DESIRE2MOVE©
This year 19 departments and 248 employees participated in the 11th annual D2M Physical Activity Challenge. After 8-weeks of recording their minutes of physical activity, the team from Kinesiology and Health won the Golden Shoe Trophy. Scroll down to read more about the 2024 results.
Now, more than ever, it is important for us to be physically active. Physical activity is an effective way to manage symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression, it improves our immune system, and it can be safely done in many settings. Please consider joining D2M so you can experience the benefits of physical activity in a socially supportive community. If you think your department is up to the challenge, please contact, Dr. Rebecca Ellis, Program Coordinator.
What is Desire2Move?
D2M is an eHealth, team-based physical activity challenge between university departments.
Each department competes as a team and will select a team captain. Each team member logs their physical activity minutes using free mobile apps (or websites) for eight weeks.
The team with the greatest average minutes at the end of the 8-week challenge wins the Golden Shoe Trophy.
For more information please contact, Dr. Rebecca Ellis, Program Coordinator.
Desire2Move Information
- D2M begins in early February and continues for eight weeks.
- Online registration opens in early January and continues until the beginning of the program.
- Use one of the free mobile apps to track your minutes of physical activity during the challenge
Physical activity is any intentional body movement that works your muscles and requires more energy than resting. Examples include walking the dog, jogging, golf, tennis, yoga, calisthenics, weight training, housework, yard work and so much more.- Although current guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, any amount of any intensity of physical activity will count towards your team’s D2M minutes.
- For our beginning participants, during the first four weeks of the challenge, your minutes will be doubled.
- D2M is a convenient and easy way to be physically active and improve your physical and mental health.
- Tracking your physical activity during D2M can help you earn well-being credits with OneUSG. Click “Manage My Benefits” and login with your campus ID and password. At the top of the page, click “Other Benefits” and select “USG Well-being”. Under Resources, look for information about 2024 well-being credits.
- “Beginners” will be eligible for individualized health coaching.
- All participants will be eligible to earn great prizes. Prizes from previous years have included resistance bands, FitBits, and Amazon gift cards.
Please visit the D2M YouTube Channel or refer to the written instructions below for step-by-step instructions for getting started with MapMyFitness or Strava.
Georgia State University Resources
Employee Development and Wellness Services (EDWS)
The EDWS hosts daily, weekly, and monthly activities on fitness, mental health, and nutrition.
- EDWS website
- Wellness Calendar
- Phone Number: 404-413-3342
Panther PERQs:
- Partnerships with local, statewide, and national businesses that offer incentives to Georgia State employees
- Visit Panther PERQs for more information
Mental Health Program:
- Therapy Assistance online
- On-campus: EDWS (Employee Development and Wellness Services)-email request for one-on-one counseling to [email protected]
- Off-campus: ESPYR password = USGCARES
Student Recreation Center Membership Information
- Faculty, staff, and retirees can join the Student Recreation Center for $252 x year or $84 x semester (~ $21 x month; payroll deduction).
- Faculty, staff can pay $5 for a daily pass. Personal training and nutritional consultations are available for an additional cost.
- Visit recreation.gsu.edu for more information
- Ellis, R., & Brown, C. (2023). Facilitating employee’s desire to move: A behavioral analysis using the COM-B model. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 57(Suppl. 1), S77. https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaad011
For more D2M and physical activity promotion research, please visit our Psychological Research on Exercise and Physical Activity Promotion (PREPP) Lab webpage. Coming Soon!
Previous Champions
This spring 19 departments and 248 employees participated in the 11th annual Desire2Move (D2M) Physical Activity Challenge. D2M is an 8-week, eHealth, team-based competition during which team members track their minutes of physical activity with mobile apps. The team with the greatest overall average minutes is the winner of the Golden Shoe Trophy.
The following 19 teams with team captains competed for the Golden Shoe Trophy:
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies – Avani Raval
Applied Linguistics and ESL – Soyeon Sim
College of Education and Human Development Dean’s Office – Matt Gillett
College of Nursing and Health Professions – Anita Nucci
Corporate and Foundation Relations – Jenni Asman
School of Film, Media, and Theatre – Ethan Tussey
Gerontology Institute – Tatiyana Spence
Honors College – Bill Nichols
Human Resources Wellness Champions – Cheryl Johnson Ransaw and Ryan Smith
Kinesiology and Health (Downtown & Perimeter) – Laura Abbott
Middle and Secondary Education – Gertrude Tinker Sachs
Nursing – Downtown – Tamara Stephens
Nursing – Perimeter – Masiki Williamson
Physical Therapy – Simone Smith
Psychology – Mike Beran
Recreational Services – Jennifer Ibeanusi
Robinson College of Business Building Operations – Astley Willacey
Student Success – Career Services – Genia Wilson
University Library – Whitney Bates-Gómez
The 2024 D2M Team Champion was Kinesiology and Health, led by veteran captain Laura Abbott, with 5556 minutes. Robinson College of Business Building Operations (5169 minutes) and the Gerontology Institute (4267 minutes) finished second and third, respectively. Congratulations to KHD on their 2nd D2M Team Championship! We hope everyone stays well, keeps moving, and returns in 2025 for the 12th annual D2M Physical Activity Challenge.
We would also like to thank our student liaisons for their hard work and dedication to D2M:
*Graduated Spring/Summer 2024
| BS Exercise Science | MS Exercise Science | MS Nutrition |
| Fajar Al-Mujahid Shahid | Jamie Dillard | Bethanie Floyd |
| Isabella Brown | Derek Elton | Malikh Williams |
| Jonathan Cannon | Olivia Provost* | |
| Joss Connally* | Katie Thompson* | |
| Ashleigh Drake | Gabby Whatley* | |
| Elizabeth Huggins* | Astley Willacey* | |
| April Mitchell | Israel Zackery* | |
| Maya Pitts* | ||
| Jacob Seffrin* |
- 2014: Kinesiology and Health
- 2015: Recreational Services
- 2016: Honors College
- 2017: Honors College
- 2018: Physical Therapy
- 2019: Physical Therapy
- 2020: Recreational Services
- 2021: Recreational Services
- 2022: Building Services
- 2023: Physical Therapy
- 2024: Kinesiology & Health
Content, components and the name Desire2Move (D2M)© are copyrighted by Rebecca Ellis, Ph.D., 2014.