Rita S. - Member Since November 2007
My two-year HealthMiles story begins quite simply: I'm cheap. And ends quite happily: I didn't break anything!
When Virgin HealthMiles was signing people up at [my employer's] Health Fair in November 2007, it sounded like a great deal. Money for walking. I was not particularly athletic, but I was already a frequent walker. Since I'm naturally cheap, I normally brought my lunch from home, then would spend a good portion of my lunch hour walking around downtown. What could be better than getting paid to do something I was already doing for free? So, I signed up.
The passing of Level 1 (6,000 HealthMiles) came in no time, but Level 2 (12,000) and Level 3 (24,000) seemed to take a bit more effort. It turns out, however, that those GoZone gadgets can make you somewhat obsessive about racking up the steps. I found myself walking around my kitchen reading the comics, as opposed to relaxing with them on the couch. I forced myself to take the stairs. I would even park on the far end of the lot, just to collect a few extra steps. By the beginning of August 2008, I felt I was on track to easily break through to Level 5 by my anniversary in November.
But then, disaster struck! In the middle of August, while vacationing, I broke my arm rollerskating! (I have since been told, by a number of seemingly caring persons, that not-particularly-athletic individuals should avoid rollerskating, after a certain age.) Although my legs were still operational, the bad arm slowed me down considerably in logging in extra activities, so I just missed making Level 5 that first year.
Being cheap, I vowed not to blow it two years in a row. I kept walking at lunchtime. I stayed clear of the incredibly dangerous sport of rollerskating, joined a gym (at a cheap rate, of course!), and instead took up the much safer sport of jogging on a treadmill. Despite never having been much of a jogger, I am pleased to report that I can now run a 5K without passing out. I can also proudly state that this year I reached level 5, earned $500 HealthCash, and I didn't even break anything.
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