleep!).

Occasionally, Ethan will stop in his tracks, lift up his shirt near his right hip, look at his imaginary pedometer, and call out a number, then continue walking. As we’ve said before, some things are better caught than taught.

Anyway, one more stop (in the first year), Level 5. One step at a time.

Beginning at midnight tonight, 2,830 people from across The United Methodist Church will begin a 4-week challenge. The challenge is open to members of the denominational health insurance plan, HealthFlex, who are participating in the HealthMiles rewards incentive program.

As we’ve blogged before (see Racking Up HealthMiles), we are participating in the HealthMiles program, which involves wearing a pedometer to count the number of steps we take. We upload our steps to the HealthMiles website via USB cable to earn rewards.

The HealthMiles program allows organizations to conduct organization-wide challenges once a year. A couple weeks ago, we received an email inviting us to participate in the first ever HealthFlex-wide challenge, a 4-week challenge that begins tomorrow (7/15). Twenty minutes after the email went out, I was the 70th person to sign up. When registration closed last night, a total of 2,830 people had signed up.

The challenge will track the number of steps each participant takes over the next 4 weeks. There will be both individual and team components. Teams will be determined by conference relationship (in addition to a college and the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits). There are 32 teams in the challenge.

Team results will be determined by the average number of steps per day for each team member. Individual results will be determined by the total number of steps. There is a 30,000-step/day cap (my sense in reading the rules is that the cap is to deter people from cheating).

Each member of the winning team will receive 250 HealthMiles (i.e., reward points); 100 HealthMiles will go to each person of the second place team. In the individual competition, the top 50 people will receive a cash prize ($100 for first place, $75 for second, $50 for third, and $25 goes to those who place 4-50).

I’m excited about the challenge. I’ve been raring to go ever since the challenge was issued. I have at least three personal goals …

1. To help my team (Central Pennsylvania Conference) win the team competition!
2. To test my endurance and consistency (i.e., to pace myself and to rack up as many steps as possible every day)!
3. And while there’s *always* someone out there who can do more, I’m playing to win!

Part of the fun is that participants will be able to chart their progress and placement during the challenge at the HealthMiles website. Participants can also post comments on the chat page and with 2,830 participants, that could be interesting!

Well, I’ll write about the experience at the finish line (unless I decide to blog along the way, periodically). In the meantime, let the challenge begin!

Self-care is important for all of us. It’s certainly important for leaders — people who influence and model life for others!

If we don’t care for ourselves — body, mind, and soul — we will have less to give to and for others.

Businesses and organizations are discovering this reality, partly in response to the rising costs of health care. A recent article at Time.com describes the interest some companies are gaining in helping their people become more fit and healthy.

Even though I have long believed in the importance of self-care, I was still blown away by the results IBM has seen in just the last three years. According to Joyce Young, IBM’s director of wellness, they have saved around $100 million due to the improved health and fitness of their employees.

The Time.com article mentions the Virgin HealthMiles rewards program that I’ve blogged recently. The health insurance plan of the UMC that our conference is participating in, offers membership in the HealthMiles program.

You can read my most recent posts here and here, as well as Racking Up HealthMiles, which has been one of the most popular posts in recent weeks.

Health care costs are high among pastors in our conference. It will be interesting see what kind of results we experience — not only to save money (although that’s important, too, from a stewardship perspective), but so that we will be able to offer more effective ministry, for longer!

I have now reached Level 3 (of 5) in the HealthMiles incentives program, less than 2.5 months after activating the GoZone pedometer that came with the program, offered through our conference’s health insurance plan (see my first post, Racking Up HealthMiles).

When I reached Level 2, I estimated that it might take about 60 days to reach Level 3; it took 50. But it will take longer to reach Levels 4 and 5 because each requires 12,000 HealthMiles instead of 6,000 (each) for Levels 1 and 2. And while I racked up 12,000 HealthMiles in less than 3 months, some of those early HealthMiles were given simply for signing up, activating the pedometer, etc. I think it’ll take around 4 months for each of the next two levels, at my current pace.

My number of steps/day has been increasing. Overall, I’m averaging 15,719 steps/day, but I’m averaging 17,460 steps/day in April, including seven days with at least 20,000 (a mark I only hit four times in the month and a half before April).

I am still waiting for a Mac version of the software used to upload steps from our pedometers. In the meantime, we are using a PC that we have access to. A beta version of the Mac software is being developed, but it isn’t working for me yet. I have provided feedback on my experience with it (as requested) and am waiting for the next version (while I would gladly do the testing for free, I will receive 250 HealthMiles for testing it).

Reaching Level 3 adds another $75 to the $25 earned for reaching Level 2 (Levels 4 and 5 provide $100 each for a total of $300). BTW, the program is now available to individuals; see this page for details.

Even outside of the HealthMiles program, though, I think simply wearing a pedometer is a good way to track your steps and your level of activity.

Next stop, Level 4. One step at a time.

Less than three weeks after starting the HealthMiles incentives program, I have reached Level 2 (out of 5). I plan to update my progress as I reach each new level (see my previous post, Racking Up HealthMiles, including the comments about how individuals can now sign up for the program; we have joined through our conference’s health insurance plan).

Reaching Level 2 (6,000 HealthMiles or “rewards points”) is fairly easy, though, and it generates $25 HealthCash (which I can receive in the form of gift cards or cash, I believe). Many of the first 6,000 points are given simply for things like signing up and activating the pedometer, completing a Health Snapshot survey, signing a smoke-free agreement, as well as extra points for reaching each of the milestones (7,000, 12,000, and 20,000 steps) for the first time (100, 200, and 300 HealthMiles, respectively), etc.

Overall, I took 296,221 steps in my first three weeks (an average of 14,106 steps/day) in getting to Level 2 which breaks down like this …

• Less than 7,000 steps: 1 day
• 7,000+ steps: 2 days
• 12,000+ steps: 16 days
• 20,000+ steps: 2 days

According to the HealthMiles website, 7,000 steps is considered a good day’s workload. Other sources consider 10,000 steps a good target (the HealthMiles site even offers a downloadable guide to getting 10,000 steps/day).

The one day I got less than 7,000 steps was the day we travelled to Mechanicsburg for 6 hours of psychological testing, totaling 12 hours with time on the road, taking tests, eating lunch, and talking with a counselor. One of the two days I got 7,000+ steps was the first day, which was only a half day.

Interestingly, on very few of the 21 days did I actually get out and “walk” (I did get out and walk on the two 20,000+ days, including our day off yesterday). Most of it was simply walking around from the time I got up in the morning till I went to bed at night. As I said before, I do a lot while walking — thinking, praying, even eating and/or reading, sometimes. I also park at the back of parking lots and take stairs instead of elevators whenever possible.

20,000 steps isn’t really worth it from a HealthMiles perspective (not to mention that the days after getting 20,000 steps, like today, I’d be happy with 7,000 steps! ). 20,000 steps generates 100 HealthMiles but you can take 12,000+ steps (80 HealthMiles) and log an activity session in the Activity Journal (10 HealthMiles) for 90 HealthMiles. However, hitting 20,000 steps the first time is a good deal with the 300 bonus points!

On the HealthMiles site, users can challenge other HealthMiles participants. I created my first challenge yesterday (a 21-day challenge for the most steps starting next Wednesday — unfortunately, our workload during those 3 weeks will be extremely intense!). In recent weeks, I’ve been looking around to see who’s wearing GoZone pedometers, including at last week’s interviews with the Board of Ordained Ministry. In all, I challenged 14 other people. (If you’re a HealthMiles member and would like to participate in a future challenge, let me know.)

While reaching Level 2 was easy, reaching the other levels will be more difficult. It’ll take another 6,000 HealthMiles to reach Level 3 ($75), then 12,000 more to reach Level 4 ($100), and another 12,000 to reach Level 5 ($100) — and that’s with many of the freebies and bonuses out of the way! It took me 21 days to get to Level 2, but I’m guessing it will take approximately 60 more days to get to Level 3 (if I stay on track).

As of January 1, 2009, our conference has a new health insurance plan (HealthFlex) through the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits (of the United Methodist Church). The plan offers a new incentives program, Virgin HealthMiles, designed to get participants active and fit.

Participants who sign up for the program can earn HealthMiles (i.e. reward points) which can generate HealthCash (up to $300/year per participant). HealthMiles is currently only available to organizations, but is going to be made available to individuals in the future, according to the site.

From the perspective of the health insurance companies, active/fit people tend to have fewer health issues and therefore cost less to insure so it’s a win-win for both participants and health insurance companies.

This comes at a good time for us. As I’ve written before (this post and this post) exercise is an area where we’ve needed to find the rhythm in our new life as parents. I also need to lower and contain my (bad) cholesterol, which has always been a nagging problem (for mostly non-dietary reasons).

I think that because I’m a competitive person, simply having the system of tracking activity would be good for me, even without the financial incentive. Of course, adding HealthCash to the mix makes it even better!

The HealthMiles program involves wearing a pedometer, which automatically counts (most) steps (we each received a free pedometer with the program), and then periodically uploading steps to the computer (via USB cable). The website offers a central location to track activity, results, and rewards.

Participants earn HealthMiles by taking steps (i.e., walking, running, even biking) or other kinds of (cardiovascular) workouts using a heart rate monitor, participating at the website (visiting the site, logging entries in an activity journal), and by showing improved health (body mass index, body fat percentage, and blood pressure). There are special incentives along the way as well. For example, last week, there was an opportunity to earn extra HealthMiles simply for logging at least 7,000 steps each of the five days leading up to Valentine’s Day (we just started on Valentine’s Day, unfortunately).

It took us a little while to sign-up and to get our pedometers registered/activated. We’re also waiting for a Mac version of the software (used to upload steps from pedometer to computer) which is slated for a late March release (in the meantime, we’re using a PC that we have access to).

Even though I’ve just gotten started, I’m finding it a real incentive to keep moving and to be more active. For example, I’ve always parked toward the back of parking lots and I usually take the stairs instead of elevators, but this program has already increased my commitment to that! (In the early days of our relationship, I use to tell Joleen she’ll thank me when she’s 90. ).

So, how many steps should you take each day? According to one of the FAQs at the Virgin HealthMiles website …

We recommend 30 minutes of accumulated, moderate physical activity at least 5 days a week. This equals about 7,000 steps a day, including the steps you take just going about your daily life. Opt for the stairs instead of the elevator, take the dog for a jog on the beach, start a lunchtime walking group at work, consider a walking tour instead of a bus tour on your next vacation. It all adds up.

It’s amazing how quickly the steps add up. I tend to do a lot of walking, anyway, while I think, pray, and (sometimes) eat (some might call it pacing ).

There are five reward levels. Level 2 earns $25 (with 6,000 HealthMiles) and Level 5 tops out at $300 (with 36,000 HealthMiles). At the outset, I’m thinking Level 4 is doable, and while reaching Level 5 will be somewhat intense, I think it’s also doable, especially if there are some extra incentives along the way.

So what have you found to be a good incentive for you in staying active and fit? Also, if you participate in the Virgin HealthMiles program, we’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below.