Are you Ready to Move? Healthy Lee Challenges Community to Log 1 Million Miles

Can Lee County collectively log 1 million miles in less than three months? If you ask Healthy Lee—the community collaboration made up of local businesses, health, government school, religious and community organizations committed to building a healthier Lee County – the answer is a resounding “yes!”

The Million Mile Movement, Lee County’s journey to better health kicks off Jan. 15 and is open to individuals and teams of all ages and fitness levels.

“The Million Mile Movement is a great way to unify our community around the shared goal of better health and well-being. We encourage everyone in Lee County, from gated communities, neighborhoods, clubs, businesses, churches and families to participate,” said Gary Griffin, Healthy Lee chair and president and CEO of B&I Contractors, Inc. “A million miles is a long way to go, so we need as many participants as possible.”

Just how far is 1 million miles?

• More than two trips to the moon and back.
• More than 40 trips around the earth.
• More than 850 round trips from Fort Myers to Pensacola.
• 25,641 trips from the tip of Captiva Island to Bonita Beach.

Registration is now underway. We have a great new app which will make it easy to track movement, but be sure to log on to the HealthyLee.com to register individually. If you would like to create a team, please email Cheryl.Schlichte@LeeHealth.org, let her know your team name, include a thumbprint logo and she will let you know as soon as your team is set up. You can then have your team members log on to sign up for your team challenge.

For more information or to register to participate, visit www.HealthyLee.com/news-events/Million-Mile-Movement. The site also offers healthy lifestyle tips for businesses, families and children, including wellness tools, recipes and a community event calendar for healthy events happening in Lee County.

During the challenge, the MyWellness mobile app will automatically sync with participants’ fitness tracking devices (Fitbit, Apple Watch, etc.) or cell phone to track steps. They can also enter their daily exercise on the MyWellness App, which they will download after registering from a computer and receiving their confirmation email. Just follow the prompts. The easy-to-use website and mobile app allow participants to track their physical activity, such as walking, running, biking and swimming, to reach the million-mile goal. The site also offers a conversion tool to help translate a variety of healthy activities into miles.

All participants are encouraged to invite friends, family members, neighbors and co-workers to join in and track their progress with other participants.

“Activity is such an important component of a healthy life and is not only good for fitness, but for our brains and overall well-being,” said Christin Collins, Lee Health system director of health and wellness and chair of the Healthy Lee Lifestyle Coalition. “The Million Mile Movement is an innovative, fun, inclusive way to empower all of us to move more. We hope this challenge helps our community set healthy goals and provides the motivation to achieve them.

About Lee Health

Since the opening of the first hospital in 1916, Lee Health has been a health care leader in Southwest Florida, constantly evolving to meet the needs of the community. A non-profit, integrated health care services organization, Lee Health is committed to the well-being of every individual served, focused on healthy living and maintaining good health. Staffed by caring people, inspiring health, services are conveniently located throughout the community in four acute care hospitals, two specialty hospitals, outpatient centers, walk-in medical centers, primary care and specialty physician practices and other services across the continuum of care. Formerly known as Lee Memorial Health System, the organization began its second century of service with a new name in 2016. Learn more at www.LeeHealth.org.