Resident Hall Dining employees 'Walk 10,000 Steps a Day'

After struggling with high cholesterol, one University employee decided there was a way to control it - by running.

Within four months, Dawn Null, Residence Hall Dining dietician, lowered her cholesterol by 20 points, and after seeing drastic health improvements, she recently decided to help her fellow staff reap the benefits of daily exercise.

At the beginning of the semester, Null launched Staff Health and Physical Education (SHAPE), a walking program for Residence Hall dining employees. The program encourages the staff to take 10,000 steps a day, and so far 20 of the 130 employees are participating.

Null said she decided walking would be the best activity because it was something in which almost all of the employees could participate.

"We have a captive audience," Null said. "Almost half of their waking hours are spent at work. Walking is one of the safest and most effective ways to improve their health."

Residence Hall Dining employees receive two 15-minute work breaks and a half-hour lunch break during a 7.5-hour shift. Null asked the walkers to pick one or both of their 15-minute breaks to walk around campus.

Null said she assigned each dining hall - Grinnell, Lentz, Trueblood and University Hall - two pedometers, which track the walker's number of steps, and a log-in sheet to record the numbers.

Walkers have the choice between two campus routes in various locations. The one-mile trek on the east side of campus goes around Washington Street, East Park Street and along Logan Drive. The Thompson Point route loops around Campus Lake.

Kacie Taylor, Null's undergraduate assistant, said she participates in the activity because it is a great way to get her heart pounding.

"Especially being in the dining hall, you can grab a snack and sit down, or you can go outside and get active," Taylor said.

Taylor, a senior studying food and nutrition, said she records her step every day on the log-in sheet.

"It's about 3,000 steps from where I live on Greek Row to here [Grinnell Hall]," Taylor said. "I'm walking about three miles a day just between classes, and I've never realized that before."

Cindy Stilley, Residence Hall Dining office systems assistant, said she has been involved with the program since it began. Stilley said she enjoys walking with her fellow employees because it gives her motivation and companionship.

"It's just more fun because there are other people doing it," Stilley said. "It's amazing what you can say in 15 minutes, out of breath and all."

Cathy Beasley, Residence Hall Dining cook's helper, began walking on campus in September and said she is glad Null started this program.

"I'm hoping that it will encourage others who want to walk," Beasley said. "It just takes 15 minutes."

To add a competitive edge, Null said she would be keeping track of which dining hall takes the most steps during the spring semester. The top three walkers during spring break and this semester will receive prizes.

"The response has been much better than I expected," Null said. "If this takes off with dining, I'm hoping that we'll get all of housing involved."

Null said a University-wide program would be "wonderful," but funding would be necessary.

"If we got a grant, I would hope the University as a whole would really buy into and promote this," Null said. "It's just a great thing."