Challenge Goals

What You Need to Know About the Fitness Challenge

The Goals of the Family Fitness Challenge are:

1. To increase physical activity for adults (over the age of 18) to a minimum of 30 minutes per day 6 to 7 days per week and to increase physical activity for children (under the age of 18) to at least 60 minutes per day 6 to 7 days per week.
    

2. To increase fruit and vegetable consumption to at least 5 servings per day.

Before You Begin:

Medical Disclaimer:

Most healthy people do not need to see a doctor before they start a gradual program of physical activity. But do talk to your doctor before you begin an exercise program if you are not used to energetic activity or have an illness such as asthma, high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes.

How the Fitness Challenge Works

• The Family Fitness Challenge is a 6-week (or 42 day) program. Eight weeks (or 56 days from the date of sign up) will be allowed to keep the log of activity.
   

• Anyone (regardless of age) who lives or works in Anne Arundel County may sign up for the Challenge. Children under the age of 13 must be signed up by a parent or guardian who grants permission for participation.
   

• The Challenge has a Web page attached to the home page of the Anne Arundel County Department of Health Web site. Members log on to the Web page through the Health Department Web site and enter their user name, age and zip code and complete a brief confidential survey on a secure page. The member picks a password at that time. All information used for the Challenge is confidential. It will not be shared with any other group or agency. Information is used for program evaluation purposes only.
   

• If you want to join but do not have Web access, call the Learn To Live line at 410 222-7979 and receive a kit to sign up for the Challenge. The kit will include an sign up form, activity log and follow up survey.
   

• As a member, you can log on to the Web site and using your password, record the number of servings of fruits and vegetables eaten that day and exercise points. You may enter your data daily or weekly. Eight weeks will be allowed to finish 6 weeks of the Challenge (a total of 42 entries) so that members who go on vacation or are out of town on business can take a week off and still complete the program. One point will be scored for each serving of fruit or vegetable consumed. A perfect score is “5” for a day. The log will also include exercise. Thirty minutes of exercise counts as 1 point for adults and 60 minutes of exercise or physical activity counts as 1 point for a child under the age of 18. Exercise or physical activity can be done all at one time or accumulated throughout the day. Total points will be logged for each day.
   

• What Counts as a Fruit or Vegetable for the Fitness Challenge?
   
  

  1. All fresh fruits and vegetables count for the Challenge.
  2. All canned, frozen or dried fruits and vegetables count. Cut back on sugar, salt and fat. Prepare vegetables without margarine or added oil. Serve salads with light or fat free salad dressing.
  3. French fries and snack chips do not count as vegetables.
  4. All juices or juice blends that are 100% juice without added sugar. Limit fruit juice to 1 or 2 servings a day especially for children. Children need the calcium and nutrients that a glass of low fat milk with meals provides.
  5. Be sure to count the vegetables in soups, stews and casseroles. Make low fat choices.
      

• At the end of the Challenge (or after 42 days of the log), you will see a report listing all of your points for the length of the Challenge (total fruits and vegetables and exercise points) and be given a follow up survey to complete. A member must achieve 36 activity points and 210 fruit and vegetable points in order to meet the challenge. This equals 30 minutes of physical activity 6 days a week for adults and 60 minutes of physical activity a day 6 days a week for children and an average of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Upon completion of the challenge and meeting the goals, a certificate will be e-mailed to you.