The Stress Relief Challenge
Hi Everyone!!!!
We are moving into a VERY busy time of year for many of our team members. For this reason, I chose to make this challenge The Stress Relief Challenge. Stress is present in all of our lives in one way or another. Stress can be a good thing – it keeps us alert and ready to avoid danger. But when our stress isn’t managed, we put our health at risk. We can experience physical symptoms like headaches, muscle tension and elevated blood pressure. It can also lead to weight gain if you find yourself reaching for food to relieve your stress!! Check out these stats from www.webmd.com:
- 43% of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress.
- 75-90% of all doctor’s office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints.
- Stress can play a part in problems such as headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, depression, and anxiety.
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) declared stress a hazard of the workplace. Stress costs American industry more than $300 billion annually.
- The lifetime prevalence of an emotional disorder is more than 50%, often due to chronic, untreated stress reactions.
Let’s do something about our stress instead of letting one stressful event piggy-back the next one without any kind of relief. Exercise is a GREAT way to relieve stress but it’s not the only way, so here’s the challenge:
– 20min/daily, 4 days weekly– participate in some kind of exercise (walking, running, riding a bike, yoga, Zumba, pilates, boxing, push-ups & planks etc…)
– 10min/daily, EVERYDAY – Do something for YOU to help you rejuvenate! Some days you may be able to take more than 10min (AWESOME!) but the challenge is to find time EVERYDAY for yourself. One more thing – I want to encourage you to put your phone on silent (not vibrate) while you are taking time for yourself – no distractions :-). Here are some examples of ways to relive stress:
- Read, meditate, play an instrument, listen to music, go for coffee with a friend, LAUGH with a friend, play a game with your family, go to the park with your kids, cook with your kids, paint, garden, watch a sunset or a sunrise, get a massage, play with your pets…
– Drink 64oz of water 5 days/weekly
Points – PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING THOROUGHLY!!!!!!
This is going to be a PARTNER CHALLENGE! You and your partner will BOTH need to complete the following to earn points:
– Each partner will exercise 20min daily, 4 days weekly = 1 point/weekly (if one person only completes 3 days of exercise for the week, you don’t receive the point)
– Each partner will participate in a stress relieving activity for at least 10min daily = 1 point
– Each partner will drink 64oz of water 5 days/weekly = 1 point
***EXTRA POINTS***
– If you have not competed in a Healthy Habits Challenge in the last 6 months, you will receive 1 extra point.
– If you find a partner who has not competed in a Healthy Habits Challenge in the last 6 months, you will receive 1 extra point.
– If you and your partner have not competed in a Healthy Habits Challenge in the last 6 months, you will receive 2 extra points.
This Partner Challenge will be a 6 week challenge. The challenge will begin this Monday, April 13th 2015 and will end on Sunday, May 24th 2015. The maximum amount of points each team can earn for each week is 3. The team with the most points at the end of the Stress Relief Challenge will win a $100 gift card!!
If you would like to participate in this challenge please email me by the end of this week with your name, your partner’s name and whether or not you have competed in a challenge in the last 6 months. If you would like to participate in the challenge but need some help finding a partner, email me and I will help partner you up :-).
Yours in Health and Wellness,
Meredith