The University of Arkansas at Little Rock  is issuing a new employee fitness challenge to make planned exercise activities a part of their daily routine.

Running June 13 to July 24, the SummerTime Fitness Challenge is designed to help employees integrate exercise into their daily lives by keeping track of the minutes that they exercise.

Activities like going for a lunch-hour walk, taking a group exercise class, swimming, running, cycling, and strength training are examples of the “structured and planned” exercise sessions encouraged by this program, which have a variety of health benefits.

“Physically fit individuals have more energy and have a lower risk of developing life-limiting diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, osteoporosis, and chronic low-back pain,” Lenser said.

Every Monday, participants will email the total amount of minutes spent exercising for the week to Lenser. At the end of the contest, the first-place winner will receive a $100 Visa gift card. Second place will receive a $75 card, while third place will receive a $50 gift card. Additional prizes will be awarded on a weekly basis.

The SummerTime Fitness Challenge is a follow up to the Step-It-Up Challenge, a team-based fitness challenge that more than 200 UALR employees participated in during April and May.

“Our Step-It-Up Challenge was extremely successful, and I want to keep the momentum going with this new program,” he said. “I received many requests from employees to offer another activity-based program, so I thought this time-based one would be ideal for summer.”

Lenser hopes the challenge will help employees become and stay physically active.

“When people have that structure in their day, it is very effective in establishing a consistent exercise routine,” Lenser said. “Having a plan for exercise on a regular basis is one important component of living a healthy lifestyle.”

Email Lenser at kjlenser@ualr.edu to register for the fitness challenge. The first 150 UALR employees who sign up will receive a free T-shirt!

In the upper right photo, the winners of the Step-It-Up Challenge, Glorified Praise Steppers, from left to right, are: Ben Wilburn, accountant; Rogelia Rodriguez, administrative specialist in Graduate School admissions; Karl Lenser, employee wellness coordinator; Sylvester Cartwright, research assistant in the Office of Institutional Research; Sabrenna Rodgers Lee, director of finance in the College of Social Sciences and Communications; Marie Sandusky, director of health services; and Misty Stukenborg, project administrator in the Graduate School.