Zachry Group’s Fitness Center sponsored a Step It Up Fitness Challenge this past summer, and when it was all said and done, 404 employees had logged a grand total of 89,445 miles. The competition, which was open to any office or worksite across the enterprise, included 101 teams that competed over six-weeks—all aiming to be the team with the highest reported steps. But the byproduct of all those steps is what the challenge was really about.

“We had a healthy dose of competition, but we were after more than that,” said Fitness Center Manager Jamie Dantzic, who coordinated the challenge. “It was definitely about getting people up and moving, having fun and doing your personal best.” But the ultimate measure of success was to promote long lasting healthy habits that lead to real results like lost weight or inches, lower stress levels, or someone who no longer needs high blood pressure or cholesterol medication.

All indicators, both anecdotal and quantitative, point to a mission accomplished. In a post-challenge survey, more than nine out of 10 respondents—whether a beginner, intermediate or advanced participant—reported an increased fitness level. In addition, the top two reasons employees gave for participating were to improve overall health and well-being and join coworkers in a team effort.

Employees were creative about getting more steps—especially those in office settings. Many printed documents in other areas of the building; some parked farther from an office or used their lunch break to walk around an office or job site—some employees even started “walking meetings.” Many participants reported getting their families and friends up and walking with them—which increased the scale and broadened the impact of the competition.

Still Walking

Many participants are still walking. Both My Personal Physician Health Clinic Office Manager Melissa Gonzales and JVIC’s Coach Application Administrator Talia Dykes declared the challenge isn’t over for them.

When Gonzales signed up to participate, she was interested in getting more than the 3,000 steps she was already logging in a typical workday. Her inspiration came from her Star Trek: The Search for Socks teammates. “Seeing their stats made me want to do more, and our team captain was great at challenging us, even if it was to beat our own personal record,” she said.

Gonzales has continued walking. She strives to do four-to-five miles three or four days a week. “I have a dog, so that helps me get out every day,” she said, “and at work, I’ve been walking both out and indoors during lunch.” Gonzales said she also added healthy eating to her routine and the combination of both better nutrition and exercise have made a difference. “My clothes fit better and I feel energized,” she said.

Dykes had been working on an improved diet all year, but it was the Step It Up Challenge that encouraged her to become more active. “I thought this would be great motivation to become more physically active,” she said. “My job is sedentary, so I challenged myself to take 10,000 steps a day. I was pretty consistent with that and lost 10 pounds during the month of the competition.”

Dykes, who was on Team Café’een, added that the challenge was a learning experience. “I learned not to be intimidated about the sun and heat and to drink more water; the weekly micro challenges and tips also helped.”

Now, Dykes says she looks forward to getting home, changing and walking. Her goal is to continue to do so four-to-five times a week. “I don’t want more than two days to go by without doing this,” she said, adding that she gets her friends and family to walk with her in a beautiful park she discovered near where she lives. “I’m already anticipating when the time changes and thinking about how I’m going to keep this up.”

Keeping the momentum with changing seasons is certainly a challenge. But in the meantime, many employees are content to just keep walking.