A fitness challenge occurs when a group of people joins in an exercise competition or group activity. The President of the United States of America has challenged the school-aged children around the country to participate in fitness contests and offers awards to the winners. He has also welcomed other groups as well as individuals to join the challenge to become more active. In addition to or instead of joining the Presidential Fitness Challenge, you may want to start your own.
Types of Challenges
Fitness challenges have no bounds. Depending on the condition of the group you wish to inspire, you may consider asking your group to walk every day for one month while recording your progress on a chart for all to share. For a more intense challenge, you may decide to do a boot camp program three days per week for 12 weeks. To keep motivation high, record participants' fitness abilities before the challenge begins so that you can compare fitness levels at the end. For example, the first day your group meets, record how many sit-ups you are able to do. Sit-ups would need to be incorporated into your challenge to note improvements at the end of the challenge.
Who to Ask
Deciding what type of group to form can be as important as which activity you'll be doing. One easy and effective place to look for a group is your work place. Your coworkers are with you most days of the week, providing great accountability. Another good choice is to build a group from your own family. The National Basketball Association states that families who work out together cultivate children who are less sedentary and therefore less likely to experience chronic health problems.Your colleagues at any organization you are already a part of can serve as a pool for fitness group members, such as a weight loss group, people you work out with at the gym, or fellow members of the church you attend.
Charity Event
Pick your charity and, if no 5K run is already associated with that, organize a fitness event. The 5K run is very popular; your challenge can include training, then walking or running within a certain amount of time. Your fitness event does not have to be limited to walking or running, either. Any sport or physical activity can be turned into a charitable fitness challenge. For instance, to host a dance at a local hall, you may choose to charge an entry fee for everyone attending or you may want to find sponsors to pay a predetermined amount for every hour you are able to dance.
Incentives
Everyone loves a reward. Depending on the size of your group, local vendors may be interested in donating prizes for participants in your fitness challenge. For instance, if you have planned a large walking challenge for your weight-loss group, local athletic stores might want to donate a pair of shoes to the winner. Another way to provide a prize to the winners is to take entrance fees at the start of your challenge. If each person pays $5 to participate and you have 10 entries, you can award the first place winner $40, and the second-place winner can receive $10.
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