Health Promotion and Wellness Programs: Penn Walking Program
Walk to Get Fit and Healthy!
Improve your health by joining the Penn Walking Program for Penn faculty and
staff. Make walking – or jogging, or running – a part of your everyday routine
with this helpful program. You can walk at work or at home, day or night…
anytime you can fit it into your schedule. The Penn Walking Program will help
you track your progress and keep you motivated! Click here
to see the Penn Walking Program in action.
The Walking Program is structured in 12-week sessions to give you milestones that will help keep you
motivated, but you can start participating at any time—even if the start date of the current session
has passed. To register, simply contact Human Resources at (215) 898-5116 or .
| SPRING 2008 |
March 31, 2008 – June 20, 2008 |
| SUMMER 2008 |
June 22, 2008 – September 14, 2008 |
Nearly every recommendation for how to improve your health includes a
suggestion for at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise a day, on most days of
the week. Walking is one of the easiest and most common activities that you can
add to your daily routine. It requires very little preparation other than good
shoes and a desire to succeed, and can be done anytime, anywhere - without
special equipment or facilities. Walking doesn't need to interfere with work
demands and can even be incorporated into a normal workday, if desired, by
adding a walk to your lunch hour.
We believe that individuals who make walking a part of their everyday
activities will feel better mentally, physically, and emotionally, and be more
productive as a result. Regular physical activity, such as walking, may decrease
your risk for chronic and/or critical illnesses, such as heart disease,
diabetes, and some forms of cancer. It can also increase immunity to common
communicable diseases to which we are exposed daily, such as colds and other
viruses.
- A pedometer to help you track your steps and mileage
- An “I’m a Penn Walker!” t-shirt
- Access to the Penn Walking Program
tracking website where you can track your progress online
- A tracking booklet that lets
you can track your progress manually
- Weekly motivational/informational emails
- Group walks held every Friday
- Register by contacting Human Resources at 215-898-5116 or .
–
Note that you must contact Human Resources in order to register –
simply signing in to the tracking website will NOT register you for the Penn
Walking Program.
– Also note that if you’re already a participant, there’s no need to
re-register every season.
- You will receive a welcome packet, including pedometer and tracking booklet,
via intramural mail.
- Start walking – or jogging, or running!
- Keep track of your progress via the Penn Walking Program
tracking website or your
tracking booklet.
- Turn in your tracking data at the season-end check-ins in order to receive
incentive gifts.
- Feel happier and healthier!
Group walks are held every Friday and led by Suzanne Smith, Health Promotion
Specialist for Human Resources. The walking groups will meet at the SW corner of
34th and Walnut
Streets (across the street from Starbuck’s) at the following times every Friday:
| Time |
Level |
Speed |
| 11am- 12pm |
Beginners |
~2.5 mph (a 25-minute mile) |
| 12:30pm- 1:30pm |
Intermediate |
~3.0 mph (a 20-minute mile) |
You can track your progress online using the
tracking website or manually
using a tracking booklet.
- Online tracking
- The Walking Program Tracking website offers an easy way to track
your efforts online and see how you are doing day-to-day, week-to-week,
and season-to-season. You can also check your progress against others in
your age group, job type, school or center, and/or gender.
- Remember that you must contact Human Resources in order to
register for the Penn Walking Program. Signing in to the tracking
website will NOT register you for the walking program; it will simply
allow you to track your progress once you’ve registered.
- Go to
http://pennwalking.upenn.edu/. When you enter the website, click on
“New User Registration” if you are a first-timer. Add your name so it
will appear at the top of your tracking page, then create your User ID
(your email address) and Password. This way you can return to your own
record any time. If you would like to see how others in your demographic
are doing, add the optional demographic information about yourself.
- Please know that all information from the website is being held by a
third party administrator in strictest confidence. We will not
see any of it. We would like to collect printouts of progress at the end
of each seasonal segment to see how you’re doing. However, you don’t
have to share your progress with us if you don’t want to, and we will
not have access to your records.
- Manual tracking
- If you prefer not to track your data online, you can track your
progress manually.
- You’ll receive a tracking booklet in your welcome packet when you
register for the program, or you can download the booklet
here.
- We would like to collect your manual record of progress at the end
of each seasonal segment to see how you’re doing. However, if you prefer
not to, you don’t have to share your progress with us.
We will supply Walking Program participants with one replacement pedometer,
free of charge. Contact Human Resources at 215-898-5116 or .
Otherwise, if you want to buy a replacement pedometer or find information on
other types of pedometers that are available, a website you might find helpful
is www.pedometersusa.com. The brand
of pedometer that you were supplied with at the beginning of the Penn Walking
Program is the Sportline 340.
If your pedometer has stopped working and you want to buy a replacement battery,
the type of battery that works in the Sportline 340 pedometer is the LR1130
Button Cell battery. You can go to
www.bizrate.com/batteries1/products__keyword--battery+lr1130.html to compare
prices and buy a replacement battery. Also, most corner drug stores and chain
stores (WalMart, Kmart, etc.) often have this type of battery in stock.
If you have any questions, please contact Human Resources at 215-898-5116 or .