2018 Healthiest You Challenge, presented by UNC Health Care, begins soon!

The hardest part about a New Year’s resolution is sticking to a commitment. For many people, adopting a healthier lifestyle and exercising on a regular basis is not a change that can occur overnight.

Luckily, UNC Health Care has the solution, partnering with 97.9 The Hill to form the annual Healthiest You Challenge.

For eight weeks, 64 contestants will work in teams to become the healthiest people they can be, all while enjoying the amenities of the beautiful UNC Wellness Centers at Meadowmont and Northwest Cary.

During the challenge, participants will:

Get an eight-week membership to use the UNC Wellness Centers facilities.
Be assigned to a team of eight challengers led by coaches.
Get the opportunity to learn more about good exercise and eating habits, planning meals, reading labels, intuitive eating and why sleep is so important to our health.
Accumulate points individually and as a team for meeting goals throughout the eight weeks. Overall health goals include reducing weight and circumference, as well as decreasing cholesterol and systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

For many participants, the challenge starts with getting into a healthy routine. Kelley Marrale, a UNC Health Care employee and participant in last year’s campaign, told WCHL’s Ron Stutts that she hoped to create a lifestyle.

“I think, for me, the biggest thing is getting into the habit.” She said, “I’ve tried multiple times to get into an exercise routine in different ways, but for me it was establishing a habit and what the challenge does is it allows you to be with a peer group and establish a routine and a group to work with and there’s a lot of good peer pressure involved with that.”

By working in a team, participants are encouraged to support their teammates through the eight-week challenge.

“I’ve got a great team,” said Marrale, “and the women involved in our team have all gone through different life struggles through the eight weeks and have continued to push forward in their own ways to challenge themselves and it’s been really empowering to watch.”

If selected, contestants will participate from March 5 through April 29 and accumulate points individually and as a team. The male and female challengers that get the most points will each win a free one-year membership to the UNC Wellness Centers. Registration for the event ends on January 31. For more information and to sign up, visit the official website.

2018 Healthiest You Challenge, presented by UNC Health Care, begins soon!

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