The Weekly Fitness Challenge - What exactly is it?

As The Weekly Fitness Challenge continues its incredible international growth, more and more the question is asked, "What EXACTLY is The Weekly Fitness Challenge?"

Brief Video Intro To The Campaign: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdgd9JMPXjQ

The Weekly Fitness Challenge is an international grass roots fitness/wellness campaign that is designed to encourage people to reach out to those they know that need to exercise and are not yet doing so. Those who are not exercising regularly are the ones who fall victim to preventable illnesses and unhealthy conditions. They NEED someone who cares about to them to reach out and mentor them in the importance of exercise! Most programs are designed for regular exercisers. Our campaign is designed for the "not yet fit" as a form of prescriptive intervention designed to get them mooving!

The easiest way to illustrate The Weekly Fitness Challenge target population is through a model like Dr. James Prochaksa's Transtheoretical Model --> READ: http://bit.ly/2czYY

We encourage Regular exercisers (Maintenance types) to reach out to their friends, family members and co-workers and serve as a "mentor" in helping the person take the first steps toward regular exercise! For someone who is not a regular exerciser, there is a strong need for FUN and MOTIVATING exercise options. That is why The Weekly Fitness Challenge engages Group Exercise (some know Group Exercise as "aerobics").

Some programs within The Weekly Fitness Challenge are run in twelve week cycles. Each week we feature a specific regimen for people to engage their friends, family members and co-workers in. We encourage participants to post results of who they took and what the result was on our FaceBook page (see below) or on Twitter, which is where the campaign began.

Example - Weekly Fitness Challenge Walking Program Intro Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao0gHL1gARo

The Weekly Fitness Challenge campaign was created by Geoff Hampton as part of an ongoing inventory of lifestyle modification strategies that he has created and implemented starting back in the late '90's. Hampton frequently engages a campaign Advisory Board in order to create a powerful synergistic effect that helps actualize maximum population engagement potential.

Here is an example of a community wellness program he created and implemented with a strong Advisory Board component in San Diego, CA that was designed to target poor and underdserved populations: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94koToKAB0k

Another one of Hampton's earlier wellness campaigns that targeted corporate executives: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ik7VMPfHEc&feature=related

Another important component to many of Hampton's campaigns is an official "Medical Director". The Medical Director helps insure that the folks who have either never exercised before or have exercised before and failed are engaging in safe exercise formats.

Folks who have either never exercise before, or have exercised before and failed need three key elements if they are to have any true hope of breaking their failure cycle and creating a TRUE success cycle:

1. The program must be FUN

2. The program must be at a specific time

3. The program must engage a support mechanism

The Weekly Fitness Challenge has engaged Twitter as a terrific source to reach out to virtually millions of people, most of whom NEED to exercise. There are other vehicles that can help promote this important message of lifestyle modification through regular exercise and we hope that everyone will join us and promote this powerful grass roots intiative!

Our hope is that at some point "#weeklyfitnesschallenge" will appear on the trending topics on Twitter. Our hope is also that others will help us encourage folks to join our FaceBook page too. The anticipated outcome? Millions reaching out millions who need to exercise but are not yet doing so and inspiring and leading them to FUN exercise prescriptions one person at a time!

If you are wondering about whether or not YOU should get involved, simply ask youself this question, "Whose job is it to reach out to those who need to exercise and are not yet doing so?" THE ANSWER? It is all of us together! NOBODY else is going to do it! That's right! There is no "RED PILL", there is no "BLUE PILL" that people can take and suddenly become regular exercisers! So JOIN US!

On Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/FitnessChallenge1?feature=mhum

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/WeeklyFitnessChallenge

On Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/weeklyfitnessch

On Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=3262121

Weekly Fitness Challenge - Walking Program

Introducing the new Weekly Fitness Challenge "Walking Fitness Program". This program is presented by Brandon Sobotka, our North American Director of Programming. Meet the rest of the team at the bottom of this page and thanks to Brandon for his time and efforts on behalf of the inactive and sedentary populations that we serve globally.

WFC Walking Fitness Program

The Program

The Surgeon General recommends accumulating 30 minutes of activity 5 days a week. A rough equivalent to that goal is taking 10,000 steps in a day. Doing this consistently should be enough to reduce your risk for disease and help you lead a longer, healthier life. The problem...not everyone should start with a goal of 10,000 steps a day. So instead take a comfortable, gradual approach to reach the goal and continue your progression to new levels of fitness.

First, you’ll need a pedometer. If need be make the investment in getting one and then get moving.

Follow the program below. The first week is super simple, don't change your life at all; just track your steps and find a baseline average of your daily steps total. The next two weeks your goal is to try to boost that average by 20%. Follow the directions and fill in your walking log. IMPORTANT…this will help you learn what adds steps to your day and what detracts them.

Week 1:

The goal is to measure your steps in a typical week. Don't try to walk more than normal. Each morning, reset the pedometer to "0." Set it to show steps (ignore distance and calorie counts). Keep it closed and attached to the front of your waist to the left or right of center. Wear it all day from the moment you wake up until going to bed. At night remove it, record the number of steps you've taken in your log as well as if you did any formal exercise (wear your pedometer then, too); for example, "20-minute treadmill walk." Also note if anything caused more (museum tour) or fewer (all-day meeting) steps than usual in your day.

Week 1 Log

Date: Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat. Sun. Steps Today: Exercise minutes? More or less than usual?

Add steps for all seven days:
Divide by 7:
Multiply by 1.2:		(This is your goal for week #2.)

Week 2 Goal:

Your week 2 goal is to boost your average daily steps by 20%. Add the total steps taken in week one and divide by seven. Then multiply by 1.2. The walk, using cardio machines) and informal exercise (taking the stairs instead of the elevator or even pacing while making your sales calls).

Week 2 Logwalk, using cardio machines) and informal exercise (taking the stairs instead of the elevator or even pacing while making your sales calls).

Week 2 Log

Average Steps from Previous week:
Goal average for week #2:

Date: Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat. Sun. Steps Today: Exercise minutes? More or less than usual?

Add steps for all seven days:
Divide by 7:
Multiply by 1.2:		(This is your goal for week #3.)

Week 3 Goal:

If you haven't reached 10,000 steps continue this process until you do. Once you’ve achieved the 10K goal, continue to test yourself by using the variety of walking workouts that will be introduced throughout the program. If your goal is substantial weight loss (for which many experts recommend 12,000 to 15,000 steps a day), then continue the process until you reach 12-15K. If aerobic fitness is a goal, try boosting the speed of at least 2,000 to 4,000 of the total amount of steps you're already doing.

Some people find that in just three weeks of effort they've gotten their daily step average close to or beyond 10,000. But many find it takes several more weeks until they can create a 10,000 step-per-day habit. Even if you only try for a 10% increase each week, you'll soon find that your days are full of opportunities for more steps. You'll also find that in short order you won't need a pedometer to tell you how you're doing. For example, if you get off the train a stop early or take a walk on your lunch break you know you'll hit your total, but otherwise you come up short. Learning this is important for long term success. However, consider using your pedometer whenever you need a step-check.

Answers to some common questions:

How many steps do I need?

Here are some rough targets:

For long term health and reduced chronic disease risk: 10,000 steps a day For successful, sustained weight loss: 12,000 - 15,000 steps a day To build aerobic fitness: Make 3,000 or more of your daily steps fast

Week 1: Track steps, exercise, etc.

Week 2: Create walking schedule, set goals, walk consistently.

Week 3: Concentrate on your walking form - posture, arms, foot motion and stride. Begin to tweak eating habits. Track eating and use other tools for improving diet.

Week 4: Are you keeping up with tracking and schedule? Are you on consistently improving? Has your form improved? Recipes and nutrition tips

Week 5: HR Zones and nutrition tips/motivation

Week 6: Walking workouts and nutrition tips/motivation

Week 7: New walking workouts. Walking clubs and/or additional exercise options (weekly fitness challenge)

Week 8: New walking workouts. Additional exercise options, nutrition tips, and motivation.

Week 9: How walking can prevent disease.

Week 10: Review goals/achievements, etc.

WALKING WORKOUTS

Beginner- See Excel Sheet

Health Walk
May be done daily, or used as a recovery day for those alternating with other walking workouts.

Benefits
Builds long-term health and well-being. Medical studies have shown an association with walking 30-60 minutes daily with reduced risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, type II diabetes, gall bladder disease. It is also associated with increased longevity and decreased risk of hip fracture in those over 60.

Health Walk Workout (30-60 minutes)

• Start at an easy pace for 5-10 minutes. (this burns stored blood sugar and glycogen and tells the body to get ready to burn fat.)
• Stop and do a stretching and flexibility routine for 5 minutes.
• Continue, walking at a pace that brings your heart rate up to 50-60% of your maximum heart rate (MHR).
• At this pace you should be able to carry on a full conversation comfortably although you may be breathing harder than usual.
• End with 5 minutes of gentle stretching and flexibility exercises.

Fat Burning Walk
May be done daily, or used as a recovery day for those alternating with other walking workouts. Those wanting to lose body fat should do this walk most days of the week.

Benefits
This workout gets the body to use stored fat for energy at a higher percentage than other training zones.

Fat Burning Walking Workout

• Follow same process as the Health Walk Workout, but the pace should be at 60-70% of your MHR
• This is a comfortable pace where you can speak in full sentences although you will be breathing harder than usual.
• Cool down with 5-10 minutes at an easy pace.
• End with 5 minutes of gentle stretching and flexibility exercises.

Distance Walk
Once per week. Those who are training for a multi-day walk should perform two distance days back-to-back each week.

· Benefits
Builds endurance and burns off calories (approximately 100 per mile for 150-pound person.) Those training for longer distance events should build up their mileage steadily. Those training for a 5K or 10K competitive walk should exceed the event distance by a mile or two in their distance workout.

· Distance Walking Workout
• Follow same process as other workouts, but resume your walk at a pace that brings your heart rate up to 65-80% of your maximum heart rate (MHR).
• This is a comfortable pace range between being able to speak in sentences to being able to speak only in short phrases.
• Walk for 5-10 miles, or longer if you have built up your endurance.
• End with 5 minutes of gentle stretching and flexibility exercises.

Aerobic Walk
You may do this workout every-other day. On the days in between, do the health walk or the fat-burning walk.

Benefits

Improves aerobic fitness which increases the number and size of blood vessels in the muscles and increases your lung power. The aerobic phase of your workout should be of 50 minutes or less to prevent build-up of lactic acid.

Aerobic Walk Workout

• Follow the same process as other workouts, but continue walking at a pace that brings your heart rate up to 70-80% of your maximum heart rate (MHR).
• This is a quick pace where you are breathing hard and able to speak in short sentences.
• Walk for 30-50 minutes at this pace.
• Cool down with 5-10 minutes at an easy pace.
• End with 5 minutes of gentle stretching and flexibility exercises.

Threshold Walk
May do this workout 1-3 times per week, alternating with an easier walk day or a rest day.

· Benefits
Increases your athletic performance by bringing your body up to the anaerobic threshold. It is used by racewalkers to improve their VO2 Max (the highest amount of oxygen one can consume during exercise). Improves endurance at speed.

· Workout
• Follow the same process as other workouts, but continue walking at a pace that brings your heartrate up to 80-92% of MHR for no more than 50 minutes. You can also use this interval version. Walk for 8 minutes at 85-92% of your MHR then slow down to an easy pace for 2 minutes. Repeat this 3-4 times.
• This is a fast pace where you are breathing very hard and can only speak in short phrases.
• End with 5 minutes of gentle stretching and flexibility exercises. Stretches

Speed Walking
Once per week.

Benefits
Builds speed ability and technique.

Speed Walking Workout
• Start at an easy pace for 5-10 minutes.
• Stop and do a stretching and flexibility routine for 5 minutes.
• Resume at comfortable pace for a minute.
• Walk as fast as you can for 30 seconds.
• Slow to a comfortable pace for 2 minutes.
• Repeat the fast-30 seconds/slow 2 minutes 8-12 times.
• End with 5 minutes of gentle stretching and flexibility exercises.

Needed TOOLS:

Walking logs

Food and Exercise logs

Calorie Calculator

Walking and Exercise Calculator

Webwalking the USA Map

Goal Form

Workouts

Recipes

HR Zone Calculator

The Global Fitness Challenge - An international grass roots initiative designed to educate, motivate and lead the "Not yet fit" to a healthier lifestyle.

"Changing the shape of the world."

We are REAL global healthcare reform! Watch brief intro video:

http://animoto.com/play/bAINNtwwrR8CRedY80s10A?autostart=true

Executive Leadership Team

Geoff Hampton - Executive Director

Dr. Joe Kosterich - International Medical Director

Laynie Kelly - International Spokesperson

Jody Raines - International Director of Marketing

Chris McNeil - Campaign Team Member

Shari - International Director of Personal Training

Jeremy Fite - International Director of Childrens Fitness

Lucila - Director of Latin American Wellness

Brandon Sobotka - North American Director of Programming

Continent and other Ambassadors

Joe Lewis - Ambassador to Asia

Bob Choat - Ambassador to North America

Dr. Domingo Liotta - Ambassador to South America

Ian Beattie - Ambassador to England

Liaisons

Dora Meulman - International Nursing Liaison