Just in Time for Valentine’s Day

The Heathy Heart Challenge

Show your heart some love this month and step up your activity. Just 30 minutes of exercise each day can reduce your risk of heart disease.

Earn 250 bonus HealthMiles for taking at least 70,000 steps from Monday, February 14th through Sunday, February 20th. There’s no sign up necessary. Just remember to wear your GoZone pedometer.

According to the American Heart Association (AHA) the simplest, most positive change you can make to effectively improve your heart health is to start walking. Check out the HealthMiles blog for more info and tips on preventing heart disease.  In the meantime, grab your GoZone, get moving and get ready for the challenge starting 2/14.

The 2011 Walk for Hunger is Saturday, May 24!

Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland - Walk for Hunger

Save the Date!

The Walk for Hunger is a walk through downtown Cleveland beginning at Burke Lakefront Airport and finishing at the North Coast Harbor with music, refreshments and entertainment for the entire family! What fun it would be to gather a group from your church to walk for your health,  have fun, be entertained and to help those in need, all at the same time!

The 5-K walk helps to raise money for hungry children in the greater Cleveland area, and is a major source of funds for the Hunger Network’s over 100 hunger centers and hot meal programs.

Click here to register for the Walk for Hunger today!

Enrollment opportunities for UM clergy family and friends!

Get fit and earn rewards up to $300 a year.  You can enroll and participate in the VHM program.  The cost to the family or friend member is just $29.99 to join (includes pedometer) and $9.99 per month.  No contract or fixed time period is required – you can terminate at any time. Find out more.

Get ready to show your stuff – VHM participants!!!!

Conference to Conference 4 week challenge beginning 9/23 and running through 10/21.

All enrolled participants will be receiving a series of three (3) challenge invites starting Thursday (9/2).  Challenge registration deadline is Tuesday 9/21.  For those not enrolled in VHM, enrollment must be made by Monday 9/13 to have time to receive your pedometer and engage in the challenge.

• Challenge Purpose (beyond potential bragging rights) is to increase enrollment and daily average steps of participants.
• Participant Rewards:
  • All participants who average 7,000 steps per day (total 203,000) during the challenge will receive 300 HealthMiles.  Members that average 12,000 steps per day (total of 348,000) will receive 500 HealthMiles.
  • All participants who enroll in the challenge and wear their pedometer everyday during the challenge can earn an additional 100 HealthMiles.  Therefore even for those who are not yet reaching the 7,000 daily step average have a chance to earn an additional reward.
• Conference Reward:
  • Based on the average of participants who enroll in the challenge, the Conference with the highest average steps per participant will receive a Travelling Award to proudly display in their Conference Office.  This Award will remain at that location until the start of the next Conference to Conference Challenge.

SO … STEP IT UP!   LET’S GIVE THAT TROPHY A HOME IN EAST OHIO!

Walking continues to pay!

Since mid-August, six VHM participants have achieved Level Four, earning an additional $100 each – congratulations!  Sixty-two participants are now at Level Three ($75 earned), with 60 participants at Level Two ($25 earned). Activated participants have uploaded 1,999,520 HealthMiles! (Eligible participants are full-time active clergy enrolled in the Comprehensive Protection Plan {CPP} as well as full-time Conference responsible employees enrolled in the Conference Health Benefit Plan.)

If you have not enrolled, it’s not too late – join TODAY! GO to www.virginhealthmiles.com/login. At the bottom of the login page, click on “enroll here”.  (The company name is East Ohio Conference). Follow the steps through the log-in process. If you have any difficulty enrolling or have any questions, contact VHM at the 1-866-852-6898 or contact VHM by email via their site.

EOC HealthMiles Update – as of August 11

Summer is here and if you are like me I’m one who likes to get outside. I continue to strap on my pedometer, but my resolve to stick to my winter walking plan is replaced by watering the garden, picnicking with friends and family and catching up on the exterior work that comes with home ownership, oh, and I can’t forget vacation! So I must say I have abandoned my winter routine. It’s a “summer” thing! I’ll bet most of us have been like that. The good news is, in this heat and humidity, I’m still strapping on pedometer and slowly but surely accumulating my HealthMiles.

Below are the latest HealthMiles update from Betsy Stewart. We are continuing to grow our participant numbers and our veteran walkers are continuing to accumulate HealthMiles over these hot and humid months.  In East Ohio the summers are short and the winters are long, so enjoy the season and keep walking!

Over $7,200 of HealthCash has been earned by East Ohio’s VHM participants. Walking pays! Fifty-eight participants have achieved Level Three, with 59 participants reaching Level Two.

Currently, enrollments have increase to 67.6% (292) of the eligible population (432). Participants have uploaded 1,820,760 HealthMiles! (Eligible participants are full-time active clergy enrolled in the Comprehensive Protection Plan {CPP} as well as full-time Conference responsible employees enrolled in the Conference Health Benefit Plan.)

If you have not enrolled, it’s not too late – join TODAY! GO to www.virginhealthmiles.com/login. At the bottom of the login page, click on “enroll here”. (The company name is East Ohio Conference). Follow the steps through the log-in process. If you have any difficulty enrolling or have any questions, contact VHM at the 1-866-852-6898 or contact VHM by email via their site.

Results Are In!!

Step… step…walk…walk walk even run…run… run.

Lakeside proved to be a great arena for all the participants in the Annual Conference Challenge.

People were seen in small groups briskly swatting away May flies and other assorted bugs as they covered lots of ground. Much good conversation and new friends were some of the results of this challenge.

We hope you will share your experience with others to keep us all moving forward!!

There were three official walks scheduled for the Day Apart on Wednesday. They were led by district superintendents and included a variety of paces for health miles participants. Those ranged from a walk to two separate running events. The 5-6 mile run group went so fast no photos are available!!! 

• A quick peek at some of the results shows that a total of 8,461,832 steps were taken.The top five walkers were :  Lynn Snider, Brandon Keck, Ed Fashbaugh, Cheryl Duell and Gary Streif.

  Four people achieved more than 150, 000 steps.

  Twenty four people accomplished over 100, 000 steps.

Go check out who compiled all those steps

Mayfield Church Raises $4806 for Walk for Hunger

Now that it is June, 80 degrees and climbing - do you remember the weather on Saturday, May 8th? Team Mayfield does! Members of Mayfield Church (Chesterland) weathered windy, rainy and fridgid temperatures to participate in the Greater Cleveland Network Walk for Hunger.

Every $1 raised on the Walk provides four nutritionally balanced meals … so Mayfield provided 19,244 meals for those in need while each participant walked 3.5 miles just to keep warm!

Visit Mayfield’s web site for a chilling account of their walk along with some fun photos. 

Let’s hear some comments about the day from our Mayfield walkers! We’d love to hear from other churches or individuals who also braved the blustery day.

One Million HealthMiles!

Over 1 million HealthMiles have been earned East Ohio’s VHM participants. Great Job!  Thirteen participants have achieved Level Three and earned an additional $75, with 67 participants reaching Level Two and earning their first $25. Currently, enrollments have increase to 56.4% (244) of the eligible population (433).

Day Apart Offers Walking and Running Sessions

There will be a number of workshops and health related activities for persons to participate in on early Wednesday afternoon of the Annual Conference Day Apart.  Three activities that include walking or running are offered to help us continue to live out the Annual Conference theme of “Hope and Healing” and help add to our HealthMile count.

Health Walk
Led by Rev. Valerie Stultz, Rev. Kurt Landerholm, and Rev. Jim Humphrey 
Put on your walking shoes and join these three District Superintendents in a health walk around the grounds of Lakeside.

Health Run #1
Led by Rev. Dan Bryant and Rev. Judy Wismar Claycomb
Get those running shoes out and go for a healthy 2-3 mile run at an approximate 10 minute mile pace.

Health Run #2
Led by Rev. David Scavuzzo 
This 5-6 mile run is for those experienced runners at a 7½ – 8 minute mile pace.

View the entire list of workshops for Day Apart, Wednesday, June 16.