Comments From Members

Linda

• Great Program Thanks!
• Regularly scheduled activity made logging once a week simple.
• I lost 4 pounds

• I think we should do this year round, instead of just for the summer. It will keep people motivated throughout the year, instead of just for the summer.
• I have been wanting to start exercising for quite some times. Having Virtual Fitness Center just motivated me even more to really start what I wanted to do all along.

• We all helped and reminded each other. It was a great support system.

• We had a great time. Most of my Team underestimated our goals (or else we really got into it).
• Playful pestering to get people to log their time.

• I found that journaling was a great way to keep me motivated and focused on the goal. It made me really want to earn points. I was glad to find I could enter points from home as well as work.  Can we have something like this more often than just in the summer. One for each season of the year would be great!!! I certainly would participate and work on getting colleagues to do the same. Every time I logged in points I really felt good, liked I'd accomplished something.
• I kept track of my points on my Notepad and Palm Pilot to remind me where I was at. I told others about the program. Most colleagues were unaware of it. Just having the weekly, 5-week, and 10-week goals in front of me really made me want to exercise and achieve the goal. I feel great for having done it. Also, I put the Virtual Fitness Center website link in my Netscape Personal Toolbar folder. So EVERY time I used Netscape I saw that link right at the front of my Personal Toolbar list, reminding me. That type of daily reminded was very helpful to me.
• This program really made me take notice of how much time I was spending on a weekly basis on physical fitness. I'd been exercising pretty regularly and was happy with what I was doing. But forcing myself and "raising the bar" to get the points on a weekly basis made me see how much dedication and effort it took to get in all that time. One key item was how I could do other activities, not just going to the gym in the morning. Variety makes it fun and interesting. Hiking on weekends helped me get points and was a great way to get outside and enjoy nature; my dog especially enjoyed the weekend runs and hikes. They were good for her health too. As I type this, we've just finished our big finale hike on the last day of the program to finish up my points!

• I thought this was a fun program. I would like to participate again. It was great to set a goal and track how I was doing weekly. I was pleasantly surprised to see I get a lot more exercise than I thought I did! I made my ten-week goal in five weeks!

• I exchanged emails with 2 others on the team. It was motivating and fun.....
• I needed to be flexible in when I walked. I considered job responsibilities, weather, and fatigue. I occasionally called friends to join me. Can't imagine walking without headphone availability to set the pace. (though sometimes it was off for meditation.)
• Go Cyber Seabreezes!! Thank you teammates for your support!

• ...After being a first time captain, I think I would contact the team more frequently the next time. This is a fantastic program Hope it continues.

• This program was very helpful in motivating me to keep exercising during the hot summer months. I'm normally active, but I might have slacked off when the weather got hot. Often, it would have been easy to skip exercising, but I wanted to keep my commitment. I didn't want to be the one to keep my team from meeting the team goal, so I was determined to reach 100% of my goal.

• This was a fun experience, hope it will be offered next year.

• This was a decent program. I would like to see a tracking mechanism throughout the year whether the company sponsors a program or not. Perhaps a pre-designed form (Excel spreadsheet) could be developed.
• This program coincided with my decision to train for the next Disney Marathon. I am doing this with the help of the Leukemia Society and their program called "Team-In-Training." They supply coaches, mentors, etc., to assist the athletes. It is done on a voluntary basis with multiple benefits to all.

• I thought this program was an excellent way to get back into an exercise routine. I found the goal-setting and point-logging system to be good motivators. I also enjoyed being part of a team, even though we did not exercise together. We were a great source of support and encouragement for each other.

• This was a great way to get me back into a regular fitness program.....love it
• I'm very competitive so just the competitive aspect of it was enough for me to overachieve my goals

• A very good program hat promotes not only physical fitness, but teamwork. The friendly competition is a bonus!
• I just tried to keep the team informed and motivated. Use of humor w/ my active application notes help keep this lighthearted and hopefully enjoyable. Heck we were the ONLY LARGE team to hit 100% by the deadline of 8/27 !!!!
• We'll be back to defend our Crown

• I'm already looking for the Virtual Fitness Center in 2001.
• I also involved my spouse and my 5 year old daughter to do physical exercises with me
• This is one of the best summer programs at our company. The outcome for employees from this program is huge. Apart from helping someone to keep good health, this program overachieved in terms of cultivating basic life style qualities of the participants (e-g: Self motivation, team work, record keeping, regularity, positive thinking, good eating habits, healthy competitive spirit etc.). Excellent work done by the program organizers.

• We had a competition between all of the managers and some co-workers. The loser had to buy the winners lunch. Competitive for a good cause.

• Great Program, well organized and helpful in motivating me to start and stick with a summer exercise program.

• Good experience

• This program really kept me exercising and the fact that I was part of a team, motivated me the most. This experience was really fun and I will certainly join the next year program. I would even suggest that we have 4 of these programs during the year meaning one by season. I would participate to the four programs. And maybe, more co-workers would join us ! Thanks

• Should not just be a summer program. It should be available all year to those who are interested

• I think this should be more than a summertime thing. I'm not too concerned about the fall, but I find it hard to keep exercising when the weather gets bad, i.e., in the winter, and once I'm out of the habit that attitude carries right on thru spring. The little extra motivation and reminding seem to be enough to put me over the top and get/keep me moving. I also think the user interface for updating status could be a little slicker, although it isn't real bad. I was a little disappointed that so many teams (particularly, mine) fell short of their goals, although the count isn't complete yet. Could it be that people are being encouraged to set goals that are unrealistic for their situation, then getting discouraged when they fall behind? Just a guess, of course.

• I have a heart problem, and all the exercise has brought my cholesterol down and my blood pressure down. I feel so much better and really liked having the company promote fitness at work.

• I was already on a healthy food program on my own, but the Virtual Fitness Center program helped me to focus more on an exercise program also to improve my results.
• A few members of our team went on lunch hour walks together. This allowed us to keep each other motivated. Also knowing that your team is counting on you to complete your goal so the team can succeed is motivating.

• The use of 10-minute increments made it much easier for me to squeeze exercise time into my busy schedule.

• My motivation comes from within . . . staying fit and healthy has been a focus in my life now for the last 20 plus years . . . and it will continue to be a focus for me for the rest of my life. Why? For me the reason is clear . . . it is my "fountain of youth". Staying healthy and fit keeps me not just feeling young but looking young . . . and I can still wear the same size at 40 that I wore when I was 20 years old!

• This was an excellent program. I work out on a regular basis, but it was great to have a place to log it and compare to others. It was added motivation that kept me going on those days when I just didn't want to get out of bed. I would love to see this extended into more of round the year program, quarterly or something, not just summer. Now what am I going to do?!!! Suggestion: When signing up for teams, I never really met my team. It may be good to have a day where everyone works out together, or where you are able to state what gym you work out at so you could try to pick a team where you had some things in common.

• Good program for those that are not health club members.
• Keeping my commitment to myself was a strong motivator.

• Knowing I had to get a certain amount of minutes in each week is what really helped. I found that I can easily add more minutes each workout made me realize how little I was currently doing. Having the goal and not wanting to fail kept me motivated. Also the fact that I was the team captain, I knew I had to reach my goal.
• A co-worker and I walked every Tues & Thursday, which I added to my step classes which I already did on M-W-F. The walks were great, because we got outside during the day and enjoyed the sun. When I was behind, I went for a hike on the weekend which easily added a couple hours.

• Great Program - Wish I had set a higher goal for myself. Will participate next year.
• Worked together as a team. Lots of encouragement from fellow team mates.

• Enrolled in a tennis class. This ensured that I would have to go to the gym at least twice a week
• While traveling on business one week, I was sure to pack my workout clothes and actually worked out 3 times for no other reason than the humiliation I would feel if I were the one person to not achieve their goal.

• I got in contact with another team that had a high point goal, similar to ours. We traded status mails throughout the program and used that to keep our teams motivated. The sense of competition that this created helped my team keep their spirits in the program.

• I walked on a daily basis during lunch before joining Virtual Fitness Center.  It was fun to keep track of my results, and compete for first place.

• It's a really fun program. On the days when I didn't want to go to the gym, I thought of my team, and that gave me motivation. I didn't want to let them down. And it helped that I made my own fitness goals. I didn't have to be a super woman to make a difference to my team, I just had to meet my goals. It's a great program.

• I initially was pretty skeptical about how effective this team concept would really work regarding meeting goals that were set at the outset of the program. I was pleasantly surprised that when there were a few times that I just didn't feel like working out, I pushed myself to go for it, because I didn't want to let my teammates down.

• You should team up with Weight Watchers for future programs. I joined weight watchers in April and with daily exercise have lost 25 lbs. I have always exercised; however, for the past two years I was gaining weight and eating less. I found out that by not eating I was storing fat. Weight Watchers is great to educate MOBILE EMPLOYEES to eat properly and eat at least three times a day.
• I made a point to jump out of bed at 5:30 AM every morning and hit the gym. I feel better, look great and have lost 3 dress sizes! I enjoy the comments from my family and friends and their encouragement. I reached my goal and have lost 25 lbs through exercise and weight watchers.
• I feel great, lost 25 lbs in 4 months through diligent daily exercise and through good nutrition learned through weight watchers which has been extremely helpful to me as a mobile employee. I look great, lost 3 dress sizes, and feel terrific!!

• As team captain - made up some very funny experiences of the team & received many comments/kudos' back from them. Seemed to have everyone in tuned & trying to keep up.

• This is an excellent program! Thank you for allowing me to participate!
• I look and feel better!

• ...I definitely found it to be motivational - I enjoyed logging in my minutes.

• Due to this program, I looked into the Fitness Center that recently opened and had an evaluation done, resulting in a personalized exercise plan.
• Working with a team is great because you don't want to let the other members down. Only the Team Capt. knew who was behind, so you did not feel that much pressure.
• It's fun, it's easy, and it keeps you on track!

• Goal setting is everything! Once done, then I think you really want to exceed your targets.

• We had a great captain whose motivational e-mails we're inspiring. His natural enthusiasm was very motivational.

• Would like to expand the diary to include "type of exercise."
• Team captain sent out e-mails every week and kept us informed. Went walking twice a week with two co-workers.

• Great program. Thanks!
• Wasn't going to let my team down!
• It was fun!

• As an athlete, I enjoyed this program, knowing that I was part of team and helping others with my knowledge & support.

• I think this program is excellent and during it, I lost weight!!!!

• I tied my activities into my everyday life and I will continue to do so.

• Used coins and/or sticky notes to count our laps around the building.

• I like this site. It's extremely motivating to me to see the actual time spent working out show up in a place that is tracking it. This would be a nice way for me to stay on task with my fitness commitments. Let me know if you create a site to keep track of fitness commitments, a diet journal, etc that I could record into every day.

• I was already in a regular exercise program several times a week at a local health club, but walking just 10 minutes in the morning and in the afternoon motivated me even more.

• It was a great program!
• The program gave me encouragement in challenging myself to increase my level of activity beyond the level in which I had become complacent.

• Thank you, I had fun. It would have been nicer to have a team in the area that met regularly. I had little if any contact with my team/team captain.

• I look forward to participating again next year!

• This has been fun and I liked being able to see how the other teams are doing
• I've lost 10 pounds and am feeling great. I've started climbing mountains instead of just walking the dog. Thanks.

• competitive spirit
• I lost 4 lbs when I was very committed and now I've gained 2 lbs back because I've slacked off.

• My cholesterol dropped from 207 to 186. I am more flexible and have built up endurance.

• It was a great program (Godsend) to get me started. I knew the benefits of exercising but I needed a push to start. I have benefited greatly and feel a lot better.

• Have you thought about a going-into-the-holidays program (say Nov. through Dec.)?

• Overall I really enjoyed being Team captain and would do it again next year. However, I do wish that work schedules would permit a set aside time for exercise or if management would be a little more supportive
• Research diet and fitness info. Group work-out at a local gym. Motivational emails and incentives. Set a weekly goal for your team. of the program as a whole. (encouragement)
• Most of my team needed motivation to get started on a weekly work-out routine! It worked! Now, most my team members have a regular work-out schedule...

• I really enjoyed the program. My running program has been stalled for about a year and this was exactly what I needed to get out on the road again!

• It is good to know that the company realizes how important physical fitness is and that the company will benefit from a healthy employee as well as the employee.

• I used the goal to push myself away from other activities, which were not so rewarding. like I went swimming instead of walking.

• The program motivated me to work out consistently during the summer to keep my commitment, which was especially valuable since I quit smoking in February. As I began to work out longer and more often, I noticed that the stopping point in my exercise changed from "out of breath" to "tired muscles". Thanks for the program.

• Very helpful to have a program where you get encouragement from co-workers and record progress

• Start small and make sure that you do something to get the adrenaline going on a consistent basis.

• Virtual Fitness Center got me back on track with daily exercising.

• This was my first year and I underestimated the level of participation that I actually completed.
• Dedicated daily time for excerise and didn't allow things to get in the way.
• I intend to keep my exercise and diet program going through the winter.

• I signed up for a half marathon to give myself a goal to work toward.
• Our team captain did a great job of sending out motivational notes that were short yet informational.

• Keep up the motivation!!!

• The notes weekly were a reminder to update the logs, also motivational
• I lost about ten pound and 3inches. I feel great!

• Excellent program. Combined physical exercise and good nutritional info, which is very important to physical well being.
• establish time/backup time to do exercise. set goals.

• Good program - It made me extremely conscious of working out on a regular basis. It was important that I made time for it.

• This program was an excellent source for helping employees learn about fitness. They all were very interested in new ideas to keep exercising fun. Everyone was very enthusiastic and kept the momentum going throughout the program. The team was great and I was proud to be part of it!
• I was team captain, and my main motivational tips for the team came from my own experiences and tricks to keeping motivated. I used different strategies such as buying a new pair of running shoes or offering to go for a run or walk with different team members.

• Early in the morning worked best for me. If I waited till after work to exercise I would miss half the time. It takes a little getting used to it but once you settle into it, You never miss. The way I look at is once you're done with the exercise, the hardest part of the day is over!

• Keeping track of my exercise minutes was very motivating. I could immediately see how much I needed to catch up to achieve my goals and it kept me on schedule to make exercise an important part of my daily routine.

• Participating in this program gave me the extra motivation to do something I've been wanting to do but haven't been able to focus on. Would it be possible to leave the website up all year for logging minutes on an individual basis to support ongoing goals?

• I became very motivated by seeing the results of my exercise program. I was already on a weight loss program and this program helped get my exercise schedule back on track. At the end of the program I have currently reached a total weight loss of 52 pounds and have dropped several clothing sizes. The best part of the exercise program was the "stress release" I felt and the added energy.

• My Team Captain was great, when I was down or did not feel like walking she would motivate me by giving me a pep talk or she would stop by my house and we would walk. That helped me a lot

• Team Captain was very motivating

• Our Team Captain was very motivating and a strong influence on our team.

• The Team Captain was a big help.

• I sent a couple of e-mails to the team asking about individual activities etc. I got back several helpful, engaging notes back.

• Participation made me more aware of my state of fitness -- which is actually unfit. I am now committed to making changes all around.

• Although I normally exercise throughout the year I found that the amount of exercise I did increased because of the program. Knowing that I was committed made me not skip work outs when I was too busy or when the weather was bad. I can say that I did exercise more because of the program.

• I formed a mid-afternoon walking group with team members in my department and another department. (We included interested contractors who wanted to join us.) We walked 20-30 minutes through our building complex, including up and down stairs. Participation varied from 2 to 6 walkers daily, with an average of 3 to 4. I've had requests from walking group members to continue after SIS ends. It makes for a nice
• I was already exercising regularly but this program encouraged me to be more consistent in the amount of weekly exercise.

• Just keep trying!

• Early team meeting Enthusiasm Local team competition e-mail from Captain each week Personalized e-mail to encourage meeting goal toward end of 10 weeks to those not having met 100% already

• I really liked the set up of the program. By being able to see my progress and by having a goal, I was able to motivate myself to exercise more.
• I got the majority of my exercise through taking Cardio Kickboxing classes. This turned out to be good for me b/c I was motivated to attend all of the classes because I was paying for them. I think if I had been doing something for free, like working out at the facilities at my apartment complex, I would not have been as motivated.

• I think this is a very good program and that management should encourage 100% participation.

• This is the second year that I've participated in Virtual Fitness Center. Virtual Fitness Center helps me to get in some physical activity, when I start to slack off.

• worked out over lunch all the time, became a habit.
• I have lost 25lbs, feel great, receive lots of comments from people that I haven't seen for awhile.

• Encouraged me to increase my exercise level as well as monitoring my nutritional intake, as I am an insulin dependent diabetic, plus I have a kidney transplant.

• I really enjoyed doing this. There were times when the Team Captain encouraged the team more than once a week.

• I found the activity logging, and knowing that the team needed me to achieve my goals very motivating
• I as the team captain used the captain's corner information to keep track of how everyone was doing, and send extra reminders or suggestions or talked to people who needed a boost. I also sent the weekly messages, updating them with our team status, or other helpful hints or suggestions to my team members.

• The program is very good. There needs to be more people involved in this because by eating high calorie fast foods and not exercising you will pack on the pounds. I am seeing more of this all the time.
• Just spending 30 minutes a day doing some form of exercise is a habit I have developed in the past 6 months.

• I haven't exercised for a while and the early chart given to help set targets made it seem okay to set relatively small targets (50 points/week). Most programs don't appreciate that for someone who is not exercising, 50/week is still a noble goal. Other programs set the bar too high for folks like me. With higher goals, I would have gotten discouraged and would probably not have finished the program.

• Take the time for yourself, you earned it. Plus it long run it really helps! Fore go some of the house work it is and will be will there when you get back.

• ...This was a nice program. I am glad that I participated. Thank you for offering it.

• This was a very good program to help get and keep in shape during the summer months. I was pretty proud of the fact that I was able to at least achieve my goals, and also to over achieve them through some discipline and hard work. Thanks for providing the tools to help keep us motivated.

• Walked with others

• Good way to get something going and keep it going because of support from teammates and team captain.
• Team Captain sent us motivational memos every week and team mates discussed progress.

• We had a day where our team had a picnic with another team and had a volleyball game and tug of war competition.

• An Excellent program that promotes physical fitness by having you set goals and track your activity. This works as a good motivator

• Fitness should be a year-round habit. I would participate in a similar program quarterly as well. Quarterly run programs would definitely keep me motivated and I think overall participation would increase. Team participation and competition would also increase. Resulting in better overall fitness. Would welcome additional function to set weight reduction goals, progress tracking (weigh-ins) and diet tracking.
• Add a tool for captain to see trends either favorable or not for the team to make its team objective.

• Excellent program! It should continue.

• Just signing up was a motivating factor
• I discovered that changing exercise time to after work from early morning works well for me when I'm on the road

• As a team captain, I found that creating a chart that allowed my team to see everyone's progress helped to get people to fill in their own activity log. (Otherwise it was begging & pleading).
• A bunch of us found a few times during the day, and whoever could walk at one time, did. If they got busy, they tried to make the second time...

• This program gives you the push to get out and take charge of you lifestyle. The messages are always there to remind you that you set a goal for yourself. And if you want a sense of accomplishment you need goals in your life.

• Fitness is extremely important and I applaud my company for its commitment to its employees' health
• My strategy is to do a minimum of 55 minutes a day at least 4 days per week. I used jogging in the country as a motivator because it not only reduces stress but also allows for a beautiful view.

• For myself, having at least one other team member to perform the activity with regularly helped to keep me motivated. After returning from weekends and vacation we would report our activities to each other. This helped us stay on track

• Had a very good captain

• On evenings when I was tired from work, or it was raining, this commitment got me out to do a minimum of twenty minute. My dog appreciates it too!

• I did this last summer and found it VERY motivating just to watch my progress. At the end of the summer, because it was over and my schedule changed to accommodate my school-aged children, I quit! I think you should have programs like this year-round, and the "shape" of my company would change. 

• Several of us on the team were also participating in Weight Watchers. The Virtual Fitness Center program was a perfect complement to the WW program with striving for a more active lifestyle and taking a good look (and improving) our eating habits.

• I would like to see this program offered 4 times a year. ...This is something that we should all be doing all year long. Having the program gives me more incentive to do the things that I should already be doing. It makes it more fun.

• Had a very good captain

• On evenings when I was tired from work, or it was raining, this commitment got me out to do a minimum of twenty minute. My dog appreciates it too!

• I did this last summer and found it VERY motivating just to watch my progress. At the end of the summer, because it was over and my schedule changed to accommodate my school-aged children, I quit! I think you should have programs like this year-round, and the "shape" of my company would change. The program (the online stuff) did not seem as robust this year. It had some errors, and at the end seemed to imply that it was continuing after the 10 weeks. Also, I didn't find it helpful to see the how close I was to my 5-week goal after the 5 weeks were up. Even though I didn't interact with my team and only occasionally with the captain, I found it tremendously motivating to work with a team; I didn't want to be the one who caused them to fail.

• I'm glad I participated it helped me keep my weight down and motivated me to work when I didn't want to

• Buddy system

• I found the program encouraged me to exercise. It provided me with additional motivation.
• Constant reminders were very helpful.
• This was a great program, I look forward to doing it again

• When not doing team activities, find a partner to do activities with

• Participation in this forced me to get up very early and complete any exercise routine before work.

• Great program.
• Awards are a serious motivator in today's busy environment!
• Love to work out. Programs like this really get me going

• I participated in other programs from my company and found this one to be the one I stuck with most.

• The process of goal setting and tracking is, to me, the most important part of the process...

• Great program !
• Just wanting to complete the goal I set
• The program did get me to start walking on a semi-regular basis.

• Our team leader would check to see how we were doing and if it looked like someone was not logging in, she would remind us all to log in our time. Some members would forget to log in their time which made our standings lower than they should have been. She also motivated us to do our exercise - even by doing it as a group.

• This program was extremely helpful for me since I was able to set a goal and monitor my progress throughout the program. I was encouraged to see my percentage of goal rise and knew when to "push" myself a little harder when I was lagging behind.
• The key to my success was simply MOTIVATION. I basically FORCED myself to go to the gym even after I had worked late. Even though I dreaded it on the way there, I felt invigorated once I got into my workout and was proud of myself for following through with it!