Every so often, I find myself wondering, "How long has it been since I've eaten a vegetable?" What's embarrassing is that I have to think for a couple of seconds before I finally remember the carrot I gnawed on a couple of days ago in an attempt to be "healthy". Other questions along these same lines in my life include: "How long has Netflix been auto-playing the next episode without me noticing?" and "It's 2 am?! How long have I been on TikTok?!"
Thoughts like this are comical when thinking of my own health, but they're less funny when I feel responsible for the health of my family (particularly kids). To remedy this, my family has health challenges. It is always more fun (and longer lasting) if others are involved in your health pursuits!
Wagers Health Challenge (Adults Only)
Everyone pitch in some cold hard cash and the winner takes all! My family usually does $20 each, but it's up to you! There are five categories: exercise, water, diet, good habit, and bad habit. You are expected to complete each of the categories every day with one "cheat day" every week.
Exercise: You must complete at least 20 minutes of exercise everyday. Yoga, Zumba, walking -- it all counts.
Water: 8 cups of water each day. Water in the past has been overlooked in regards to health, but is now being recognized as an important aspect of a healthy lifestyle. In addition to staying hydrated, continuous water consumption can increase energy and reduce fatigue, suppress hunger and thus stimulate weight loss, regulate your cycle, etc.
Diet: The beauty of this health challenge is that every participant can choose their own meal plan. One person may decide that they want to try intermittent fasting while another may want to count calories. Some popular meal plans that I have seen over the years include: following a vegan diet, counting calories, getting at least fiver servings of fruits and vegetables, intermittent fasting, etc.
Good habit: This is what makes the challenge unique from others. Pick one good habit that is not already a part of your daily routine and start practicing it. Some popular idea for this may be some form of devotion or studies, flossing/teeth whitening daily, getting 10k steps, etc.
Bad habit: As you might imagine, this is the opposite of the good habit category. Take a habit you currently do that you want to get rid of and make an effort every day to abolish it. This can include to much social media/YouTube, sleeping in too late or even something as small as pushing off grocery shopping.
No Soda: Another very important aspect of the health challenge is the soda is not permitted AT ALL. We are all slaves to the carbonated sugary beverages and it's time to take a stand! But seriously, it's so bad for us, why do we even drink it??
Scoring:
Complete habit for each day: +5
Missed habit for each day: -5
Drink soda: -20
Max Weekly Score: 25 x 6 = 150
It is up to you and the other teams how long you compete for, but typically I stick to 6 weeks long. Just long enough to see some progress, but short enough that you don't become bored :)
Olympic Health Challenge (Kid Friendly)
For as long as I remember, my family had a "Health Olympics" every summer. To say I loved it would be a gross understatement. I lived for the Health Olympics! All of my siblings and cousins would compete. The magic of this challenge is that it's adaptable, so all members of the family can participate. This challenge focuses on physical activity and remaining active. Below I have included the different physical activities that bring in the points.
Feel free to include any other categories that you feel applicable. Just make sure that everyone is in agreement before you begin the competition.
Scoring a 200 is a bronze medal, 300 is a sliver, and 400 is a gold! You can earn more than 1 medal per summer, just to keep the motivation going! When I did the health Olympics as a child we would decide on a prize for each medal holder. Ideas could include a trip to your nearby amusement park, a trip to a movie of their choice, new article of desired clothing, whatever they are interested in and motivated by!
Give the Olympic health challenge a try! It is so motivating and the whole family can participate. :)
“Family Home Evening Resource Book.” Homepage - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 1 Jan. 1997, www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/family-home-evening-resource-book?lang=eng.
Comments