We did it! In fact, we outdid ourselves. TSS employees and friends walked 1,421 miles during the first part of April for the TSS Walk Across America Challenge, taking the team beyond the virtual finish line in Washington, D.C. and directly into the Atlantic Ocean!
As of April 11, the group had walked a total of 3,961 miles or 7,921,970 steps with the goal of improving their heart health and raising awareness about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. Congratulations to everyone who participated and thank you to our friends at Nationwide Medical Review in Indianapolis for joining us on our quest.
Walk Across America Challenge
As a company committed to health and safety and knowing that exercise is one of the best ways to a healthy heart, TSS launched its Walk Across America challenge on February 1 as a fun way to inspire our employees to exercise during the cold winter months. The team’s mission was to walk the equivalent number of miles that it would take to get from Juneau to Washington, D.C. In other words: capital to capital; coast to coast — a total of 3,358 miles.
TSS is proud to report that six team members completed more than half a million steps during this time. Phlebotomist Larissa Greer walked a whopping 1,419873 steps or 709 miles!
According to TSS CEO Renee Schofield — who despite a packed schedule of meetings and travel, walked 689,500 steps — the success of the Walk Across America challenge is just one more example of the TSS team living the company’s health and safety mission and vision.
“At TSS, we are pretty good at doing what we tell others to do,” Renee said. “Moreover, being in good physical shape is important in our workplace because we never know when we might need to walk a long distance to an accident, stand on a ladder or in small spaces at a crime scene, or climb down the side of a barge at low tide for a drug screening.”
In addition to walking for their heart health, several team members took on a healthy eating challenge. The group has lost a combined 166 pounds so far, by sticking to a diet of fresh foods and sharing recipes.
Meanwhile, Larissa Greer joined the Walk Across America effort as a way to support her coworkers and set new goals for herself.
“I’ve have been a very active and health-oriented person for the last 9 years, but I wanted to up my game from 15,000 steps to 20,000 steps a day,” Larissa said. “The challenge taught me that getting in an extra 5,000 steps is not too hard, you just have to prioritize and make some new habits.” She plans on continuing with her 20,000-step plan for an entire year.
This kind of positive and determined attitude is what Renee Schofield applauds in her team. “Being strong is our strength,” she said. “I am very proud of the people who work at TSS, the fun they have together taking on these kinds of challenges, and the example they are setting for others.”
Throughout Walk Across America, the TSS team turned to a number of resources for inspiration and guidance. Here are a few of them:
- 10 small steps for better heart health
- Tips for staying fit and motivated
- 30 Healthy Keto Recipes That Aren’t a Pile of Bacon
- Walking: Your steps to health
- 22 Heart Healthy Foods to Fuel Your Cardiac Diet
To learn more about how to encourage and inspire health and wellness in the workplace, contact info@tss-safety.com.