buckheadWALKS! Participants Walk More Than 150,000 Miles in May

Pandemic edition of annual challenge boosts physical and mental wellness

ATLANTA – June 4, 2020 – In a month where people were looking for ways to stay active and stay sane, buckheadWALKS! delivered both. The 2020 edition of Livable Buckhead’s annual walk challenge allowed participants to earn points based on the distance walked each day, but also incorporated a slate of virtual activities to boost mental well-being and camaraderie among co-workers. Online meditations, trivia happy hours and lunchtime “tours” of Buckhead businesses allowed participants to collect additional points and to connect with colleagues and neighbors during a time of social distancing. More than 450 active participants walked a total of 153,163 miles in May, the equivalent of more than six trips around the globe.

“We’re thrilled with the response to buckheadWALKS! this year,” said Denise Starling, executive director of Livable Buckhead. “Late March was a bit of a scramble as we modified our plans, but it all ended up going really well. We’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback about the virtual events, so we’re planning to keep some of them even after we’re able to begin hosting in-person events again.”

In a survey of walk challenge participants, 75% of respondents agreed that buckheadWALKS! helped foster a sense of community and camaraderie with their teammates. Walkers ranked a desire to be more active and to “not go crazy during COVID-19” as their top reasons for participating. Most participants also achieved one the walk challenge’s primary purposes – avoiding short car trips in favor of a walk. In fact, 51% of respondents said that they had walked to a nearby destination to which they would previously have driven.

“The walk challenge was one of the most popular topics on our Slack wellness channel, and several employees expressed interest in finding other virtual challenges or creating our own to stay motivated over the summer,” said Quinn Giardina of BrightWave. “We really appreciate Livable Buckhead organizing the challenge and giving us a way to boost morale and encourage healthy habits while we couldn’t be in the office together.”

Livable Buckhead also surveyed buckheadWALKS! participants to find out about their companies’ plans for returning to the office. Most (41%) reported that plans are unsure at this point while 16% are already back in the office. Nearly a quarter (23%) are going back in June, 8% are going back in July and August and 11% are going back in the fall.

Eli Zandman earned the individual buckheadWALKS! title, winning a $150 Fifth Group Restaurants gift card, a one-night stay and breakfast for two at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead. Chastain Park came out on top in the team competition, winning a $250 Simon gift card for a team lunch. Julie Brock and Wayne Glass attended the most buckheadWALKS! events, and each will receive a Peachtree Road Race bib and a $25 gift card to Maggiano’s.

buckheadWALKS! was sponsored by South City Kitchen, Ecco, Alma Cocina and the Buckhead Hotel Council of Georgia.

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About Livable Buckhead

Livable Buckhead is a nonprofit organization that strives to ensure the long-term viability and prosperity of the Buckhead community. The organization achieves its mission by working cooperatively with individuals, public entities and private businesses to integrate sustainable strategies. Livable Buckhead implements programs related to greenspace, recycling, energy efficiency, commute alternatives, arts and culture, real estate development and land use. For more information about Livable Buckhead and its programs, visit livablebuckhead.org.

About Wellable

Wellable operates next-generation wellness challenges and health content technology platforms and complements these solutions with on-site and virtual services, such as fitness classes, seminars, health coaching, and more. The technology’s flexibility allows organizations to customize and configure a program to meet their needs and objectives while providing a rich experience for end users. Wellable works with employers and health plans of all sizes and has active users in more than 23 different countries. Visit Wellable online at www.wellable.co.