As we are nearing the halfway mark of the Steps for Health Challenge, we wanted to update you on some personal experiences so far! We conducted a few interviews with participants Geoff and Adriann.
Why did you decide to do the Step Challenge? His wife invited him to do it. He loves to walk/hike. Also, since it is for a good cause, that helped his reasoning to join in on the fun!
How long have you been doing it? He started to track his steps on day 1 (July 1st). He has been able to climb a few of the actual peaks that are on the list.
Roughly how many steps have you taken? He hasn’t kept track of how many steps exactly, but he thinks he averages about 19,000 steps a day as of recently.
Do you dedicate time to it every day? If so, how much time? He walks an hour in the morning as a morning workout, then when his wife gets home at night, he usually walks around the block or some other route with her for 2-4 miles. Then, on Saturdays, he enjoys going to a mountain or some local hike for some nicely added steps.
Where is your goal to finish? He wants to just track his steps and get as many as he can before the weather isn’t as permitting. He has already hiked:
- Borah Peak
- Table Rock
- South Teton Peak
- He got about 1,000 feet from the Diamond Peak Summit, but the weather started getting bad
- And, he plans to try the Grande Teton before the challenge ends
What difference have you seen in your health or how you feel? He said, after all the walking and hiking he has done this summer, he has felt the best he ever has since his 30’s, and he is now 60! He also feels like his capacity of energy has grown massively. He has noticed a more positive mindset on everything he does. He is just always in a better mood than before the challenge started. With being able to walk and exercise, constantly being in a better mood, being able to sight-see the beauties of Idaho, and it is all for a good cause, he is super happy to be able to do the Steps for Health Challenge, and hopes others will join in the coming years!
Interview with Adriann:
Why did you decide to do the Step Challenge? She wanted to support the clinic in getting a new X-Ray machine. She also loves being healthy and active but has never kept track of her steps. She thought this was a great opportunity to keep track of her steps throughout the summer!
How long have you been doing it? She signed up a few weeks ago before they started tracking steps. She tries to get her weekly steps in each Monday, then tacks on the steps taken every week from each day.
Roughly how many steps have you taken? She has taken over 200,000 (recorded) steps in the last four weeks, which averages out to be more than 7,000 steps a day!
Do you dedicate time to it every day? If so, how much time? She usually tries to dedicate some time on the weekend to go hike R Mountain. She also tries to go for walks around the block, picking up and cleaning inside her home, play with her family in the yard, and take her kids to the park to increase everyone’s activity, not just hers!
Where is your goal to finish? A co-worker and her are planning to hike Table Rock by the end of the challenge, which is just over 14 miles round trip up the face of the mountain (or there is a longer, but flatter route she might take). She hopes that the Table Rock trek gets them a lot of steps for the step count. They are also planning some other shorter hikes before the monster Table Rock!
What difference have you seen in your health or how you feel? She loves being active and she can notice a positive difference in how she feels after exercising/ walking. She also knows it’s for a good cause which helps her stay motivated!
As you can see, there have been a ton of benefits from doing the Step Challenge for these two! They have felt happier, felt healthier, seen some beautiful scenery along the way, and they are helping the Medical Clinic get a brand new X-Ray machine along the way!