April 24; Walk at Lunch Day

From Panhandle Worksite Wellness

Join other Panhandle businesses and participate in Walk at Lunch Day

The journey to a happier and healthier “good life” begins with one step. Walking is the single most powerful thing you can do for yourself. It’s also a great way to spend time with the people you care about … to connect, share your life and create memories. Getting started is simple.

Just Step and Repeat #WalkNE.
Join us as we step and repeat on National Walk @ Lunch Day, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. Where do you go to walk? Step right out of your worksite door.

“It’s really just that simple,” Nicole Berosek, Organizational Wellness Coordinator, said. “We are asking employees to get up and get moving over their break, anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes.”

Sitting is now considered the new smoking due to the number of negative effects it has on our health. A 30-minute walk, five days a week reduces the rate of people becoming diabetic by more than half. For men it can also decrease the risk of colon cancer by 50% and prostate cancer by two-thirds.

“It’s all about getting moving, the evidence clearly shows that we need to get up and move throughout the day,” Berosek cited.

She added, “We’ve already had several Panhandle businesses sign up. It’s completely free and an easy way to promote good health to employees! All businesses that sign up will receive an incentive for participating.”

Businesses like Panhandle Coop, based in Scottsbluff, have been quite creative with the walk. In previous years, they partnered with the Panhandle Humane Society and encouraged employees to walk a dog along the community path. Chadron Community Hospital made their walk fun by adding a photo booth station with fun props. Platte Valley Companies had a Mexican-themed walk for employees…taco bout a great time!

Others fit the walk to match their employee population like Northwest Community Action Partnership, based in Chadron, who encouraged their employees to walk with their kiddos at the Morning Marathon Club.

We’ve also seen employers hold a “Poker Walk” or local recycling organizations challenge employees to grab trash bags and pick up trash when they are out walking. However, they choose to get employees moving is up to them!

“Let’s get employees up from their desk to take a walk on Wednesday, April 24th,” Berosek concluded. “Starting with something simple can lead to a life-long healthy habit.”

There is no charge to participate, and organizations need not be a member to participate. Organizations that register on the Panhandle Worksite Wellness Council website at http://www.pphd.ne.gov/pwwc.html for National Walk at Lunch Day, post a picture to Panhandle Worksite Wellness Council’s Facebook page, will receive one (1) $15 Subway® gift card per participating organization to use as an incentive for walking. Must be within our counties: Banner, Box Butte, Cheyenne, Dawes, Deuel, Garden, Grant, Kimball, Morrill, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, and Sioux.

Also, join us for Move This May challenge, complete 31 miles in 31 days. Each week a PPHD staff member will highlight a trail or path in the Panhandle to help participants learn different ways and areas to get their daily movement. During registration, participants will have the opportunity to join a Facebook or Instagram group and post pictures of their adventures or walking activities with others. To be eligible for the drawing, all participants must register here: https://tinyurl.com/32b77v2v. Then return the completed calendar to Nicole at nberosek@pphd.ne.gov, by June 7, 2024.

For additional information about worksite wellness, visit the website or call Berosek at 308-279- 3496. The Panhandle Worksite Wellness Council is proudly part of Panhandle Public Health District and specializes in supporting employers in the Panhandle region. We recognize that many employers support a diverse and remote workforce and offer innovative ways to overcome the challenge of working with a virtual team. We understand that many of our employers do not have full-time wellness resources and work to provide resources and training to make running a worksite wellness program as easy as possible.

Panhandle Public Health District is working together to improve the health, safety and quality of life for all who live, learn, work and play in the Panhandle. Our vision is that we are a healthier and safer Panhandle Community.