Staff take on 8-week wellness challenge

A group of Adams School of Dentistry staff members recently completed an 8-week wellness challenge under the moniker Not Fast, Just Furious. The challenge urged each member of the team to count their steps and other activities for eight weeks, tracking their distance covered and mileage. The goal of the challenge was to see how many U.S. cities named Plymouth they could reach within the eight week time period. The group, Annalise Beebe, Anjie Cotton, Mary Erskine, Monique Hayes, Aubrey James, Tanya Jones and Vernadette Delos Santos, logged enough miles to get them to Denver, going through five towns named Plymouth to get there. Not Fast, Just Furious finished sixth among all UNC Chapel Hill teams and were ranked 62 overall out of 252 other teams.

“I’ve learned about the many different things you naturally do in your daily life’s activities (i.e.: walking, going up and/or down the stairs, vacuuming the floors, etc.), actually counts as some sort of movement and/or exercise. So even when we think we’re not exercising, we actually are,” said Monique Hayes, administrative support associate, office of the dean.

“As someone who tends to lose energy as the weather gets colder, this challenge had such a surprisingly positive impact on my mental health and wellbeing! It was so helpful for me to have a competitive and fun reason to get out in nature and to stay moving. I feel like it’s jumpstarted one of my most important wellness tools, and my weekly steps have continued to climb!” said Amie Sigmann, assistant director of dean’s office operations.

With a new year beginning, the group is ready to take on a new wellness challenge and are looking for new opportunities to help keep them motivated.

“I kept reminding myself of where I started prior to the challenge and my overall wellness journey. I am on an “Intentional, Purposeful, Mission” to live better and stay healthy,” Hayes said.