SPACE RACE ON FOOT
Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk may be aiming for space but this GEA employee has had his sights on the moon for decades
Henry David Thoreau writes that “An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.” And Chandrakant Agrawal couldn’t agree more. On January 1, 2000, Chandrakant decided to begin the new millennium with a fresh start. He needed to lose weight, so he decided to start walking 10k a day (6.2 miles).
And 21 years later, he’s still walking.
When he first got started, he walked alone, listening to his Walkman. Once their children got to school age, his wife started walking with him. Now, they walk 90 minutes every morning together. “Consistency is the key,” says Chandrakant, Senior Principal Enterprise Architect in IT. “If I don’t get to walk, it’s a problem.”
Walking to the moon provides a pathway for wellness, solutions, and connections
In February 2012, the couple calculated they had walked the length of the circumference of the earth. Their next goal? Walk the distance to the moon. This calculation also inspired the “Reach the Moon” promotion which originated as a team challenge when Chandrakant was leading GE’s HealthAhead initiative (GE’s version of health/wellbeing). If each of the 600+ employees in the organization walked an average of 4k (2.5 miles) every day for a year, they could collectively reach the moon. At the end of the year the team had a party to celebrate reaching their goal – and their improved health.
Chandrakant attests the well-known health benefits of walking – he hasn’t taken medical leave in years. He realizes walking has many other benefits as well. First, walking reduces stress and anxiety and provides needed “me time.” Chandrakant often thinks of solutions when he’s walking that may not come to mind when he’s sitting at a computer. “Your mind is free to wander when you’re walking.”
There are social benefits to walking as well. Chandrakant and his wife are regulars in the park and have inspired others to walk more. “I have discovered that you have to enjoy the journey, or the purpose is lost,” Chandrakant said.
At the rate he’s going, Chandrakant will be halfway to the moon by the year 2031. Who knows what Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk will be up to by then?
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Reduced anxiety? Check. Less stress. You bet. Improved health? Totally. Problem solver? Surprisingly, yes. Chandrakant, one of our employees can attest to all the health benefits of walking and he adds one of his own – finding creative solutions that simply don’t come to mind when sitting at computer.
“Your mind is free to wander when you’re walking.”
Chandrakant decided to begin the new millennium with a fresh start. He needed to lose weight, so he decided to start walking 10k a day on January 1, 2000. And 21 years later, he’s still walking. Along the way and now alongside his wife, Chandrakant, Senior Principal Enterprise Architect in IT, picked up an ambitious yet simple new goal: Walk the distance to the moon.
While billionaires compete in a space race few of us could ever attain, people like Chandrakant set their sights on the moon—their feet never leaving the ground but their mental and physical health soar.
#BetterWay #HealthySpaceRace