Highmark West Virginia Completes WalkingWorks Capitol Challenge House of Delegates Wins Competition for 2014

Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia (Highmark West Virginia) concluded its 8th Annual WalkingWorks Capitol Challenge during an awards ceremony conducted today at the State Capitol.
This program was a four-week walking competition between the members and staff of the West Virginia House of Delegates, State Senate and Governor’s Office. It was designed to raise awareness of physical activity while showcasing positive role models promoting a healthy lifestyle change. Fifty-one participants competed in this challenge, walking a total of 10,987,956 steps, which is equivalent to approximately 5,494 miles.
“By choosing to participate in this program, the governor, our legislators and their staff have served as excellent role models to better educate the citizens of West Virginia on how to lead a healthier life,” said Fred Earley, Highmark West Virginia’s president. “By engaging, educating and activating citizens to help them take charge of their health, we can avoid costly health problems down the road.”
With the largest number of participants this year, the House of Delegate’s team was named as the overall winner with a final team average of 7,389 steps per participant per day. The governor’s office came in second with a team average of 9,426 and the Senate was third with a team average of 8,053. As the winner of the competition, a trophy was presented to a representative from the House to be displayed for the next year.
Several participants were also recognized for their outstanding efforts accomplished during the WalkingWorks Capitol Challenge. Presented with the Highest Stepper Award from each team was Nathan Fowler from the Governor’s
Office, Tom Paxton from the House of Delegates and Wanda Casto of the Senate. The Most Improved Walker from each team included Nathan Fowler from the Governor’s Office, Martha White from the House of Delegates and Tammy Shamblin from the Senate.
The WalkingWorks Capitol Challenge was developed to assist participants in becoming more physically active by using a pedometer to track the number of steps taken each day. WalkingWorks is a program developed by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association to both motivate and educate participants on how to gradually increase the number of steps taken each week.
Through the WalkingWorks Capitol Challenge, Highmark West Virginia challenged elected officials and their staff to be role models for the rest of the state by making regular, brisk walking a part of their everyday routine by wearing a pedometer to count their daily steps.
Physical inactivity can lead to many chronic health problems, including heart disease, stroke, colon cancer, diabetes, arthritis and osteoporosis, which are costly to treat. Research shows that a regular walking program can help control weight, condition the heart and lungs and prevent the onset of health problems. Walking programs can help people with chronic illnesses better manage their health and reduce their need for medical or pharmaceutical interventions.