Get Moving? Challenge Accepted

In late May of 2017, Brian Rothfuss found himself pedaling up Mont Ventoux in Southern France.

When Rothfuss booked the trip at the start of the year, he had no intention of biking to the top of the mountain, which sits at 6,273 feet above sea level. After losing 27 pounds by participating in Duke’s Get Moving Challenge earlier in the year, Rothfuss made it his goal to complete the 13-mile bike ride.  

“All of the exercise at the start of the year put me in condition to consider trying something I would not have thought about otherwise,” said Rothfuss, an application analyst for Duke Health Technological Solutions. “It was an extremely physical challenge, but I succeeded.”

The Get Moving Challenge is an annual competition that encourages employees to get their New Year off to a healthy start. For the first time, students can also enter the challenge as part of the new Healthy Duke initiative.

The Duke program allows employees and students to compete as individuals or in teams of five to 11 people in up to three categories: most steps, most exercise minutes, and/or most weight lost.  The 10-week challenge begins Jan. 8 and ends March 18.

“My favorite part of this challenge is the team aspect because everyone experiences times where it’s too cold outside and they don’t have enough energy,” said Nick Beresic, health promotion manager for LIVE FOR LIFE. “Having teammates to get you through those tough stretches makes all the differences."

During the competition, participants can track accumulated steps using their fitness wearable device, favorite fitness app or pedometer provided by LIVE FOR LIFE and post their daily activity on the Get Moving website. Duke LIVE FOR LIFE will also raffle off a Fitbit or iPod Shuffle each week to participants. 

David Eck, staff specialist for Duke Continuing Studies, has participated in the Get Moving Challenge since 2010. He usually competes on teams in his department and gets his steps in by walking around the East Campus wall during his lunch break.

He said the Get Moving Challenge comes at a perfect time of year.

“I look forward to it because it comes right after the holidays, when I need the motivation,” Eck said.

Both Eck and Rothfuss cited the competitive nature of the challenge as extra motivation to workout. Last year’s challenge drew 241 teams and 2,400 total participants. Employees combined to post 755,290,747 steps, 2,317,623 minutes of exercise and 796 pounds lost.

Rothfuss, who tries to get in 20,000 steps a day during the challenge by walking and using the elliptical, had the highest percentage of weight lost during the 2017 challenge. He went from 165 to 138 pounds, or 16.4 percent of his body weight.

“You find reasons to fit in something like taking a 10-minute walk,” Rothfuss said. “The Get Moving Challenge gives you reasons to exercise.”