MississippiRiver Challenge

Implementation Guide

Mississippi River

ContentsOverview ....................................................................................................... 3

Features ........................................................................................................... 3

Deployment Options ...................................................................................... 4

Personal Challenges .......................................................................................... 4

Corporate Challenges ........................................................................................ 4

Logging Activities .............................................................................................. 4

Promotion & Communication ......................................................................... 5

Posters .............................................................................................................. 5

Postcards .......................................................................................................... 5

Logo ................................................................................................................. 5

Program News................................................................................................... 5

Program Tips .................................................................................................. 6

Stairway to Health .............................................................................................6

Hoofing It, Inside or Out ................................................................................... 6

Lunch & Learns ................................................................................................ 6

Celebrate Success .............................................................................................7

Fitness Device FAQs ....................................................................................... 8

Mississippi River

OverviewFrom the peaceful headwaters in the northern Minnesota woods to the sweeping meanders of the river delta, participants will turn their physical activity into miles as they journey along the Mississippi River.

The Mississippi River Challenge is a fully configured wellness challenge product. It is available as a corporate challenge for individuals or teams, with a fixed start date and duration, or as a personal challenge for participants to travel at their own pace.

FeaturesThe Mississippi River Challenge is available at the wellness web portal or as a mo-bile app. Features include:

• Captivating images that describe the culture, history, and geographyof this iconic river.

• An interactive map that shows the route and tracks progress.• Motivational push messages to drive engagement.• Push messages to drive engagement.• Incentive point allocation for each milestone.• Autologging of steps from fitness devices such as Fitbit (Zip, One, Flex,

and Force), Jawbone Up, and Fitbug Orb.• Posters and flyers to use for promotional activities.• Corporate challenge options of 8 or 12 weeks.• Optional blog for the challenge or individual teams.

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Deployment OptionsThe Mississippi River Challenge supports a range of different challenge models to meet your program requirements.

Personal ChallengesPersonal challenges allow each participant to start the challenge at any time, trav-eling at his/her own pace to reach the final milestone.

Corporate ChallengesCorporate challenges have a defined start and end date, with all participants com-pleting the journey at the same time.

• An individual challenge measures each participant’s progress towardthe next milestone.

• A team challenge allows participants to form teams that compete againsteach other, measuring team average distance when determining progress.

Corporate challenges are available with 8 or 12-week duration. To reach the last milestone, an individual needs to record (or the team average needs to be) about 8,000 steps, or the equivalent of 4 aerobic miles, every day.

Options for Team Challenges• Support teams of any size, defined during setup.• Team captains, team names, and team members can be self-selected or

assigned by the program administrator.• During the enrollment period, team members may switch teams. Once

tracking starts, team membership is fixed for the duration of the challenge.

Logging ActivitiesThe Mississippi River Challenge supports autologging of steps from fitness devices such as Fitbit (Zip, One, Flex, and Force), Jawbone Up, and Fitbug Orb.

Participants may also log exercise using the online tracker -- choosing from more than 20 physical activities at three intensity levels.

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Promotion & CommunicationBoost enrollment and engagement in your Mississippi River Challenge using these promotional materials and communication ideas.

We recommend that you plan a 3-4 week promotion leading up to launch. Get the word out using wellness champions and department managers. Then keep the momentum going by posting updates.

You will need Adobe Professional to edit information in the templates provided. Ask your graphic design department or provider for assistance. Or we can help you customize your promotional materials for an addtional fee.

PostersUse the poster templates to drive interest and enrollment. Customize with your branding as well as specific information about the challenge.

PostcardsUse the postcard templates as reminders during the enrollment period.

LogoUse the Mississippi River Challenge logo for your own promotional materials.

Program NewsPromote the challenge on the home page of the wellness portal with a mini billboard (Additional Fee for Mini Billboard design).

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Program TipsUse these ideas to encourage activity in the workplace and drive engagement.

Stairway to Health Work with vending companies to provide some healthy grab-and-go food and drink options:

• Create an attractive, safe stairwell that encourages use.• Add signs so that all stairwell entrances are easily located.• Inside the stairwell put numbers on the doors to let users know which

floor they’re on.• Ensure that lighting is sufficient and that all stair areas are clean.• Place posters or prints on the walls. Or invite children of employees

to provide artwork.• Add music!

Hoofing It, Inside or Out• Help participants add extra steps during their day.• Create a path inside or outside the workplace with mileage markers

in increments of 1/10 of a mile.• Identify nearby walking paths or hiking trails. Use Google Maps or Map

My Run to trace a trail and distribute it among employees.• Encourage supervisors to try walking meetings.

Lunch & Learns Plan lunchtime events that educate and engage:

• Invite a speaker from your community (Health Department, AmericanHeart Association) to lead a noontime discussion about physical activity.

• Hire a fitness coach to teach a short class.• Offer a healthy snack to attendees.• Ask merchants to provide coupons or merchandise as door prizes.

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Celebrate SuccessUse rewards and recognition to showcase success.

• Add user stories and photos to your bulletin board or newsletter.• Offer prizes such as gift certificates for different categories each week,

e.g., most improved.• Encourage friendly competition between departments and locations.• Invite feedback.

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Fitness Device FAQsQ: Which devices can be connected? A: We currently support Fitbit devices (Zip, One, Flex, and Force), Jawbone Up, Fitbug Orb, and BodyMedia FIT.

Q: How do I connect my device?A: First, set up your device at the manufacturer’s website. Then select the Manage devices button from the challenge page or go to the Profile tab and select the Fitness Devices option.

Find your device on the list of supported devices displayed in the pop-up. Select the Register button and then follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

You will need your username and password for login to the device manufacturer’s site.

Q: Where can I see my step data? A: Step data from your fitness device will be autologged into your activity challenge. You must be enrolled in the challenge for your data to be autologged.

Q: When is my data autologged?A: Data from your fitness device from the manufacturer’s website will be autologged every night. You must remember to sync your device with the manufacturer’s app or website before data can be autologged.

Q: How many steps equal a mile in the activity challenge?A: We use the conversion rate of 2,000 steps per mile.

Q: How can I log other activities?A: You can use the challenge activity tracker to log activities other than steps, such as swimming or cycling, if your employer has chosen this option.

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