Go Move Challenge 2015: Summary
Four Jesuit Universities have been remarkably active this past month. Faculty and staff from Santa Clara University, Loyola Marymount University, Marquette University, and University of San Francisco tracked every minute of intentional, physical movement throughout February in the 2015 Go Move Challenge. Participants recorded their movement through Hubbub, an online and mobile wellness platform, or offline through their challenge administrator.
The results are in: congratulations to new contender, Loyola Marymount University, who won by over 53,000 minutes! Additionally, congratulations to participants of all universities for committing to improved health by incorporating more physical activity into their daily routines. Countless stories have been circulating about the positive impact that this challenge has had on all levels - for the universities, schools, departments, and individuals. Read more below about how each university tailored the challenge to maximize participation.
Loyola Marymount University (LMU): 558,415 minutes
New contender, LMU, has been preparing for the Go Move Challenge since August 2014.
All 438 first-time participants
tracked their minutes offline (i.e. not on hubbub). To help each other stay motivated, LMU participants divided and conquered: they set up teams of 20 people, each with a team captain, individual and university-wide t-shirts, and department themes. Weekly emails rallied everyone to track every minute of movement and take advantage of campus activities, including morning and lunchtime fitness classes for faculty and staff only. These emails highlighted motivational stories for the week, such as their Facilities Management team who walked together every morning for 30 minutes and announced a motivational raffle prize winner each week! As LMU put it, "it felt so good that after all the dog walks, extra planks, smelly tennis shoes, race training, marathon running, campus walks and extra gym hours... LMU came in first!" Congratulations, LMU!
University of San Francisco (USF): 505,413 minutes
Veterans of the Go Move Challenge, USF faculty and staff were determined to remain undefeated after winning the challenge two years in a row. This year, participation increased by 30% with over 500 faculty and staff logging 505,414 minutes of activity. On average, USF participants moved over 30 minutes every day in February, above what the AHA and CDC recommends! GoUSF, USF's wellness program and challenge administrator, partnered with several departments across campus to offer faculty and staff daily lunchtime movement opportunities such as lower and upper campus Meaningful Mile walks, University Ministry's Sacred Spaces Walk, Thacher Gallery's Art Walk, Facilities' Hidden Stairs Walk, ROTC's obstacle course, and Koret's swimming, hula and other classes for faculty and staff only. Faculty and staff also stay motivated by wearing their free challenge t-shirts, attending the kick-off and registration parties with free lunches and fitness class demos, receiving weekly GoUSF update emails, and watching the leader board change in hubbub. USF congratulates LMU and looks forward to coming back even stronger next year!
Santa Clara University (SCU): 423,697 minutes
SCU faculty and staff are no strangers to the Go Move Challenge either. SCU's 274 participants logged 423,697 minutes this year, over 100,000 more minutes than in 2014. For SCU, February has become a reminder of New Year's resolutions and motivation for action as many participants make every effort to add more minutes to their daily exercise routines. This year, SCU provided free challenge t-shirts to their first 100 participants who reached 500 minutes. Through email and website communications, SCU faculty and staff were encouraged to log their minutes up until the very end. SCU looks forward to next February with the goal of bringing the trophy to their campus! One SCU employee put it best: “I need to be as active as I am in February for the rest of the year because every minute does count!”
Marquette University (MU): 23,969 minutes
Although the largest university of all in the challenge, MU probably had the most odds stacked against them: not only were they new contenders, they agreed to join this movement challenge in the middle of another cold midwest winter while all other west coast contenders participated during a mild, sunny February. Creativity was the key to get MU faculty and staff to participate. Many faculty and staff utilized on campus fitness classes, indoor swimming, and even braved outdoor walks in the snow to rack up minutes. One participant’s goal was to move 100 minutes a day, which she accomplished by walking at lunch and biking several times a week. Adding to MU's minutes was the Run Group started by MU's President, Michael Lovell, in October 2014. With 180 runners in the group, participants could track minutes from organized runs offered two times a day during the week and one run over the weekend. Participants enjoyed using hubbub for the first time to help stay connected to one another during the challenge. MU is ready to come back next year with a presence as they will no longer be the new kids on the block!
As its popularity continues to grow, the Go Move Challenge is open to the participation of additional Jesuit universities. If your University is interested in joining the Go Move Challenge in 2016, please contact Suzy Kisylia, Wellness Program Manager for the University of San Francisco. Congratulations again to all participating universities!