The Move More Challenge is back this spring! Offered through Healthy Emory Connect, the Move More Challenge is a fun, interactive, Emory-wide event that encourages employees to increase daily physical activity using an activity tracker and engage in a little friendly competition with co-workers.

Last year, more than 5,400 Emory employees crossed the finish line of the Move More Challenge, walking over one million miles and taking over two billion total steps. This year’s six-week challenge starts Monday, March 25, and continues through May 5. Registration is now open to all benefits-eligible employees of Emory University and Emory Healthcare.

Participants in the challenge will create or join a team with a maximum of 10 people. The teams will take a “virtual” journey around Emory starting at Yerkes Field Station, followed by nine additional destinations. As teams accumulate steps, they will reach new destinations, unlocking fun facts about the location as well as health and well-being tips. Not only will participants’ steps count for their small team, they will also count for their school, hospital or division team as Emory business units compete against each other.

To participate, log into Healthy Emory Connect and go to the “Challenges” tab to join the 2019 Move More Challenge. Next, either create or join a team.

While employees can still take advantage of Emory’s Fitbit subsidy, participants can use a number of other different fitness tracking devices including Apple Watch or Garmin, or even their smartphone to track their steps through the Healthy Connect/Virgin Pulse app.  

Alaaeddin Alrohaibani, clinical research coordinator in the Rollins School of Public Health, is excited to participate in this year’s program. During last year’s challenge, he was inspired by how active other teams and participants were and thought, “If they can do it, why not me?” He says that the Move More Challenge was the motivation he needed to start adding more activity into his daily life like walking to the grocery store or during his day at work.

Alrohaibani also committed himself to going to the gym twice a week to run on the treadmill for 30 minutes. He jokes that he always thought that he and the treadmill were enemies because of how it made him unable to catch his breath, but now, “the treadmill and I are good friends.” His words of advice: “You do not need to run a marathon — something is better than nothing at all!”

Earn rewards

Employees who participate in the Move More Challenge will have an opportunity to win prizes and earn points toward their medical plan incentives:

• Simply tracking your steps each day with a validated device can earn up to 140 points per day on Healthy Emory Connect.
• Move More participants can earn up to 5,880 points during the 6-week challenge to boost them toward their next level of incentives.
• Bonus points will be awarded for those who meet steps thresholds by the end of the challenge — 5,000 bonus points for those who accumulate 250,000 steps, or 10,000 bonus points for those who accumulate 460,000 steps.
• Random prize drawings will be held at the end of the challenge for those who accumulate at least 250,000 steps for gift cards and other prizes.
• One “surprise” day will occur each week throughout the challenge. Any participant who has at least 6,000 steps on that day will be included in a drawing for additional prizes.

For more information, including FAQs, visit Move More Challenge webpage.