Employees Encouraged to Exercise at Work on Take a Hike Day

By Ashley DeVine, Staff Writer
People walking at the Take A Hike event

By Ashley DeVine, Staff Writer

Occupational Health Services and the Recreation and Welfare (R&W) Club Frederick teamed up for the first Take a Hike Day at NCI at Frederick on November 21.

Employees were encouraged to hike, walk, jog, or run the 1.3-mile course around Fort Detrick.

“For those employees who walk all the time, the event gave them a partner to walk with, and for those that do not walk all the time, it gave inspiration that 1.3 miles was not a formidable distance,” said Sarah Hooper, manager of Occupational Health Services.

The idea for the event came from NIH’s annual Take a Hike Day, held each spring. “It looked like a fun event that allowed coworkers to get out and socialize while exercising,” Hooper said. 

OHS and R&W Club Frederick plan to hold the event again in the spring.