Locals Shape Up with Walk Georgia

employees are focusing more on fitness, and that can involve a little friendly competition. More than 50 GreyStone employees are participating in Walk Georgia, a 12-week program that involves recording daily physical activity online for points, or “mileage.” Participants can compare their results to other groups and individuals throughout the state.

For Douglas County, GreyStone employee Sandy Beasley ranks as one of the top individuals, with more than 940 miles logged. Beasley has racked up miles by running three days a week and visiting a gym five days a week.

Walk Georgia participants may record a wide variety of physical activities, including dancing, horseback riding, hunting and skiing, among many others.

A team of GreyStone employees and the wife of an employee called the “Dixie Chicks” holds one of the top spots for groups in the county, with 894 miles logged. GreyStone Human Resources Vice President Marcita Scharnhorst participates on the team and has earned many miles working in her own backyard. “Yard work really adds up,” she said. 

GreyStone Human Resource Specialist Judy Shaw also holds a top spot for individuals in Douglas County, with more than 520 miles logged. “Even though I have not started aggressively training for the Peachtree Road Race, I can still log the many hours of yard work, walking, playing with the grandchildren and housework. Any way you look at it, the goal is to get moving,” said Shaw.

Walk Georgia has an educational element as well. “Once involved in logging your time spent on various activities, you can use the miles to virtually move throughout the counties of Georgia and learn interesting facts on each one as you go,” said Shaw. 

While the goal of workplace wellness programs is to improve employee health, Shaw said they also help alleviate the impact of enormous increases in health insurance premiums. “We are taking the ‘corporate wellbeing’ approach at GreyStone with annual flu shots, a health fair, fitness programs, wellness newsletters and blood pressure checks. According to statistics, it is estimated that being overweight increases yearly per person health care costs by $125, while obesity increases costs by $395. It is also estimated that two thirds of chronic conditions can be attributed to three major lifestyle risk factors: physical inactivity, poor diet and tobacco use.

“Lifesigns, a wellness facility that focuses on physicals, plays a major role in our wellness approach,” Shaw said. Recently Lifesigns Client Wellness Coordinator Elizabeth Norris presented a Lunch & Learn session to GreyStone employees that focused on the needs of an employee health survey. Norris, who has a master’s degree in public health with a focus on health behaviors, spoke to the cooperative’s employees on “Eating Right in a Realistic World.”

Norris’ presentation included tips for dining out and choosing the best snacks when buying from a vending machine. “Eating healthy doesn’t have to mean having tofu every meal. Even small changes can have a big impact overall in the long run,” she said.

Lifesigns has provided blood pressure checks and biometric screenings to GreyStone employees in previous years. Now the cooperative plans to hold quarterly Lunch & Learn sessions for employees. 

“Our goal is to offer programs that focus on our health risks,” said Scharnhorst. With 97.7 percent of employees participating, the cooperative’s wellness programs have a wide reach.

GreyStone Power serves more than 103,500 members in portions of eight counties, including Paulding, Douglas, Fulton, Cobb, Carroll, Bartow, Fayette and Coweta counties. Learn more at www.greystonepower.com.