LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (May 28, 2008)— Employees of Armed Forces Insurance (AFI) took a giant step forward to better health - literally - when they donned pedometers for the company's "March AFI" fitness competition.

THe employees team whose participants had taken the most steps at the end of eight weeks was rewarded with gym bags and other prizes courtesy of the AFI Health and Wellness committee, according to Maura Kelly, Health and Wellness Coordinator, AFI.

"The competition provided a great opportunity for our staff to pursue better fitness," Kelly said. "March AFI isn't about weight loss or calories burned - it's about being aware of your activity level and looking for easy, fun ways to increase it."

The competition boasted 80 participants divided into five teams. To learn more about their membership, each team represented a different branch of the military - Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Marines and Air Force. Each Monday, team members checked in with each other to report their progress, which was tracked by the Health and Wellness committee. Team captains sent out motivational emails to keep everyone inspired while sharing fun facts and information about the military branch their team represented. Individual team members were "promoted through the ranks" based on how many miles they walked, which served to further motivate participants, according to Kelly. All of the teams together walked more than 20,000 miles, with some participants logging more than 700 miles on their own.

The Delta team, representing the Marines, won the competition, with nearly 4,600 miles walked, bikes or ran. Linda Godsil, a member of Alpha team representing the Army, walked an amazing 770.5 miles during the eight weeks of the competition.

"Our employee teams boosted their activity levels in many ways. Some participated in organized exercise, such as a daily jog, and some simply took the stairs instead of the elevator," Kelly said. "All achieved a sense of accomplishment and hopefully, healthy habits that will stick."

About AFI
For more than 120 years, Armed Forces Insurance (AFI) has been providing premium quality, competitively-priced property and casualty insurance for military personnel and Department of Defense employees throughout the United States and overseas. Headquartered in Leavenworth, Kansas, AFI creates a rewarding customer service experience while providing members with peace of mind and protection from fortuitous loss. For more information, visit our Web site at www.afi.org or call 800-495-8234.