Staff and students are invited to take part in the GofIT challenge to help increase well being and physical activity.
The challenge, which has been developed by Electronics and Computer Science, the Faculty of Medicine, Sport and Wellbeing and the Students’ Union, proposes to increase mobility and activity options on campus.
Modelled on MIT’s successful 12-week team challenge, the GofIT challenge takes a dual physical and digital approach over a 24-month project with four phases.
The first phase starts from 15 October to 18 November and is looking for teams of five to eight people to sign up to a web-based challenge site, where the goal is simply to increase minutes of physical activity each week. Participants have weekly minute targets to increase physical activity and wellbeing, which can be as simple and as easy as taking the stairs instead of the lift or having a salad for lunch. Teams that complete minutes are eligible for prizes.
Teams signing up now will receive their instructions on 1 October.
mc schraefel from Electronics and Computer Science, who has helped develop the GofIT challenge, says: “There are sufficient studies now to show that more active, mobile students perform better academically, and are ill less often. Therefore, helping our students get and stay more mobile is an important goal.”
Once the first phase is complete, the GofIT team propose a mobile app that will enable staff and students to capture and share GofIT related health discoveries and questions, such as “Here’s a great place to walk” or “I’m HERE: where’s a good place nearby to get a gluten free lunch?” The final two phases will look to develop physical fit stations on campus and integration of digital and physical infrastructure.
If you would like to get a team together and take part in the GofIT challenge, please sign up at gofit.soton.ac.uk