Duke encourages faculty and staff to build healthy habits one step at a time with the Get Moving Challenge, a 10-week wellness competition sponsored by LIVE FOR LIFE. Individuals and teams of coworkers can:
- Compete with other teams at Duke to get the most steps and/or minutes of exercise
- Win drawing prizes by entering weekly stats online and playing Exercise Bingo
- Opt in to daily recipes, exercises, and mindfulness practices to create robust wellness routines
- Challenge specific teams to rivalries with GMC Rivals
Weekly Article
Finish Strong Together
(Week 10: March 16-22)
Step by step. Rep by rep. Stronger together. đđȘÂ
Welcome to Week Ten, the final week of the Get Moving Challenge! After ten weeks of effort, dedication, and teamwork, youâve reached the home stretch. This week is all about finishing strong, celebrating your perseverance, and reflecting on everything youâve accomplished. Every step youâve taken, every rep youâve completed, and every encouraging word youâve shared has helped build healthier habits and stronger connections with your team.Â
Small changes have made a big difference throughout the challenge. As John Wooden reminds us, âItâs the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.â Like adding just 2,000 extra steps per day, which improves heart health, boosts energy, and supports weight management. Here are additional tips that can help you continue to make a big difference in your health even after the challenge ends.Â
Recommendations for Weight Loss:
- Move consistently:Â Daily activityâeven brisk walks or short workoutsâsupports calorie burn and metabolic health.
- Strength + cardio combo:Â Pair strength training 2â3 times per week with cardio to maximize fat loss while preserving muscle.
- Nutrition focus: Prioritize protein, vegetables, and whole foods while staying mindful of portion sizes. Tracking meals can improve adherence.
- Stay hydrated and rest well:Â Recovery is essential for metabolism and sustainable results.
- Recommendations for Strength Gain:
- Progressive overload:Â Gradually increase weights or resistance to challenge your muscles.
- Compound movements:Â Exercises like squats, lunges, push-ups, and rows target multiple muscle groups for efficient gains.
- Consistency over intensity:Â Strength builds over time; regular sessions are more effective than occasional intense workouts.
- Recovery and sleep:Â Muscles grow while restingâadequate sleep and stretching support stronger results.Â
As you enter the final stretch, keep motivating each other. "Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming," as the inspirational John Wooden also famously said. A simple cheer, a high-five, or a shared workout can make all the difference in finishing strong. Remember, the challenge has never been just about numbers...itâs about building momentum, strengthening your team, and discovering what youâre capable of when you show up consistently.Â
Youâve shown discipline, perseverance, and teamwork for ten weeks, and thatâs something to be proud of. Use this final week to give it your all. Encourage your teammates. "A team is not a group of people who work together. A team is a group of people who trust each other." Coach K. Celebrate every win and embrace the energy of the finish line. GO Duke! đÂ
Together, youâre unstoppable. đđđȘÂ
GMC Rivals
GMC Rivals is a fun and engaging addition to the Get Moving Challenge! To keep the competition tight at a smaller scale, teams can challenge each other to be rivals. Each member of both teams will have access to a dashboard that shows team-level standings with each other and competition stats. Rivals can also challenge each other to 3 types of mini games, which can aid in reaching team step or movement goals!
If you have a large department with multiple teams, have friends in other departments, or want to have a competition with those who are ranked close to you during the GMC, you might consider them as rivals! Rivals can be challenged and accepted by team leaders at any point during the competition. Once a rivalry is established, this will remain for the duration of the challenge.  Teams do no earn prizes for participating in GMC Rivals; however, doing so may motivate your team toward their goals. Get started by searching for rivals!
Need Help To Get Moving?
LIVE FOR LIFE, Duke's employee wellness program, offers a variety of programs and services, such as health assessments and education, smoking cessation programs, fitness activities and nutrition activities, to help eligible faculty, staff and family members reach their health and fitness goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Get Moving Challenge is a fun, team-based exercise focusing on pedometer steps, time spent exercising, and the option to track weight goals. If you choose to focus on a weight goal, you may pick to maintain, lose, or gain weight, based on your personal or medical needs.
Team standings are based on cumulative results and are calculated as average exercise minutes and average pedometer steps per participating team member. Your team's average for a specific category will be calculated based on the number of team members actually competing in that category, not the total number of members on your team. But, if you have a team member competing in a category and they are not reporting their progress online, that is calculated into your team average.Â
Live team standings will be available online. Metrics for the previous week must be entered by the current Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. Therefore, standings will be most accurate after this deadline. Weekly updates regarding standings will be sent out by LIVE FOR LIFE on Mondays to notify teams of their status and drawing winners.
Each member of the winning teams for both step count and minutes of activity will get a LIVE FOR LIFE prize bundle. The step count category has three leagues (Silver, Gold, and Platinum), while the minutes exercised category has two (Silver and Gold). Therefore, up to 5 teams total can win. Similarly, the top three individual participants of each category will also receive a prize bundle. This includes an LFL Travel Mug and other LIVE FOR LIFE accessories. Winners will be announced once final data is submitted on March 26.
There are also two drawings you may participate in throughout the challenge: the Striding Toward Success drawing and the Exercise Bingo drawing.
- Striding Toward Success: Each week, you are required to enter your stats for the competition categories you are participating in. After submitting your weekly stats, you will be entered to win a JLab Go Sport+ Wireless Workout Earbuds. Winners will be randomly chosen each week. The number of steps or minutes of exercise completed does not influence your chances of winning, but rather that you entered data.
- Exercise Bingo Drawing: Each week, complete 5 exercises from the Bingo card. You can get a Bingo when 5 exercises in a row vertically, horizontally, or diagonally are crossed off. By the weekly deadline, submit which exercises you completed to our Qualtrics survey to get entered to win a drawing prize. Prize options include a yoga kit or Pickleball set from the LIVE FOR LIFE Store. On the PDF of the Bingo card, you may click the exercise names to see demonstrations and form.
Team members may not enter data after the weekly deadline and will be ineligible to win that weekâs drawing.
This is a web-based program, so having access to a computer is ideal. If you do not have access to a computer at home or work, you can use a mobile device or a public computer at a Duke library, 705 Broad St. or the LIVE FOR LIFE offices in the sub-basement, Orange Zone of Duke Clinic.
Being a team captain is easier than you think! The captain's main responsibility is to recruit their team of at least five members. Once the competition begins, the captain also helps motivate team members and reminds them to record their progress.
Teams may have between 5-11 people. Teams are considered âcompetingâ in standings for a category if at least 5 members indicate they are participating in a category at the time of registration. If less than five people select a category, the team will not be included in the team standings; however, each team member can still track personal progress in that category.
You can connect with other participating colleagues using the online team search.
Individuals and teams may choose to participate in up to three categories:
- Step count
- Minutes of activity, and
- Weight management.
You may choose to participate in one, two, or all three categories. Of these categories, only step count and minutes of activity will be competitive categories that count toward leaderboard standings. Weight will be a secondary metric participants may choose to track; however, this will not be a competitive measure nor required. If individuals choose to track their weight, they have the option to track weight maintenance, loss, or gain, based on their personal or medical needs.
Teams will be assigned to the following competition levels based on the average number of daily steps or minutes of activity at the time of registration. Teams will compete within their assigned league throughout the competition.
- Step Count:
- Silver League: less than 5,000 average daily steps intended by team
- Gold League: 5,001-7,000Â average daily steps intended by team
- Platinum League: 7,001+ average daily steps intended by team
- Minutes of activity:
- Silver League: 0-44 average daily minutes intended by team
- Gold League: 45+ average daily minutes intended by team
There are three total categories you may participate in: step count, minutes of activity, and weight management. You may choose to enter one, two, or all three categories.
You can change your selected competition categories any time in your My Profile section until the end of the first round of the competition. After the first round, your selections will be set and cannot be changed.
You keep track of your own progress by entering your results online daily.
Weekly competition metrics must be entered for the previous week by the current Wednesday at 11:59 PM, each Wednesday. For instance, Week 1 data (January 13-17) would be due by January 22nd in Week 2 of the competition.
Below is a list of weekly deadlines. Both weekly stats and your Exercise Bingo exercises must be submitted by these days to be considered for the drawing and count toward your team totals.
- Week 1: Wednesday, January 21
- Week 2: Wednesday, January 28
- Week 3: Wednesday, February 4
- Week 4: Wednesday, February 11
- Week 5: Wednesday, February 18
- Week 6: Wednesday, February 25
- Week 7: Wednesday, March 4
- Week 8: Wednesday, March 11
- Week 9: Wednesday, March 18
- Week 10: Wednesday, March 25
LATE DATA: You may enter late data after the weekly deadline; however, late data will not count toward team totals. It will only be available for your personal records to see progress throughout the competition.
No. Your individual weight will NEVER be available to anyone but yourself. We know this is a sensitive topic, so we protect your privacy.
If you have noticed a change in your weight since registration, simply record your new weight in one of the daily logs during Week 1 of the competition. Once the first week is finished, all weight loss calculations going forward will be based on this number. If you do not record your weight during any of the Week 1 daily logs, the starting weight you recorded at the time of registration will be used as the basis of all weight loss calculations going forward.
According to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition, at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity should be completed each week to realize substantial health benefits. Moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity is any activity in which you are increasing your heart rate and breaking a sweat. This includes brisk walking, jogging, biking, running, swimming, other sports, etc. Additionally, the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition recommends muscle-strengthening activities (such as lifting weights or using resistance bands) that are moderate or greater intensity and involve all major muscle groups on two or more days a week. Therefore, the Get Moving Challenge defines exercise as moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity and/or muscle-strengthening activities. Please note, the maximum number of minutes which can be logged per day is 420 minutes. We chose this number as the maximum value because the time limit to finish the Tobacco Road Marathon is listed as 7 hours.
Absolutely! You may use any device or App to track your steps or minutes, but please be mindful the Get Moving Challenge defines exercise as moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity and/or muscle-strengthening activities.
If you are concerned that you might have an eating disorder or issues around your relationship with food, consider contacting the Duke Center for Eating Disorders Clinic at 919-668-0398. If you are concerned about excess weight but find that a disordered relationship with food gets in the way, consider contacting the Behavioral Health Clinic at Duke Lifestyle and Weight Management Center at 800-235-3853 for a consult.
Fitness Trackers & Apps
View a list of some of the best wearable fitness trackers and some of the best health and fitness apps to find which one might be best for you.