A walkaway hit!
Posted 5/24/2011
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The weather around Boston may not have been ideal lately, but that hasn't stopped The BIDMC Walking Club, presented by the CardioVascular Institute, to pick up the pace.
The Walking Club is a "virtual" club made up of online materials created by BIDMC clinicians to help folks in our community start a walking program. Using these resources, individuals, families, businesses and even schools can now start walking programs and take steps toward better health.
In 2 ½ weeks 88 company kits have been downloaded and employees at Neiman Marcus, The Lenox Hotel, Geocomp, and Milton Hospital are stepping up to the challenge.
Seventh graders at five Boston Public Schools - the Hernandez, King, Hurley, Eliot and Dearborn - are taking the program in stride with their parents and 24 other schools have downloaded of the online school kit.
New this year are free BIDMC-branded apps to turn your iPhone and/or Android into a pedometer (after two weeks, there were 1,230 downloads of the Android app alone!); walking e-cards that can be sent to a friend to help them get motivated; and a walking "prescription" pad that calculates the amount of steps you should take each day.
BIDMC media partners include The Bostonchannel, WROR-FM and CBS Boston.
There's been some great feedback too: Marybeth from Newton: This weather has been horrible and I have not been able to get out and walk the golf course like I usually do. SO I have incorporated a treadmill walking into my program until the weather improves! I put up a big poster of a sunny day on the golf course to keep me motivated.
Sarah, Geocomp-Acton: We have 100 employees in our Massachusetts, New York and Georgia offices. Geocomp takes the wellness of its employees seriously. When we can, we try to do it in a fun way. So, we started a walking program with the help of Beth Israel Deaconess. We are setting up friendly competitions among our divisions, departments and offices. The goal is to have everyone increase their heart-healthy steps!
Carol from Newton: My dogs Jake and Sugar are great motivators for me to walk each day. We do a quick walk around the neighborhood before I need to go to work, and then in the evening, we walk down to a nearby park (where there are other dogs). I'm going to be counting my (and their) steps with my new pedometer app now! (since dogs have 4 paws, do they get 4 xs each step?? :-) . Thanks BIDMC
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