HITTING THE PAVEMENT
Research Center Implements Walking Program for Health and Future Research
LAFAYETTE, La. – A University of Louisiana at Lafayette research center recently turned to familiar subjects for a project on healthier living. Snapping on pedometers, staff members from the Picard Center for Child Development and Lifelong Learning conducted an evaluation on themselves and walked before, during and after work hours to increase awareness of the roles physical and mental health play in the quality and productivity of life.
Rebecca Wendahl, R.N., an employee of the Picard Center, developed the program to encourage staff to improve its overall health. After researching and evaluating corporate wellness programs across the nation, Wendahl chose a walking program, due to its accessibility and usability.
The program kicked off with 32 employee participants. Staff members were first encouraged to visit their personal physicians or the campus-based Wellness Center prior to beginning the walking program. The participants then received a pedometer designed to capture steps while running or walking, as well as online access to a wellness program. The program’s Web site offered user-friendly activity, weight and food tracking tools that helped staff evaluate their overall health. “The site also offered access to experienced accredited personal trainers, nutritional coaches, support groups and walking clubs,” according to Wendahl.
The Picard Center staff was divided into three teams, and employees walked individually, with partners or in groups. Steps were then uploaded onto the program’s Web site on a regular basis, and ongoing progress reports were available for each walker.
“Everyone brought their ‘A-game’ to the walking program, and it turned into a fun, friendly and motivating competition. One group of employees even took a 15-minute break every day at 2 p.m. and walked around UL’s campus,” says Wendahl.
Two participants in particular were stand-outs in the walking program, together walking more than 2.9 million steps, or 1,100 miles, during the four-month program. The top two walkers received recognition for their hard work, in addition to feeling significantly healthier at the program’s conclusion.
Four out of five employees reported, through a post-program survey, that their pedometers encouraged them to engage in more physical activity. Participants also noted positive changes in their lives as a result of the walking program, such as weight loss, increased energy and focus at work, lower blood pressure and stress levels and enhanced mental well-being.
“The initiation of our staff walking program highlights the commitment our Center is making to the health and wellness of our employees,” said Dr. Billy R. Stokes, Executive Director of the Picard Center. “The intention is for this to become an annual event that kicks off each year with a renewed sense of dedication to physical fitness.”
Next year, the Picard Center plans to delve deeper into health data, such as pre- and post- health evaluations, weight loss and body mass index measures, along with possible connections to increased cognitive ability after exercise. Additionally, a fitness and yoga area is being considered for the research center’s new building in UL’s Research Park. Until then, staff can be seen taking steps to get healthy around the UL campus and streets of Lafayette, with pedometers in tow.
BY THE NUMBERS
10.5 million – total steps logged by Picard Center employees
4,280 – total miles walked by staff participants during the four-month program
100% - percentage of employees interested in participating in the program again
66% - percentage of participants who plan to continue walking with their pedometers even after the walking program ends
80% - percentage of employees who said their pedometers encouraged them to engage in more physical activity
50% - percentage of responders who said they are more active and healthier since the beginning of the program
MORE REASONS TO STEP IT UP AND WALK IT OFF!
Walking at least 30 minutes a day can help you:
Reduce your risk of heart disease
Improve blood pressure and sugar levels
Improve cholesterol profile
Maintain body weight and reduce risk of obesity
Enhance mental well-being
Reduce risk of osteoporosis
Reduce risk of colon and breast cancers
Reduce risk of Type II diabetes
*Source: American Heart Association
WANT MORE INFO?
For more details on the Picard Center’s walking program, call 337-482-1567.
The Picard Center, named in honor of former State Superintendent of Education Cecil J. Picard, is dedicated to providing high-quality research and strategic evaluations of programs that address learning from birth through adulthood and investigates ways to bring scientifically-based research to bear on public policy in all areas of child education, health and quality of life. The Center awaits the development of its new 22,000 square-foot building, to be built within two years at a cost of approximately $7.2 million in the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Research Park.