Step Up Your Health!

Human Resources posted a series of graphics at the County Operations Center and County Administration Center to promote the new stairwell exercise program, Dare to Stair.

Doing exercise doesn’t have to mean driving to a gym or putting on a pair of spandex.

It doesn’t require dishing out $10 or $15 for a class.

Adding exercise to your day can be as easy as taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

Under a new County fitness program, employees can earn prizes based on how many stairs they climb over the next five weeks.

On Tuesday, Human Resources expanded the “Dare to Stair” program to all employees. It kicked off as a pilot program at the County Operations Center last month. Nearly 500 employees have signed up so far. The County is partnering with Kaiser Permanente on the program.

The goal is to encourage employees who may not exercise regularly to take advantage of this highly accessible, free activity, said William Erese, the County’s Wellness Coordinator. Employees can count the stairs they walk to get to their desks in the morning or to go to lunch with coworkers. Employees can move at their own paces, fitting in stairs in whenever they can—at home, at work, in their neighborhoods, on the weekends. They can count both climbing up stairs and down stairs towards their overall totals.

Climbing stairs builds strength because it uses more muscles than just walking. The intensity level is also higher than walking.

“It takes walking to a different level, without running,” said Human Resources Analyst Susan Toner, who helped develop the program.

Stair climbing can also take participants to some scenic spots around San Diego County, from the Secret Stairs of La Mesa, to Torrey Pines State Reserve and the San Diego Convention Center downtown, Toner said.

To participate in the County’s program, sign up through LMS. Go to the County’s Quarterly Wellness Challenge web page and print out the log sheet. Simply record how many stairs you have climbed a day over the next five weeks and then submit it to Human Resources’ Benefits Division by email at FGG@sdcounty.ca.gov or by inter-office mail to mailstop O7.

Depending on how many stairs employees climb, they can win three levels of prizes. Achievement levels are based on the number of stairs it takes to climb to the top of the Statue of Liberty in New York: 354. If a participant climbs 3,540 steps, or the equivalent of 10 Statues of Liberty, they will earn a t-shirt. If they climb 7,080 steps, or 20 statues, they’ll get a calorie counter jump rope and flat water bottle. And if they climb 10,620 steps, or 30 statues, they will win a gym bag and flashlight.

Erese said the County hopes employees will feel encouraged by their accomplishments. Next time an employee has a chance to actually climb the Statue of Liberty—or a similar challenge—hopefully they will have the confidence to go for it!

For more information, visit the County’s Quarterly Wellness Challenge web page on Insite.