Climb IU
A Challenge to Move More Throughout the Work Day!
For IU Employees and Spouses
Started February 3, 2020!
Check out the Climb IU Community Sharing page to learn about fellow challenge participants' tips and experiences.
CLIMB IU ENDED ON FEBRUARY 21, 2020. CHECK OUT OUR FINAL PROGRESS BELOW!
We hope participants had fun challenging themselves to move more throughout the work day over the past 3 weeks!
- During Climb IU, we climbed 267,712 flights as a university! That's like climbing Mount Everest 100 times in 3 weeks!
- See Team Participant Progress as of Monday, February 24 (Excel File)
- See Individual Participant Progress as of Monday, February 24 (Excel File)
Climb IU is an online university-wide challenge to encourage IU employees to move more throughout the day! Spouses are welcome to participate, too.
Moving throughout the day re-energizes our minds and bodies, and it’s important to our health. (Check out research and resources here!) For this challenge, create a team or fly solo as you work toward your movement goals.
Taking the stairs can be fun and convenient, and it's one way to accomplish workday movement — but there are other ways, too! During Climb IU, you can count your movement in two ways:
- Participate by climbing stairs: Count every 12 stairs you climb up as a "flight."
AND - Participate by active minutes: Count every 3 minutes of physical activity (stretching, walking, moving as able) as a "flight."
Move your way and feel free to count both stair climbing and active minutes toward your overall flights!
For tracking, only count "flights" achieved during work hours — the focus of Climb IU is moving more in short bouts throughout the work day!
How to Register
You can participate on a team or as an individual!
IMPORTANT! Team Info:
- There's no limit to how many people can be on a Team.
- Ask your coworkers and colleagues if there is an existing team you can join, or start your own team by asking coworkers and/or your spouse to join you!
- Every Team needs a Captain and a Team Name — you'll need these when you register. The Team Captain will be the point person if Healthy IU has a question for your Team.
- Every Team Member will need to register themselves. Each Team Member will receive their own Personal Online Tracker, but will be grouped together when weekly results are shared. There are PDF team trackers for a visual reminder!
The Goal
Setting Goals
When participants receive their Personal Online Tracker, they will be able to set a weekly goal. There are two options for the goal:- Personalized Goal: Set a climbing goal of your choice!
- Bicentennial Goal: This goal is to climb up 200 flights of stairs over three workweeks. Why 200? We want to climb 200 flights in honor of the IU Bicentennial! That breaks down to about 66 flights per workweek, or about 13 flights per workday. In an 8-hour workday, that's about 1.5 flights per hour, or about 18 stairs / 4.5 active minutes. (Remember, for those participating by climbing stairs, a flight is 12 stairs. For those participating by active minutes, a flight is 3 active minutes.)
Listen to your body!
If you are new to stair climbing or physical activity, listen to your body and set your flight goal accordingly! The motto, "no pain, no gain" does NOT apply here! Physical activity should make you feel great. It's a wonderful thing to listen to your body and go at YOUR pace. We hope taking the stairs and moving throughout the workday becomes a hard habit to break — a part of your daily routine even after the challenge is over.Why Participate?
Participate in Climb IU to:
- Stay active during cold winter months (no gym required!)
- Bust stress and boost creativity with stair-climbing or active minute microbreaks
- Save energy by taking the stairs instead of the elevator or taking the long way
- Build camaraderie by creating or joining a team, or reach personal milestones as an individual
- Most importantly, HAVE FUN!
Incentive
The incentive for this challenge is a pair of Healthy IU socks, available on a first-come, first-serve basis while supplies last. As of January 15, all socks have been spoken for. Thank you!
How Do I Track My Flights?
Everyone will receive their own Personal Online Tracker via e-mail on the first day of Climb IU.
Participants will track the number of flights they have climbed in their Personal Online Tracker. Every time you add flights to your tracker, you'll want to click the "Save" button. Follow the instructions in the tracker when you want to add more flights, or move on to the next week of Climb IU.
There are also PDF trackers you can download and print if you prefer to use those! However, only flights tracked in the online tracker will be shared in weekly results.
Download a PDF tracker for Individuals or Teams.
Convert your active minutes or stairs climbed to flights with the Flight Calculator!
Tips for Climb IU
- Have fun!
- The spirit of this stair-climbing challenge is to move more throughout the workday.
- Participate by climbing stairs: Count every 12 stairs you climb up as a "flight."
AND - Participate by active minutes: Count every 3 minutes of physical activity (stretching, walking, moving as able) as a "flight."
- Move your way and feel free to count both stair climbing and active minutes toward your overall flights!
If you have questions, check out the FAQs or e-mail challeng@iu.edu.
Printable Trackers & Climb Reminders
Many of us need a visual cue to help us remember to climb.
Try one of the following, or create your own!
Printable Trackers
- Individual Tracker: Keep it somewhere that will remind you to climb!
- Team Tracker: Post it in a common area for your team! (designed to fit best on legal-size paper, 8.5x14")
Climb for a Cause
Need motivation? You may want to consider climbing for a cause. Research indicates individuals exercising for a philanthropic cause are more motivated to overcome barriers. Read more.
Read the Frequently Asked Questions »
How can I be a great teammate? »
Get some stair climbing safety tips »
Why take the stairs? »
Tips for incorporating stairs in your workday »
Questions? E-mail challeng@iu.edu.