Alaska—Alaska Region’s Safety, Health and Wellbeing coordinators are using visions of hibiscus flowers, palm trees and the rays from a warm, tropical sun to inspire its Forest Service employees to take part in a wellness challenge.

The Aloha Wellness Challenge awards Region 10 teams miles for a variety of activities. For example, up to 90 minutes of exercise, including walking, running, hiking, kayaking, shoveling snow or chopping wood, allows team members to log as many as 15 miles. Participants can also rack up mileage points for preparing a healthy meal, having a hard conversation or balancing their checkbook. The first team to log the 2,800 miles it takes to reach Hawaii from Alaska wins bragging rights.

“These are things we do every day, week or month,” shared Regional Wellness Coordinator Nicole McMurren. “We are just placing emphasis on the importance of the different dimensions of wellness.”

Those dimensions are physical, spiritual, environmental, emotional, intellectual, financial, social and occupational wellness.

Other activities listed in the challenge are reading a novel, organizing a closet, volunteering, sharing a wellness article, getting a massage, relationship building and interactions, trying something new and getting at least eight hours of sleep.

“In the wintertime, Alaska gets cold, rainy, snowy, dark, damp and gloomy,” McMurren offered. “At the same time, the winter season allows for amazing winter activities like skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, ice hockey, snowshoeing and snowmachining.”

The challenge gives Alaska Region’s 450-plus employees an opportunity to engage in a fun activity as a region, as competing teams and as individuals, exploring and enjoying their wellness journeys. 

At the onset, the challenge attracted nearly 20 teams, with names like RO RO RO Your Boat, Following the Humpbacks, Macadamia Nuts and Need Exercise Please Advise (NEPA).