The Nutrition Habit Challenge 2016, a community-wide wellness initiative, is scheduled to begin Monday, Feb. 1, and run the entire month.
Registration for the event is now open online.
Now in its third year, the NHC started in State College and had been available only to residents of Centre County. This year, through the Pennsylvania Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, the NHC is now available throughout the state.
Participants choose a nutritional behavior they commit to changing. It must be significant enough to positively impact their health, but manageable enough that they can be successful for 29 days. If they are successful for 25 out of the 29 days, they become eligible for a prize drawing that includes a trip for four to Disney World.
The NHC was created by Bruce and Kym Burke, owners of One on One Fitness in State College.
“We created the NHC to educate and inspire members of our community to make better choices not only with their diets, but also their exercise habits and lifestyle choices” said Bruce Burke. “We have created a platform to do that, but we need thousands of participants in order to succeed in truly impacting our community’s health. If we have 10,000 participants and 20 percent of them have lasting, meaningful change, we have helped 2,000 people live healthier lives. That is the end game.”
The NHC is being made available throughout the state due to the vision and efforts of Melanie Lynch, State College High School health teacher and newly elected president of PSAHPERD. “As a committee member of the Centre County NHC, I saw it making a difference and wanted to create a way to touch more people, particularly children,” said Lynch. “Making the NHC my PSAHPERD presidential project has given me an opportunity to do just that.”
Last year’s NHC in Centre County had 2,214 participants, including 230 families. State College High School junior Sahar Memari won the Disney trip. Memari’s commitment was to drink half her body weight in ounces of water each day of the challenge. “I’m so thankful and grateful for the opportunity that Ms. Lynch and everyone behind the NHC has provided me,” she said. “I am still practicing my commitment today.”
For more information and to register, visit their website here.
