Million Mile Movement: Healthy Lee challenges community to log one million miles

Are you up to the challenge? Can the Southwest Florida community collectively log one million miles in less than six weeks?

That’s what Healthy Lee—the community collaboration made up of local businesses, government, school, health, religious and community organizations committed to building a healthier SWFL – is asking as it gears up to launch another iteration of the Million Mile Movement.

The Million Mile Movement, SWFL’s journey to better health, kicks off Dec. 14 right after the Lee County Digital Heart Walk ends on Dec. 12, and runs through Jan. 24. The competition is using a new app called “The Outbreak” which features family friendly zombies and is open to people and teams of all ages and fitness levels.

Form a team and use the new app to work together to fight your way through family friendly zombie character mobs and reach the safe house…. before the horde reaches you!

Registration is taking place from Nov. 16 – Dec. 5 and the six-week challenge starts Dec. 14. Employers and area organizations are encouraged to purchase their discounted licenses to sign up their teams (3 – 10 members) by going to www.HealthyLee.com.

“Staying fit during the holidays can be a challenge, so we opted to move The Million Mile Movement to a time we can all benefit,” said Gary Griffin, Healthy Lee chair and president and CEO of B&I Contractors, Inc. “The event is also a great way to unite our community around the shared goal of better health and well-being. We encourage everyone in Lee County to participate.”

“Activity helps both our mental and physical health, which means it’s an essential part of living a healthy life. The event offers a friendly challenge to other area employers to participate as a great team building exercise since many are working remotely at this time,” said Larry Antonucci M.D., MBA, president and CEO of Lee Health. “The Million Mile Movement is a fun, innovative and inclusive way to empower all of us to be more active. We aim to help our community set healthy goals and motivate everyone to achieve them.”

For more information or to register to participate, visit www.HealthyLee.com.  The site also offers healthy lifestyle tips for families and children as well as businesses and includes recipes, wellness tools and a community event calendar for healthy events happening in Lee County.

During the challenge, the Outbreak mobile app will automatically sync with participants’ fitness tracking devices (Apple Watch, Fitbit, etc.) or cell phones to track steps. Participants can also enter their daily exercise in the app. The easy-to-use website and mobile app allow participants to track their physical activity, such as biking, walking, swimming and running, to reach their personal and team goals. The site tracks steps and a mile is typically between 2,000 and 2,500 steps. 

All participants are encouraged to invite friends, family members, neighbors and co-workers to join in and track their progress. For more information on how to participate, visit www.HealthyLee.com.