Eligibility
To participate in Active U, you must be a current University of Michigan faculty or staff member, graduate or undergraduate student, retiree, alumni, or spouse/Other Qualified Adult (OQA) of an active faculty or staff member. You may participate on your own, or you may join/form a team.
Additional information on Accessing the MHealthy Portal:
- If at any time an employee’s employment changes with the university, this may impact their ability and their spouse/OQA’s ability to access the MHealthy Portal and the Active U program. If this happens on or before Feb. 3, email us at [email protected].
- Newly hired benefits-eligible faculty and staff will gain access to the MHealthy Portal approximately 10 business days after they have elected their e-benefits online. Their U-M benefits-enrolled spouse/other qualified adult will also gain access at this time.
If you have any questions on eligibility, please contact U-M Shared Services Center at 734-615-2000.
Logging Activity Minutes
In Active U, you are asked to track your physical activity minutes for 12 weeks, January 20 – April 13, 2025. Activity minutes are logged in the Active U tracker on the MHealthy Portal. Minutes can be logged manually or by syncing a tracking device or mobile app. Please note that a week in the tracker runs Monday through Sunday.
Grace Period
You will have a 14-day grace period to log your activity minutes. The program ends on April 13, but you will have up to April 27 to log back two weeks. Please note that a week in the tracker runs Monday through Sunday.
Activity that "Counts"
“Moderate or vigorous activity.”
- Moderate intensity aerobic activity means working hard enough to raise your heart rate while still being able to carry on a conversation. Examples are a brisk walk, cycling at moderate speeds, mopping, or light manual yard work.
- Vigorous intensity aerobic activity causes rapid breathing and a substantial increase in heart rate. Examples include jogging, heavy manual yard work, or aerobic fitness classes like Zumba or spinning.
For a list of recommended types of activities, visit the Sample Exercises page.
Completing Active U
Once you've registered for Active U (includes completing the pre-survey), to successfully complete the program and qualify for an Active U T-shirt, you must:
- Reach your personal weekly minutes goal. Included in this is logging at least 30 minutes per day, at least 4 days per week. The minimum weekly goal allowed in the program is 150 minutes.
- Log successfully (see #2) at least 8 out of the 12 Active U weeks.
- Answer the program questions (available March 19 – April 27).