They were lined up outside the door at the kick-off of the Madison Challenge Souper Bowl event Monday night.
The Souper Bowl was just the first in a series of events planned to help keep Madison Challenge participants on the road to fitness. The event at the Madison Arts Barn Monday night drew a large group, pushing participation for the event over last year's total at this time.
If you want to participate, there is still a few days to sign up at madisonchallenge.com.
This event Monday night featured local restaurants and food vendors showcasing their specialties, including Chartwell Services, , , , KC's Pub, , , , , and Whitfield's.
Participants of the Challenge can make daily updates on the Challenge website to tally points, see video blogs and tips relative to the midpoint healthy exercise event and the health and wellness Expo finale on April 12.
From the Madison Challenge website, here are ways you can earn points:
Earn Points by Improving your Mind:
1. Get a new library card or find your old one and give yourself 10 points. You only get the 10 pts once per the whole competition, so add it in the week that you find/get it. You will need your library card to earn points for Improving your Mind #3 category below.
2. Readers are leaders! Get 1 point for every 10 minutes of pleasure reading you do every day. We are not counting reading for work or homework, but pleasure reading to stimulate your mind.
3. Get 5 points for every book you complete and register on the Scranton Library Reading program website. Go to www.scrantonlibrary.org and find the link for the Madison Challenge Reading Program. You will need a library card to participate and to log into the program. Once you log in, you will be able to display all the books you have read during the program.
4. Get 5 points for creating a to do list each day. Being organized can de-clutter your mind and organize your thoughts. It is often said that if you want something done, you should ask the busiest person you know to do it. This is because they are probably more organized. Take this one step further and make your “to do” list into a “to done” list.
5. Earn 1 point for every 10 minutes per day you participate in creative or cultural arts or music. Just like determining what constitutes exercise, use the honor system to determine if your participation in arts and music is beneficial to your overall well-being.
6. Earn 5 points for getting at least 8 consecutive hours of sleep in a day. There is substantial evidence that lack of sleep can create a less efficient and effective mind. Try it out and see if it works for you and earn some easy points.
Earn Points by Improving your Body:
1. For every 10 minutes of exercise you do, you earn one point. This category includes all exercise. For example, if you go for a 30-minute walk and you do 30 minutes of snow shoveling, you earn a total of 6 points because you had a total of 60 minutes of activity. (60 ÷ 10 = 6 points)
2. The 10,000-step program is a nationally recognized campaign to promote movement. Your steps are counted using a pedometer. (You were given a pedometer in your registration goody bag or you can use any pedometer) You wear the pedometer all day and it counts your every step. If it counts off 10,000 steps or more in one day (24 hours), you earn 10 points for that day. Note: Although 10,000 steps is an attainable goal, you will want to build up to it to prevent injury.
3. Earn 5 points for eating a combination of 7+ servings of fruits and vegetables throughout the day. As always, fresh is better, but others are better than none. Try to eat a variety and go with what is in season. Remember, candy corn is not a vegetable.
4. Earn 5 points for drinking 7+ glasses of water throughout the day. Water is the most under utilized resource for healthy eating. Yes, you can drink too much water so you will not earn extra points for drinking double the water. There is some variability in the amount of water that is right for you. One school of thought is to divide your weight in pounds by two and that is how many ounces of water you should drink in a day. (i.e. A 120 pound person should consume 60 ounces of water per day) Sipping water over time is far better than chugging it. Try a straw! Also, try room temperature water or squeeze a lemon into a glass of water.
5. Earn 5 points if you do not go more than 5 hours without eating at least a small snack. Evidence has shown that if you eat smaller, more frequent meals or snacks, energy levels, blood sugar levels, weight and overall health is optimized.
6. Earn 5 points by not drinking any soda/soft drinks for a day. There is plenty of evidence for the health benefits of eliminating soda from your life.
Earn Points by Improving your Heart:
1. Earn 5 pts for every community event that you volunteer at. There are many opportunities to contribute in our community and your efforts will not only make a difference for the charity but for you as well.
2. Eat one meal each day together as a family and get 5 points for that day. This one is my favorite. There are many sources showing the benefits of family time and sharing the day’s events over a meal. This is a challenging yet very worthy goal to achieve on a regular basis.
3. Meet at least one new person and receive 5 points that day. No you cannot get 30 points if you meet 6 new people in one day. 5 points is the maximum for a day but feel free to meet as many new people as you can. New relationships and friendships lead to a more fulfilling culture and society.
4. “Leave it Better” – is the school motto for Brown Middle School. This is such a great concept but how can you quantify it and earn points because it can be so broadly interpreted. We are asking you to think about ways you have “Left it Better”! Some examples that Brown Middle School uses are: “Do people feel better after meeting you or talking to you?”, “Is your classroom or environment cleaner than you found it?”, “Do you perform random acts of kindness?” or “Have I made a difference in someone’s life?” You get the idea and can see how important this topic is. Earn 5 points each day for a written journal entry for personal reflection of how you “Leave it Better”.
5. Attend, download notes or listen to recording of the Madison Challenge weekly talks and demonstrations given in town and earn 10 points for that session. You will be able to download audio and notes at http://www.madisonchallenge.com/resources.html.
Earn Points by Improving your Soul:
1. Earn 5 points for recording your weekly Madison Challenge total points before the Wednesday of the following week. Reward yourself for good organization and follow through. Enjoy the process of improving your health habits and notice the evidence by increasing your weekly points.
2. Earn 5 points per day for going a day without television and/or video games. Look for healthy media outlets that do not leave you with that “mush head” feeling.
3. Earn 5 points per day by giving yourself at least 15 minutes per day of meditation/self reflection. There is no right way to do this so find a way to get it done and enjoy the company while being with yourself.
4. Earn 5 points for reviewing your established personal and written goals. Remember if it is not written then it does not exist. The point is not to become goal obsessed but to decide what you want and create a plan to get it.
5. Earn 5 points for spending at least 1 hour a day outdoors. Visiting with Mother Nature is one of the best ways to improve your Soul.
