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March 7, 2019

Slimdown Challenge 2019: Healthy Habits

General Health

 

Happy March, everyone!

I feel like March is/will be that month that Wisconsinites start to have a glimmer of hope that we can go a week without snow/ice/sleet/thunderstorms and terrible driving conditions… at least I hope!

March also has some other great and exciting opportunities that I’m looking forward to. These include:

  • First day of spring
  • Longer days
  • St. Patty’s Day
  • Brewers Opening Day (Yahoo!)
  • Slimdown Challenge

Alright… alright… It’s sort of my job to promote the Slimdown Challenge, but it’s my favorite one that I promote and help out with throughout the year.

The Slimdown Challenge is a FREE, six-week-long online challenge that encourages any and all community members over the age of 18 to participate, and it encourages individuals to engage in healthy habits, while improving overall health. During the challenge, if you lose some unwanted pounds-that is also a bonus.

There are a few key dates that I want to talk about with the challenge, and hopefully it will give you a better idea of what to expect:

March 13th

  • March 13th is when the official sign-up begins. Because this is an online challenge done through Fort HealthCare’s “Cerner Wellness Portal”, you will need an official account in order to participate.
  • Participants who have a Cerner Wellness Portal account (have done either the Slimdown Challenge or Rock The Walk in the past) will be able to log into their account and sign up.
  • Participants who are brand new will need to visit the Fort HealthCare Slimdown page (www.FortHealthCare.com/slimdown) and complete a pre-registration. Essentially, this pre-registration gives me the information that I need to create a temporary account for our new participants, and an email will be sent out with instructions to finish the creation process.

March 25th – April 8th

  • March 25th – April 8th is official ‘weigh-in’ times, and these weigh-ins will be located throughout Jefferson County. Because this challenge has a weight-loss/maintenance component, we do collect weights on the same scales before and after the challenge to make it fair for all involved. The weight-in dates/times/locations can be found at www.FortHealthCare.com/slimdown

April 9th

  • Here is the big one: The challenge start date. You’re feeling fresh, excited and ready to dominate anything that comes at you over the next 6 weeks. Fort HealthCare values education, and there will be weekly “tasks” that are located online in the Wellness Portal (where the challenge is housed) that you will need to complete each of the 6 weeks. These tasks include:
    • Logging your weight (Any scale or driver’s license weight works!)
    • Reading a piece of education (Short, sweet, to the point)
    • Taking a quiz (Don’t worry… they’re easy and you get unlimited chance to take them).
  • These tasks should take you no more than 5 minutes each week to complete because hey, we get it – you’re busy and you have other things to do!

May 20th – 21st

  • Remember those weigh-ins we talked about? Well… we have to finish out the challenge strong with an official weigh-out. These will be located at similar locations throughout Jefferson County that we saw for the weigh-ins, and it’s as simple as stepping on the scale.

May 21st

  • Ahhh… a bittersweet day – the end of the challenge. This is your day to celebrate all of your success, and to bask in the glory of completing 6 weeks of awesomeness, and maybe even being eligible for prizes!

Speaking of prizes… one of the really fun things about our Community Challenges is the opportunity to win prizes throughout the challenge. While we know the ultimate and best prize is good health, or hearing about someone’s success within the challenge, a little extra incentive never hurt. I don’t want to give away ALL the fun, but we have tons of prizes this year, and I know I’m kind of jealous that I can’t win.

Other Opportunities:

The “meat” of the challenge I’ve already talked about (signing up, doing a weigh-in, and doing your weekly tasks in the Wellness Portal), and if that’s all you want to do, then that is absolutely perfect! If you’re looking for a little bit more in the challenge, there’s a few other option opportunities to be engaged:

  • Bonus Challenge – We don’t have one bonus challenge each week… but TWO! One is our “weekly” bonus challenge that is available from the beginning of the challenge week (every Tuesday) and ends at the end of the challenge week (the following Monday) and the other challenge is the “weekend” challenge, which, as you guessed it… is for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. These challenges are fun and don’t take a lot of time and put you in the running for great prizes each week!
  • Team Challenge – This one is new for 2019! You will still need to participate in the Slimdown Challenge as an individual, but you are able to create a team of 4-6 individuals, and compete as a team against other teams of that size throughout the challenge. The overall team with the highest percentage weight loss will be crowned the team winner!
  • Facebook Group – If it isn’t on social media, does it really exist? We are reviving the 2018 Slimdown Facebook group, and incorporating some motivation on Mondays, and some fun facts on Friday… and you never quite know what else will come up on the page! This closed group is accessible when you search “FHC-Slimdown Challenge” and we’ll add you in!
  • Slimdown Saturdays – Last but not least, we’re incorporating some fun fitness opportunities during the Saturdays of the challenge. These local businesses are offering free classes for participants to join, and feel the burn on the weekend. Check out the schedule at the Slimdown page.

Whether you have weight to lose, or want to make some changes to your lifestyle through incorporation of healthy habits, the Slimdown Challenge is a great opportunity for all. Check out the website, get your friends, family and neighbors to sign up, and kick off March/April in style!

Until next time!