Top 5 Ways to Take on the Monday Mile

Winter may have kept you inside a bit more than you would have liked, but have no fear…Summer Is Coming! With the nice weather, The Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion has Monday Mile routes to get you back outside. The one-mile route is mapped out for you as a fun way to get in your daily exercise and kick-off your week with healthy habits.

On Mondays, you’ll probably be using either the north or south Syracuse University route or the downtown route. Any day of the week, you can use one of those or one of the dozens of routes in Onondaga County or Madison County.

We asked Mary Kate Lee, program coordinator in the Lerner Center, to help us come up with fun ways to integrate Monday Mile into your department’s culture.

Here’s what we found:

Schedule a weekly walking/rolling meeting

We all know the meetings that could be emails…but what about the meetings that could be outside and active? We’d like to think most of them could! Take that recurring meeting outside and everyone will benefit.

Use your lunch break to walk

You have a built-in window of time that is begging to be used to benefit you. Use it! Take a stroll or roll through the closest Monday Mile route—your mental and physical health will thank you.

Monthly Departmental “Walk & Talks”

Use the Monday Mile as a way to get to know your coworkers. Getting together once a month could give folks in your department a chance to boost relationships and morale in a more casual setting. Have fun with it; exercise can be something you look forward to!

Join in on “Monday Mile with a Mission”

The Lerner Center recently launched “Monday Mile with a Mission,” in partnership with student organizations. Each event supports an organization’s mission. Departments, divisions, schools and colleges could create Monday Miles with a Mission depending on their specialty or their relation to a current event. Create your own or attend an existing event—either way, it’s important to sometimes have an extra WHY behind your movement.

Post a picture using #MondayMile

Get out there and complete your Monday Mile. When you do, don’t forget to snap a picture. Anyone who posts the photo to Facebook (@HealthyMondaySyracuse), Twitter or Instagram, and tags @HealthyCuse will be entered to win a small prize from the Lerner Center.

So….

With all of these ideas, there’s no reason to not get out there and start your Healthy Mondays with a Monday Mile! Whether you do something above or come up with your own way of getting in that mile, don’t forget to post on social media to let the Lerner Center know!

For questions or to learn more about collaborating with Monday Mile, email lerner@syr.edu.