ATS 2022 attendees are making great strides toward personal wellness, all while supporting the ATS Research Program. By the end of the first day of this year’s Wellness Challenge, close to 1.5 million steps had been logged.
That’s a distance equivalent to about 700 miles in 24 hours.
Designed to promote healthfulness through exercise, the friendly competition challenges participants to take 30,000 steps during the International Conference. The clock started at 12:01 a.m. PT on Saturday, May 14, and the counting stops at 11:59 p.m. PT on Tuesday, May 17.
The top three steppers, as well as three randomly selected participants who exceed the 30,000-step goal, will be awarded prizes. Viatris, the sponsor of the challenge, also will donate $100 for each participant who reaches that goal, up to $50,000, to the ATS Research Program.
Leaderboards in the Wellness Challenge booth in the lobby of Moscone South, online, and in the app track this year’s steppers.
Five challengers hit the 30,000-step target the first day, with the front-runner, using the handle drPien, topping 41,000 steps. The average number of steps taken was 11,500, or about three miles per person.
In addition to walking or running, meditation is a new way to add steps. For the first time, participants can learn relaxation techniques and earn bonus steps by listening to a short meditation audio clip on the Wellness Challenge app.
“We know that burnout is real, especially for our health care workers right now, so we wanted to add something to help them catch a breather among their busy days — to kind of let other things go and just rest for a while,” said ATS Associate Director of Sponsorships and Programs Fiona Zheng.
ATS 2022 attendees can join the Wellness Challenge by visiting the ATS Wellness Challenge booth and downloading an app that will track their steps on their smartphone. They can also earn a daily step booster by visiting the Viatris booth in the Exhibit Hall.
Prizes will be awarded at 10 a.m. PT Wednesday, May 18, at the Wellness Challenge booth.
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