PeopleLikeUs Steps Up
From September 11th to 29th, the PeopleLikeUs step counter contest inspired a frenzy of footwork to see who could rack up the most total steps. The numbers are in, so let’s see who was first across the finish line.
And the Winner Is…
Jenna! Our newest innernets magician managed to accumulate an impressive 228,540 steps over the 18-day contest. That’s an average of nearly 13k steps per day. Wowza!
It was a close finish with the gap between first and second place working out to about the distance of one long walk. And, according to Jenna, it could have easily gone the other way:
“The day before the contest was ending, I was at the gym and it was a very cold night. I had this immense urge to just take the subway home instead of walking 45 minutes in the cold. I texted a few friends and asked them what to do. They told me to go for it. BE DA WINNA!!! Even a friend I was scheduled to have a Skype chat with said to do it. So I walked, and boy am I happy that I did!”
New to Montreal, Jenna used the contest as a little extra motivation to get out and explore the city. But she also had a more personal reason for keeping moving:
“After years of standing and being on my feet all day while teaching in China, my arches started to fall. It became so painful that I couldn’t even stand in place without my knees hurting and needing to sit down. Walking was just as painful and I became quite depressed until I got custom insoles. It’s still hard for me to do anything without my insoles on but I’ve started to realize how important movement is to me. After that, I started to jog every other day, despite it being a bit painful at times. I’d also walk around for hours–just because I could.”
Enjoy your time with Honeydew, Jenna. You earned it!
I’m Learning!
This contest brought out the competitive side of people, and when the final numbers were announced, we’d pushed each other to a combined total of nearly two million steps. But beyond the sky-high figures, we wanted to see what we could learn from three weeks of walking and clocking.
Not all step counters are created equal. When deciding between multiple pedometer options, Sergio, our director of shampoo & conditioner projects, noticed that the two he was trying gave noticeably different results. If maximum accuracy is important to you, be sure to research pedometers before you buy or download.
Keep moving in mind. Our Co-Vision Quest Gurus, Romina and Elbert, were both pleased to note that they became more mindful of walking and seeing where it fits into their everyday lives. Both began spotting little opportunities to squeeze in a few more steps, like taking the stairs instead of riding the elevator a few floors.
Wearables can wear thin. There’s no doubt Fitbits are convenient, but over the course of an 18-day contest you can get tired of strapping on that little rubber watch every morning. Sometimes the wrist just wants to go commando. Similarly, for app-based counters, it can be challenging to keep your phone on you at all times.
“If you use your phone to count your steps, you will ALWAYS want to have it with you. If you didn’t carry your phone with you EVERYWHERE before, you will when step counting.” — , Charlotte PeopleLikeUs mirror marker-upper
Walking for weight loss. On the whole nobody really felt like their waistline benefited from this contest. But stamina and smiles seem to be on the rise around the office.
What’cha got? Michelle liked the healthy competition that came with counting steps. 9am small talk about the weather was quickly replaced by questions about morning step tallies. “What, 8,000 steps already!? How?” Lunchtime walks also increased in frequency, as did walks to and from the office.
Make the world your living room. Jenna, our big winner, found that some of the things we label couch activities can actually be accomplished while you’re out and about. “Go to a field or large open area where there are fewer people and no cars, start reading or gaming while walking. You might look a bit strange, but I do it all the time.” she said.
Matchy matchy. There were clear patterns in engagement and performance. Nearly everyone started strong, peaked during the second week, then eased up a little during the final seven days. I’d speculate that people started the first week by walking enthusiastically, while also looking for opportunities to add more steps. During the second week they applied those extra steps. For the final week, participants were still thinking about chances to walk, but naturally some fatigue set in.
Stepping to Conclusions
There’s no doubt that this was one of our most engaging contests yet. Even four days after the deadline I’m still feeling the urge to accumulate steps, and people are still showing interest in each other’s activities.
I’d recommend this contest to any organization that wants to bring its people closer together in a fun, engaging and inclusive way. Plus, I’m certain we’ve all developed some new walking habits that will stick with us…at least until the next contest comes along.
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