A new team challenge encouraging people to live a more active lifestyle has been launched at Imperial.

GoFit, which was launched during the College’s Healthy Living Week, is designed to get participants of all fitness levels moving more and increasing their activity levels by making simple changes to their daily routine.

Everyday activities such as walking to the station instead of taking the bus, as well as fitness sessions and sports training, will count towards the 12 week long challenge, which aims to combat lethargy, excess weight and stress across the College community.

Over the next 12 weeks, mixed teams of five to eight participants from across the College will log their movement minutes through the online GoFit platform. Team members will be able to set and track their own personal goals, with their performance contributing to the team total.

It is hoped that GoFit will motivate staff and students to get involved with One Big Thing – Imperial’s annual 5K charity challenge to be held on Friday 16 May 2014.

Neil Mosley, Head of Sport Imperial, said:
“Imperial is committed to encouraging the whole College community to live a healthier lifestyle, however we appreciate that finding time to fit in regular exercise can be a challenge for many people.

“GoFit is about making small, sustainable, changes to your everyday routine, such as taking the stairs rather than the lift, to increase your day-to-day activity levels and improve your overall fitness.”

The launch was marked with a mini challenge event at the South Kensington Campus today, where passers-by were encouraged to try their hand at knocking down giant inflatable skittles to win prizes.

Professor Debra Humphris, Vice Provost (Education) said:
“There is growing evidence that activity enhances performance, and exams make this a stressful time of year for many Imperial students. So if we can find ways to encourage students and staff to find healthy ways to manage stress it will help all concerned. 

“GoFit is designed to motivate all of us to let go of that stress by getting active and supporting each other by working in teams. Simply moving more will help; this is not just about the gym, but  also about being more active in our everyday lives. Teams of students or staff can get involved, there is a handy app to make life easy, so join in and move more.”

Register for GoFit online.