Six-week Vandal Fitness Challenge begins Jan. 29
Many people want to incorporate healthier living into their lifestyle, but sometimes lack the motivation to do so. Katherine Pope, ASUI Recreation Board chair, said the annual Vandal Fitness Challenge is just the right incentive for those people.
She said the six-week challenge provides a support system for anyone interested in getting healthy and moving — from beginners to regular gym-goers. The competition also includes chances to win various prizes.
Students, staff and faculty members at the University of Idaho may participate in the challenge. Pope said there is no specific time commitment and participants can put as much effort into the challenge as they want.
“At the end of the six weeks the winners are picked by the biggest change in results,” Pope said. “It’s not really (about) weight loss, just your testing results.”
The challenge consists of six initial fitness tests that take place 12-1:30 p.m. and 5-7:30 p.m. Jan. 29 and 30 at the UI Student Recreation Center, where people can sign up to participate. Final testing will take place six weeks later, March 12, to measure each participant’s progress.
Katie Mandler, Recreation Board vice chair, said the cost to register is $10. She said the sign-up fee includes a water bottle after initial testing and a Vandal Fitness Challenge t-shirt after final testing.
Participants are required to take a body fat test, bent waist flexibility test, as well as a timed repetition testing of box squat thrusts for one minute and line sprints for two minutes. There will also be a bent arm plank test and a TRX row hold test, which participants will demonstrate for as long as they are able.
In addition to the initial and final testing, Mandler said the only other requirement of participants is that they complete a weekly survey regarding their progress.
Pope said the Vandal Fitness Challenge is for people with any level of physical shape and health. The participants are divided into three categories based on their abilities.
The first category, Pope said, is “Aspirational Joe and Jane,” which is designated for those who don’t work out at all. The “Athletic Joe and Jane” is for athletes and other active individuals. The “Average Joe and Jane,” is for people who exercise every so often.
Pope said each category would have a male and female winner at the end of the challenge. She also said although the prizes have not been specified, the prizes will likely be in the form of gift cards to places such as Tri-State Outfitters and the Moscow Co-op. Additionally, each participant who completes the challenge will be entered in a drawing to win a bicycle provided by Paradise Creek Bicycles. She said the bicycles are on display now in the SRC and students interested in the bike can check it out. One male and one female winner will be drawn.
Mandler said assistance is available to participants, from advice on how to nail the perfect yoga pose to learning how to eat more vegetables.
“We’re pairing with the campus dietitian and the personal trainers in the campus Rec,” she said. “For people who sign up we’ll be sending out weekly newsletters and they will be getting good fitness tips and nutrition tips and things like that.”
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More information:
Those interested in signing up for the Vandal Fitness Challenge can do so from 12-1:30 p.m. and 5-7:30 p.m. on Jan. 29 and 30 at the Student Recreation Center.
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Mary Malone can be reached at [email protected]