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Northwest Cosmetic Labs Press Release
Northwest Cosmetic Labs competes in a 10,000 Step Competition
Idaho Falls, Idaho – September 20, 2013
Throughout the month of August, employees at Northwest Cosmetic Labs participated in a 10,000 step competition that promoted wellness and pushed all participants to strive to take at least 10,000 steps per day. Everyone received a pedometer at the beginning of the month to keep track of his or her daily progress. The competition began August 1st and ended August 31st. Everyday, including weekends, were competition days.
According to See Opportunities and Achieve Results Incorporated (S.O.A.R. Inc.), the wellness organization NCL works with, 10,000 steps a day is equivalent to the 30 minutes of daily exercise recommended by most doctors. If people can reach that quantity of steps each day they will improve their overall wellness.
Employees were divided into 12 teams that included a team captain responsible for recording the step amounts of all team members each week. Individuals had to work as a team and encourage one another to get as many steps as possible in order to win the prize.
It was not uncommon to see employees comparing pedometers or hear conversations throughout the building about how many steps people were making each day. Workers on the production floors had an advantage over those working at desks because of the required steps in their everyday tasks. Extra exercise after work and on weekends was necessary to even out the scores.
Mitch Hodges, Ingredient Buyer, spends most of his time at his desk while at work. He said, “I was usually pretty close, but I had to do an extra walk a day to get to 10,000 steps. The competition of it all made it more enjoyable.”
It was announced that team #1 won the entire competition with an approximate total of 5,250,000 steps for the month, which is an average of 14,000 steps per day, per team member. The individuals received a $50 gift card to the local movie theater as their prize.
Scott Buck, Reorder Buyer, commented, “I found the competition interesting because I would have never thought that getting 10,000 steps a day was so important. Beforehand, I had no clue how many steps I was getting, so keeping track made me aware of the exercise I needed to get each day.”
This competition made such an impression that some employees are continuing to wear their pedometers even after the competition has ended.
This wellness competition was put on by S.O.A.R. Inc. This organization hosts comprehensive wellness programs that help companies identify and eliminate health risks, excess medical costs, lost productivity and decreased performance.
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