Faculty/Staff Wellness

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Testimonials

"I made a new friend with my walking partner! we plan to continue our twice a week lunch walk going forward."

"The Amazing Walk was beneficial for me and my personal goals but also helped build camaraderie between me and my colleagues, as well."

"Although I am very active outside of work, the program encouraged me to walk around more during the day. I love eating healthy, and am always looking for new recipes. I look forward to trying some of the recipes in the emails."

"The Amazing Walk has made me compulsive about hitting 5,000 steps, minimum, every day...Since I've been participating, I've noticed that I keep hearing about the benefits of walking -- it sure seems like it's the best thing any of us can be doing for ourselves.  This definitely makes me want to keep it up."

"I like that I have a goal every day.  Even though I don't usually have time to walk 10,000 steps, now I try to sneak steps in where I wouldn't have thought of it before."

The Amazing Walk

PLEASE NOTE: This program is not currently being offered, but you may still view this page as a reference.


Past Program

A spin-off of The Amazing Race, a television game show, this program sends partners on a virtual adventure around the world for 6 weeks.

Start the program with the Kickoff Event on Thu, 10/1/16, and celebrate your success with the finale event on Mon, 11/16/16. Participants who register before the deadline are eligible to receive a free pedometer. Each week, participants will be challenged to aim for an average of 10,000 steps most days of the week, with partners working together to become more active and support one another in leading a healthy lifestyle.

About | Components of the Program

Choose how you would like to participate in this program. Read the weekly newsletters, or not. Complete the healthy living challenges, or not. Log your steps at least 5 days a week, or not, but that means you won't be eligible for prizes! The more you put into this program, the more you will get out of it!

New in 2015: 

  • New locations, challenges, and prizes
  • New recipes and educational information
  • Easier registration process
  • New team name contest
  • New interactive social forum

Kick-off event (Thu, Oct 1, 11:30 am-1:30 pm, Campanile) 

For pedometer pick-up, team photos (may be used in Amazing Walk e-newsletters), and mingling with other teams. There will also be a Kick-off for 4th Street employees on Thu, Oct 1, 12-1 pm in Room 239 at Fourth Street.

Weekly travel e-newsletters 

Sent every Monday, virtually taking you to the country we are "visiting" that week, including:

  • Healthy living challenges
  • Recipes
  • 100 Grand Club members - weekly drawing winners
  • "Fast Forwards" (upcoming events) 
  • "Roadblocks" (healthy tips) 

Weekly email reminders to log your steps, every Thursday

Pedometers
(not mandatory for participation) for only $7. 

In-person opportunities to get active - Fitness Walking Clinics and the Health*Matters Walking Group 

Finale Party (Mon, Nov 16, 12:10-1 pm at the Tang Ed Center)

  • Slideshow of team photos in various locations around the world
  • Grand Prize drawing (you don't have to be present to win)
  • Other prize drawings (you must be present to win)
  • Recognition of 100 Grand Club members 
  • BYOL - Bring your own lunch, but we will also provide a light snack

How It Works

Every Monday, you will receive the weekly newsletter. Track your steps daily on your pedometer, and log your steps using one of our four options. You will receive a reminder to track your steps every Thursday. Get active and participate in healthy living challenges. Check the newsletter each week to find out if your team made the 100 Grand Club or won the weekly prize drawing! Participate each week to qualify for prizes and recognition at the end of the program, which will be capped off with a Finale Party! See below for more details on each component of the program.  

Weekly Newsletters 

  • Healthy highlights from a new location around the world
  • 100 Grand Club members
  • Team photos from around the world
  • Weekly Healthy Living Challenges
  • Delicious recipes from around the globe
  • Tools for getting active and eating well
  • Weekly opportunities to win fun prizes!
  • Link to the interactive social forum 

Using Your Pedometer

  • Each morning, reset your pedometer to "zero". Keep it close and attached to the front of your hip. For proper placement, wear it on the front side of your waist, right above your hip. 
  • Wear it all day. Check your steps throughout the day for continuous motivation to reach your daily goal. 10,000 steps a day is the recommendation for good health.
  • In the evening, record the number of steps you've walked on Walker Tracker.
  • Manually add in BONUS STEPS earned from completing Healthy Living Challenges on Walker Tracker. 

Logging Your Steps

  • Each member of your team will track his/her steps separately. However, each week your team steps total (the sum of steps logged by both team members) will be used to determine a weekly Team Average. 
  • 100 Grand Club - teams that record at least 50,000 weekly steps each (including bonus steps) will be recognized in the weekly newsletters.

Consult the Walker Tracker User Instructions for support.

Resources

Digital Walk Kit - These documents can help you with step-by-step directions on logging your steps online through Berkeley Walker Tracker. 

  • Amazing Walk 4 Travel Guide - Detailed explanations of participation, step-tracking options, prizes, and more. 
  • Getting Started - How to use Berkeley Walker Tracker 
  • Accusplit Pedometer Instructions 
  • Log Steps by Text Message - How to: set up your account to log steps from your phone via text message  
  • How to Sync a Wireless Activity Tracker - If you use a device such as FitBit or JawBone, you can sync it with your Berkeley Walker Tracker account. Once you do this, you will not have to log onto Berkeley Walker Tracker to enter your steps, as long as your data is being uploaded to your device's account.

Make Every Step Count - Re-printed from Walking Magazine for use by Health*Matters, this is an excellent article about pedometer use and the benefits of walking.   

Active at Work Flyer - Other ways to get active on the UC Berkeley campus

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is the deadline for logging my steps for the week if I want them to be eligible for the weekly prize drawing and 100 Grand Club?
    The Amazing Walk Week begins on Monday and ends on Sunday. You can log your steps each day, or you can log them all at once on the weekend or Monday morning. 

    Your steps must be logged by 12pm (noon) on Monday of the following week to be eligible for the weekly prize drawing and 100 Grand Club in the previous week. 

    Ex: The first week of the Amazing Walk begins Monday, October 5, and runs through Sunday, October 11. Steps for this week will be due by 12pm (noon) on Monday, October 12. 

  2. Do we have to log steps as a team?
    No, each member of the team is responsible for logging their own steps as often as possible during the week. Team totals and averages will be calculated using the information each team member submits on their own account. However, you should encourage your partner to log their steps! Teamwork is required (and you must both actively participate) to qualify for the 100 Grand Club, weekly prizes, and the grand prize! See the Amazing Walk Travel Guide for more information. 

  3. Is this a competitive challenge?
    No, it is not. 

    The goal of this program is to offer a fun way to become more active and to reward participation, supporting those who aren’t currently as active as they would like to be.  

    However, there are ways that you can make this challenge competitive for yourself. Here are a few examples: 
    Challenge yourself
    - Increase your weekly step average by 1000-2000 steps
    - Get a 30-40 minute walk into the lunch hour every MWF walking with Health*Matters Walking Group (the Walking Group Leaders set a workout pace – it’s like having your own personal walking trainer). 

    Challenge your teammate
    - Set a daily (or weekly) step goal and try to go higher than each other
    - Challenge each other to who can attend the Walking Group the most times during the six weeks
    - Complete all the Healthy Living Challenges together

    Challenge yourselves to get your team on the 100 Grand Club
    - Help each other with a weekly plan for times to walk daily for at least 30 minutes 
    - Communicate daily to coach each other on sticking to your walking plan
    - Walk together as often as possible 

For any other questions, contact us at kguess@berkeley.edu