As part of Continued’s commitment to employee wellness, every team member receives a stipend to purchase a fitness tracker upon hire. The company’s group health program aims to create a more active culture and promote camaraderie among colleagues. Team members can voluntarily take part in healthy competition through company-wide activity challenges throughout the year.
"At Continued, we believe that supporting a healthy and active lifestyle is important and want to encourage and motivate our team members to focus on their overall health and wellness." - Asher Primrose, Director of Human Resources
“As a 100 percent virtual company, we recognize that working from home may not offer our team members as many opportunities to get up and move as a traditional office setting,” said Asher Primrose, Director of Human Resources. “At Continued, we believe that supporting a healthy and active lifestyle is important and want to encourage and motivate our team members to focus on their overall health and wellness. Offering our team members a Fitbit and organizing step challenges not only increases overall health but is also fun and interactive. It also helps to create additional connection points for our virtual team!”
In a recent company-wide activity challenge, the winning team averaged more than 10,000 steps per day, with the all-teams step average coming in at more than 9,500 steps per day.
We asked the Continued team how they get in their daily steps, and here’s what some of them had to say!
HOLD STANDING MEETINGS
1. After reading about the dangers of sitting all day, I decided to use a standing desk. In a remote environment where we are in virtual meetings for so much of the day, it seemed like an easy way to work in a more healthy manner. Working while standing has been much more energizing than sitting all day, and it has also enabled me to walk about the room during meetings—a simple way to sneak more steps into my day! - Kelley Lawton, Sr. IT Project Manager
2. Add a treadmill in your office and walk (or run) during virtual meetings. - Leigha Jansen, Director, Educational Technology
ENLIST A FOUR-LEGGED PERSONAL TRAINER
3. Volunteer to walk dogs at your local animal shelter. My best step days are when I work a shift at my local humane society. The homeless doggies benefit—and so do you! - Amy Natho, Sr. CEU Administrator/Associate Editor-Speech Pathology
4. I walk my dog about two miles every day that the weather permits. Working from home also allows me the flexibility to squeeze my gym workout in during my lunch break, and I don’t have to worry about returning to my office all sweaty—my dog doesn’t care how I look (or smell). - Joanne Slater, Director, CEU Administration
PACE YOURSELF
5. I pace about when talking on the phone, which can surprisingly generate a lot more steps than I would have thought. - Joseph Garcia, Junior Developer
6. When I am at my son's baseball games, I pace back and forth. People think I'm nervous about the game, but I'm just trying to get extra steps! - Asher Primrose, Director of Human Resources
7. I have an under-the-desk stepper that can be used sitting or standing. I prefer to stand, but when I feel lazy, I crank my desk down and sit and walk at the same time! Doing this, I can easily hit 20,000 steps a day. - Emily Ruby, Customer Experience Specialist
“Our wellness program is one of the many aspects of our culture that makes Continued such a special company,” said CEO Tony Perlak. “As for how I get my steps in and keep up with our company-wide challenges, I am an avid runner, but my secret weapons are my son and dog. I suggest everyone get a puppy and a 5-year-old kid—want to borrow mine?—and you’ll hit 10,000 steps by noon every day, guaranteed!”
KEEP UP WITH THE KIDS
8. A few family walks plus running after my toddler allows me to get my steps! - Caitlin Grefe, Instructional Technology Specialist
9. Long runs plus running after my kids helps me get in the steps! - Melissa Martinis, Director, Marketing and Sales Support
10. I put my daughter in her stroller for walks around the neighborhood. - Tiffany Grant, Account Manager
FREE YOUR MIND
11. My walks are always longer while listening to a podcast or audiobook. - Stevie St. John, Copywriter
12. I use my lunch for a walk or run to give myself a mental break. - Wendy Bradbury, VP, Sales
DRESS COMFORTABLY
13. Working from home allows me to wear workout clothes everyday, giving me more flexibility to exercise without having to take time to change. - April Warren, General Ledger Accountant
BE THE STEPPING CHAMPION OF YOUR HOME
14. If I haven’t reached my daily step goal, I sometimes jog in place by the bed before I lie down in order to get the remaining steps I need. - Fawn Carson, Managing Editor, OccupationalTherapy.com
15. I do laps around my house, relays down the hallway, and circles around the kitchen island while I cook dinner. It’s surprising how many steps you can get in by doing this. - Kristin Masliuk, Ecommerce Marketing Manager
16. I have an elliptical on my patio that I try to hop on for a few minutes each hour and longer at night to get in more steps. - Heather Robertson, Account Manager
GET FRIENDLY
17. I find having a list of friends on your Fitbit really motivates you to get more steps. - Brenda Pantalone, Simucase Education Specialist
18. I schedule long walks with a friend on weekends. It’s a great way to get time with a friend and walk a few extra miles! - Erin Hoskins, Chief Marketing Officer
GO THE LONG WAY
19. I purposefully park further from the door when I grocery shop to get a few extra steps in the parking lot. Every little bit adds up! - Christy Huynh, Managing Editor, AudiologyOnline
20. Teenagers can be very helpful toward your step goal if you tell them we can get ice cream—IF we walk there! - Laura Cissell, Marketing Analyst
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As part of the company's commitment to its robust employee wellness program, the marquee event of the recent company-wide meeting was a 5K walk/run. Team members participated in memory of a longtime colleague and friend. Read more about this event here.