Stand Up and Get Moving – Austin, Travis County Leaders Kick Off Million Mile Month

Global Community Encouraged to Achieve 1 Million Miles in April

AUSTIN, Texas (March 31, 2017) – Austin and Travis County officials and business leaders are encouraging the community to embrace healthy living by stepping out in April as part of the global Million Mile Month.

Million Mile Month, developed by the non-profit organization HealthCode, is a wellness challenge in which participants track their physical activity – from walking to running to swimming to yoga – with a goal of accomplishing a collective 1 million miles as a global community in the month of April.

The Austin City Council on March 23 approved a proclamation from Mayor Steve Adler encouraging the community to participate in Million Mile Month with a city goal of 30,000 collective miles in April.

“They say sitting is the new smoking, which is bad news for me when our council meetings last past midnight. Most jobs in America – four in five, in fact – are sedentary. Million Mile Month is a great way to raise awareness of a lifestyle focused on good physical and mental health. It’s time to take a stand – literally – and get moving,’’ Mayor Adler said.

Adler joined Travis County and state business leaders for a kickoff of the 2017 Million Mile Month challenge at Austin City Hall.

HealthCode launched the Million Mile Month in 2014 to help encourage individuals to take an active role in their health.

Whether it is an employer fostering a culture of wellness or an individual wanting to stay healthy and motivated, the goal of April’s Million Mile Month is to engage individuals in the challenge of achieving 1 million collective miles of physical activity.

Silicon Labs CEO Tyson Tuttle is challenging other businesses to participate in the event.  “At Silicon Labs, one of our top priorities is our employees’ health and well-being. Healthy employees are happy employees. We’ve participated in Million Mile Month since its inception, and this year we have a goal of 20,000 miles.’’

Travis County employees also are participating and Judge Sarah Eckhardt is challenging other Texas counties to follow suit. “Physical activity and proper nutrition are vital for a healthy life. Let’s take a huge million mile step forward toward a healthier community,’’ Eckhardt said.

Austin Independent School District is encouraging staff and families to participate in the Million Mile Month challenge. “We want Austin ISD to be the healthiest, fittest school district in the state. By participating in Million Mile Month, we can stay on track with our fitness goals,’’ said Austin ISD Superintendent Paul Cruz.

Steve Amos, executive director of HealthCode, said: “We are seeing continued interest from businesses, school districts, counties and municipalities – as well as individuals – to take the Million Mile Month challenge. Millions of people die each year from preventable diseases like heart disease, diabetes, obesity and cancer and we want people to take a stand and take a step to help ward off disease.’’

Since 2014, more than 34,000 participants from 50 states across the United States, 36 countries and more than 200 organizations have stepped up to the Million Mile Month challenge. Since 2014, participants have achieved 3.1 million miles of activity and burning 219 million calories.

In addition to helping employees meet health goals, Million Mile Month is an easy program for organizations to administer. Participants complete “miles” through the activity of their choice – from walking to swimming to yoga – and log them on the Million Mile Month website.

During the campaign, the program leaderboard is updated with miles contributed by people all around the world.  For more information visit http://millionmilemonth.org/.

About HealthCode and Million Mile Month

Million Mile Month – developed by the non-profit organization HealthCode – is a global wellness challenge in which participants track their physical activity – from walking to running to swimming to yoga – with a goal of accomplishing a collective 1 million miles. HealthCode is dedicated to empowering people to live healthier, happier lives through education and raising awareness on the benefits of physical activity, nutrition, the environment and community connections. For more information visit https://healthcode.org/.