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Dear
10,000 Step Partner,
We
are thrilled that your organization wants to participate in 10,000 Step
Program™. An important component of this program is for you to
encourage at least two, 10-minute breaks during the day in order for
patients/employees/participants to increase their physical activity.
This increase in physical activity will measured by step counters. It
is our suggestion that the initial program run for 14 weeks so that changes
in physical activity can be measured. This first 14 weeks is designed
to be the beginning of a change in lifestyle that can be continued beyond
the data collection period. We believe that the key to success of this
program is developing a “Step Culture” in the environment in which we
live. This includes giving your participants they reasons to walk
(e.g., incentives, signs encouraging steps, signs posted with numbers of
steps from point A to point B).
The
components of the Office/Worksite/Organization program may include:
·Kick
off: This is a celebration with balloons, healthy snacks, etc. to start
the program. You will explain the 10,000 Step Program™ program to
participants at this time.
·Baseline
data: This is the time to collect baseline data from participants.
This information will be vital in determining progress in reaching your
goals. Information to be collected is baseline steps for one week and
steps taken for the next 14 weeks. FOR ONE WEEK, PARTICIPANTS ARE
ASKED TO WEAR THE STEP COUNTERS AND CONTINUE WITH THEIR NORMAL
ACTIVITIES. MAKE NO CHANGES FOR ONE WEEK. You may opt to collect
other information such as height, weight, level of physical activity, body
fat measurement, blood pressure, wrist circumference, etc.
·Step
counters: You will distribute step counters to participants. These
may be purchased by participants, the program, or by a third party
sponsoring your Office/Worksite/Organization.
Solicitation
of potential local businesses, co-partners, or foundations to purchase step
counters for your group is a great opportunity to advertise and demonstrate
your program’s commitment to health and collaboration with other groups in
your community. Step counters may be purchased through our
website www.rx4betterhealth.com
or by calling our distributor at 800-798-6972.
·Logging
Your Steps: Document steps on either a daily or weekly basis.
People can try both ways. Use the sheet included in this packet.
·Goal
setting: Each individual will have different baseline numbers. We
encourage everyone to increase their steps each week until they can sustain
an increase of 2000 additional steps (e.g., if your baseline is 5000
steps per day, aim for 7000 steps per day). For optimal health, the
ultimate goal for most people is to reach 10,000 steps per day.
·Sustainability
of the program for the data collection period and beyond:
1)
Weekly reminders to participants to log their steps
2)
Regular hints for healthy living
3)
Promote competition among participants to increase percentage of
steps, healthy eating, loss of weight, “walk the most steps”
4)
In a worksite, employee recognition through paid administrative leave for
most steps completed
5)
Plan periodic receptions/celebrations
6)
Schedule a set time each day for people to get together to walk and talk
7)
Create fun things to do such as virtual walks to parks, home towns, other
similar businesses
8)Provide
gift certificates to bookstores, health clubs, sporting goods stores, etc.
9)
Ask your participants to help identify incentives
10)
Recognize participants for their participation with certificates, prizes,
etc.
11)
Celebrate the end of your data collection period at 15 weeks
12)
Ask participants to identify what will keep them using their step counters
and increasing steps
13)
Stress the importance of maintaining or increasing steps beyond the data
collection time frame
14)
We recommend that you have future data collection times at six months and
one year. You only need to collect data for one week at these
times.
Data
Collection:
To
better understand the dynamics of the 10,000 Step Program™
Office/Worksite/Organization programs we ask you to collect step data from
your participants. This will help you in the evaluation of your
program and will help us measure success and learn how to plan future
strategies and activities. You are integral to this process.
Please plan to collect baseline data from all of your participants on week
one. Stress the importance of daily or weekly documentation of the
number of steps taken on the provided log sheets through week 14. We
ask that you return these sheets to the administrator of your program at the
end of the 14 weeks. Any other data collected, such as height and
weight will be useful but not required. Please track the motivational
techniques used that were successful or unsuccessful. These techniques
are vital in sustaining this program over a longer period of time.
Thank
you for your enthusiasm and commitment to the 10,000 Step Program! TM.
As coordinator at your worksite/organization, you will need to compile the
data from each person's log sheet into a summary of your worksite's
achievements. This is your documentation to show how successful your
program was. In order to track the success of this program, we
would like to stay in contact with you. In approximately 6 months we
may call you for an update. It is our desire that this project is the
first step toward improving the health of the citizens of America.
Future components of 10,000 Step ProgramTM are in the
developmental stage.
Congratulations
on being a part of this exciting
project.
Sincerely,
Steve
Freed,
Publisher
www.diabetesincontrol.com
Please
send us your results and comments so we can report on them.
Email: publisher@diabetesincontrol.com
Fax:
847-589-1749
800-798-6972
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