Legacy Senior Communities Employee Walking Challen
The team members of The Legacy Senior Communities recently completed a fun wellness walking challenge as part of the not-for-profit organization’s philosophy of encouraging an active lifestyle among residents and staff. During the month of October, employees across the organization found new ways to maximize their daily physical activity and improve their overall health and well-being. Participants were encouraged to keep track of their steps in an effort to motivate one another in a friendly competition. The organization provided electronic fitness trackers for participants to use, and they recorded their steps on activity logs which they turned in at the end of each week. Participants earned steps for walking, running, taking exercise classes or engaging in other fitness activities. At the end of the month, the person with the most steps or the person who improved the most overall received a prize for the efforts. In addition, participants gathered in organized walking groups throughout the week to join together and stay fit.
“When planning the challenge we wanted to provide team members with the opportunity to change their mindset about being active,” said Alice Carpenter, wellness coordinator at The Legacy Willow Bend, The Legacy Senior Communities’ life care retirement community in Plano. “When it comes to physical activity, most people assume you need to be doing something extreme to make a difference, and that’s not the case. We want all participants to find an ongoing activity they can embrace and enjoy. Walking is something that can be done on the job, when you’re at home, alone or with friends. It’s that simple.”
For team members like Beatrice Runyan, director of human resources at The Legacy Willow Bend, the commitment of her fellow employees excited her most. As one of the organizers of the challenge, Runyan was able to see and hear directly from those participating and be encouraged by their energy.
“Watching everyone come together and really make an effort to better their own health and wellness was really something special,” said Runyan. “I especially foundd satisfaction in knowing that our residents were able to witness our commitment to living healthy and active lives. They appreciated seeing that we are living by the same standards and ideals that we encourage them to live by, and hopefully we inspired them to stay active as well.”
The challenge concluded on October 28, with a celebration on Halloween to recognize everyone for their hard work. While the challenge only lasted through the end of October, organizers hope it left a lasting impact on all who participated.
“At The Legacy Senior Communities, we always try to ensure that everyone is as happy and healthy as possible,” said Carpenter. “The team member walking challenge was a fun way for all of us to come together and encourage one another to get moving. Our end goal was for participants to make healthy choices in their lives and strengthen themselves mentally and physically.”