‘100K steps challenge’ keeps Pasig seniors healthy amid pandemic

MANILA – Due to the mobility restrictions brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, especially among the seniors and persons with comorbidity, a barangay in Pasig has launched the virtual steps challenge to encourage its residents to live an active lifestyle.

Residents who would complete over 100,000 steps a month are given incentives.

Partnering with Race Yaya website for the BSA Virtual Steps Challenge, Barangay San Antonio, Pasig (BSA) chairman Raymond Lising and Race Yaya founder and CEO Tin Ferrera — who both live an active lifestyle — came up with the idea of the very first virtual steps challenge in the area.

Aside from pushing for a healthy lifestyle, Lising said the virtual steps challenge also aims to bring together their barangay as a community.

Participants upload their garnered steps whenever they have time to do so at the website of Race Yaya. They could also see the progress of their neighbors through the dashboard of the website.

To entice residents, Lising offered redeemable vouchers to those who logged over 100,000 steps during the month of April.

“Vouchers include gym membership pass, coupon from Vamos, T8 gear and apparel, coupon from Simple Hydration, vouchers from salon, restaurant discounts, among others,” he said.

Those who walked an average of 100,000 to 199K get the Bronze Award with PHP1,000 worth of vouchers; those between 200,000 to 299K received the Silver Award with PHP1,500 worth of vouchers; while the ones from 300,000 steps and above are given the Gold Award with PHP3,000 worth of vouchers.

“With the help of Race Yaya, we can keep our kabarangays healthy and give them a friendly challenge that improves their well-being. We want them to build this walking or jogging hobbit until it becomes part of their lifestyle,” Lising said.

“Like what experts said, having an active lifestyle is important during the pandemic. Eating healthy alone is not enough. We must be active,” he added.

As of May 11, BSA only has one remaining active case from the 2,621 recorded cases since the pandemic started in March 2020.

Meanwhile, the top 3 participants who logged the most number of steps were Raymond Bansale with 614,340 steps, Jerome Estavillo with 614,464 steps, and Ann Jillian Pulanco with 631,528 steps.