Active U Autumn, MHealthy’s eight-week physical activity challenge, returns this fall to encourage the university community to get moving.
Registration is open through Sept. 17. Participants can start tracking their exercise minutes on Sept. 18.
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Offered twice a year, the program promotes physical activity and reaching a weekly exercise minutes goal based on the participant’s current amount of activity.
“I was an Active U team captain this past winter and I enjoyed the playful competition and was motivated by my teammates’ success stories, which helped me stay on track with my own physical activity,” says Listron Mannix, center and project manager for the School of Nursing’s Center for Sexuality and Health Disparities.
Mannix understands the value of regular exercise and sustainable effort. As a pre-teen and teenager, he weighed more than 300 pounds, and was able to get the weight off by eating everything in moderation and maintaining a good balance.
“For me, Active U is not about losing weight or pushing yourself beyond your limits,” says Mannix. “It’s about motivating and encouraging each other to move a little more, have fun and feel good.”
Program highlights are:
• Friendly team competition — Join a team or create a team with coworkers, U-M friends, or spouse/other qualified adult. Team rosters must be set by Sept. 17. Individual participation is also available. Participants can also connect with one another and share successes.
• Updated online tracker — Improvements based on Active U participant feedback make it easier to log activity minutes and see weekly progress.
• Sync to your device or app — The tracker supports a number of wearable activity devices and free apps like Fitbit, Jawbone, Garmin, Withings, Misfit, MapMyWalk, RunKeeper and more.
• Donate to charity — This year participant donations will go towards the Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Center.
• Opportunity to win prizes — Participants who continue to track through the end of the program will have a chance to win Amazon gift cards.
• Being part of a huge community — This past winter’s Active U program drew more than 12,000 participants.
• Qualifies for Rewards — Benefits-eligible faculty and staff who successfully complete the first two weeks of Active U Autumn can earn 25 points toward MHealthy Rewards 2018. For more information, log into the StayWell Portal at mhealthy.umich.edu/rewards.
Active U Autumn is open to university faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students, retirees and spouses/OQAs of employees.
