ASHLAND — Ashland University and University Hospitals Samaritan Medical Center representatives gathered Wednesday afternoon at the City of Ashland’s Municipal Building to announce the winner of their recent “Get Fit Challenge,” which encouraged more than 100 area employees to exercise for a minimum of 150 minutes per week.
When UH Samaritan Medical Center president Todd Harford and Ashland University president Dr. Carlos Campo flipped over two cardboard signs displaying their totals, the crowd learned that the medical center had bested AU in the friendly competition with an average of 330.2 minutes of exercise per person per week compared to AU’s 274.11 minutes per person per week.
“It was a lighthearted event that emphasized the real benefit of the challenge… to promote health and well-being by encouraging employees to get fit and stay fit,” UH Samaritan senior marketing strategist Noah Gangi said.
The notion is that healthy competition could lead to a healthier Ashland. Other Ashland area businesses are encouraged to replicate the six-week competition on their own.Â
“Our vision the whole time as we developed this program was that it is easy enough, that it was plug and play enough, that the community could take it and run with it,” UH Samaritan manager of community outreach and EMS Steve Carroll said.
The challenge was created earlier this year after AU’s director of campus wellness Deborah Sullivan had approached Carroll with the notion of a walking competition. They collaborated to instead encourage the optimal amount of exercise for adults according to the 2018 national physical activity guidelines — 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week.
“It kept us motivated. And t’s been a lot of fun,” Harford said. “Healthy competition is always a good thing.” Â
UH Samaritan Medical Center won bragging rights and a healthy lunch at Campo’s expense.
