For the past 13 of 14 years, nurses have been ranked as the #1 most trusted professional in the country; so it means a lot when the American Nurses Association and the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses trust the National Bike Challenge as a way to get more people out riding!
It seems a happy coincidence that National Nurses Week is in May — National Bike Month — and we’ve been hearing a lot of buzz from the nurses about the Challenge.
The ANA featured a Bike Challenge interview in The American Nurse — their official publication — with Hollie Shaner-McRae (pictured right), a nurse from Burlington, VT. The Challenge is ”a great opportunity to expand your usual ‘nursing practice’ beyond your regular job, and be a model of wellness in your community, church, workplace or neighborhood,” Shaner-McRae says.
Those paying attention to the Challenge may remember that Vermont finished in 2012 as the number one state, and Burlington was top in the communities category; a feat that owed a lot to Shaner-McRae’s promotion of the Challenge to other nurses.
In addition to being trusted professionals and helping to bring Bike Challenge victory to their hometowns, the nurses of the ANA see the Challenge as a way to promote their Healthy Nurse program. The goal: Not only promoting healthy behaviors (eating well, exercising regularly, and getting immunizations) through their work, but also acting as role models in their communities.
Part of the Healthy Nurse program is Healthy Weight, a more holistic approach to weight with the outlook that “ultimately, it is a balance of energy in (nutrition) and energy out (fitness).” The National Bike Challenge is a great way to add an “energy output” to your day!
So what are you weighting for? While an apple a day might keep the doctor away, a bike ride a day keeps nurses (and you) happy and healthy.
Join the National Bike Challenge at www.nationalbikechallenge.org!
Katie Omberg
Events and Outreach Manager
Katie joined the League in April of 2010. For the two years prior, she worked at the Corcoran College of Art + Design as a programs coordinator. Katie has a BA in Religion from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass. She enjoys biking to work.
via Bikeleague.org Blog http://blog.bikeleague.org/blog/2013/05/getting-their-vitals-nurses-are-up-for-the-challenge/
