(GREEN BAY, Wis.) — Forsite Benefits is gearing up for a second year of the corporate step challenge Move Greater Green Bay with team registration beginning July 9. With support from Prevea360, the celebrated community initiative sets an even higher challenge for competing teams in an effort to get individuals moving towards healthy activity levels.

“Last year, not only did we raise $7,500 dollars for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeastern Wisconsin, but more than 1,000 people tracked their activity level, with 76 percent of participants beating the national average of 5,900 steps per day,” says Drew Leatherberry, representative of Forsite Benefits, event host.

“It was a fun way to bring people together and raise awareness for health and wellness. We’re looking forward to seeing how the community steps up this year.”

Move Greater Green Bay coincides with National Childhood Obesity month, providing an opportunity for employees to model positive, healthy behaviors for youth in our community.

“It’s so important for children to develop healthy attitudes and habits at a young age, not only so that they are physically and mentally prepared to learn in school, but also so that they can reach their full potential,” says Katie Hess, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeastern Wisconsin.

As an additional challenge, Prevea360 will match registration fees for teams that achieve an average of 10,000 steps per day for the month, doubling the impact to BBBSNEW.

The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate activity each week to improve mental and physical wellness, and prolong life. Taking 10,000 steps a day is a popular goal because research has shown that coupled with other healthy behaviors, it can lead to a decrease in chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease.

Teams that reach the goal will be inducted into the Move 10K Club and receive a plaque to display at their facility.

The ultimate goal of the challenge is for the community to collectively track more than 273 million steps for the month, which is the milestone the 30 participating teams achieved in 2017.

“We challenge businesses in our community to work together to bust past this milestone, proving that the Greater Green Bay community is one that believes in the power of an active lifestyle,” Leatherberry says. “Promoting healthy habits at the workplace trickles down to cost savings for businesses and individuals, helps people live longer, happier lives and makes our community better. With Move Greater Green Bay, we think our workforce can be a role model for the rest of the state, and create healthier employees for the future.”

Zepnick Solutions, Inc., the top finishing team of Move Greater Green Bay 2017, intends to defend its title this year. Helen Stoffel, senior project manager, says that winning was like icing on the cake for the company’s employees who reached weight loss and fitness goals as a result of the challenge.

“(Our employees and their spouses) had personal goals, but then we had the overall goal of all participating together to win. It was fun and we won on a lot of different levels,” Stoffel says.

“For those who like to participate as a team versus having the focus on the individual, this gives you an opportunity to contribute in ways that you don’t have to be a leader, just getting out and doing something at any level is great plus its being part of something bigger.”

Packer Fastener, which finished just behind Zepnick, plans to push harder to win the challenge this year.

“The challenge brought us together in a big way. Because what we were able to do is to find just how competitive we are and one of the things we love to do is win. That’s one of the things with Packer Fastener, we’re a big competitor and we have a big swagger,” says Peter Christensen, inside sales/IT team member. “I think we’re going to work a little harder this year to try to win.”

Business or corporate sponsored teams can register July 9 through Aug. 15 at www.forsitebenefits.com/move. Registration fees of $250 per team benefit the mentoring programs of BBBSNEW.

Using wearable fitness trackers and Forsite’s online wellness portal, myInertia, participants will track their daily activity and compete against other teams for highest stepper for the month based on an average number of steps for each team. The winner will be recognized as the Move Greater Green Bay 2018 Champion.

Participants who do not already own a Fitbit, Garmin, or Apple Watch fitness tracker will need to purchase one (Fitbit and Garmin discounts will be available) and link it to the website prior to the event start on Sept. 1.

Questions? Go to www.forsitebenefits.com/move or contact Missy Steffek, Business Development, Forsite Benefits at 920-593-1912 or msteffek@forsitebenefits.com.

 

About Forsite Benefits: Forsite Benefits is the premier health and wellness employee benefit consulting team in Northeast Wisconsin. Our specialized expertise in employee benefit advisement has guided hundreds of clients to a clearer plan for their benefit package. We serve small and midsize businesses with comprehensive and progressive solutions focused on controlling health care costs.