As the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine drag on, it can be difficult to find the motivation and opportunities to stay active mentally and physically.
The Live Long. Live Well — also referred to as Live! — program partnered with the Institute of Continued Learning at Dixie State University to launch a six-week wellness challenge on Feb. 15.
“The wellness challenge was started to help motivate people to invest in their health and wellbeing,” said Allen Christensen, health promotion and wellness operations manager. “In the midst of the ongoing pandemic, many have been impacted in many different areas of health. We identified the challenge as a simple way to get our community to think about challenges that would motivate our community.”
The free initiative, which can be completed in teams or individually, is open to anyone ages 50 or older.
“It’s all about helping people to live long, healthy and happy lives.”
Robert Kramer, director of the Institute for Continued Learning.
Christensen said Live! wanted to make the challenge free of cost so it would not discourage anyone from trying it due to financial circumstances.
The three health challenges available are social, emotional, and physical and cognitive, and participants can take part in as many or as few as they’d like. Prizes — including cash, gift cards, Harmon’s cooking classes and more — can be won as more challenges are completed.
These challenges will include things like writing down what you are grateful for every day, exercising for 30 minutes a day, and learning new things!
Robert Kramer, director of the Institute for Continued Learning, said the people with Live! are essentially trying to make St. George a blue zone, which is a region of the world where a higher number of people live much longer than average.
“It’s all about helping people to live long, healthy and happy lives,” Kramer said.
Even though they wouldn’t be able to actively participate and win prizes, students are encouraged to participate in the challenges.
The objective of the Live! program is to help participants live long, healthy and happy lives while helping communities become healthier and happier places to live.
“People live longer if they’re continuing to learn, if they’re continuing to be active, and if they’re continuing to be socially involved,” Kramer said.
Participants will be required to fill out a weekly or daily log tracking their progress on their chosen challenges. For those participating with a team, an appointed team captain will need to fill those logs out.
“We really hope to kickstart some healthy behaviors for individuals in the county,” Christensen said.
Nancy Hauck, associate provost of community and global engagement, said students would benefit from these challenges as much as those 50 and over.
Kramer said Live! hopes to make this a quarterly challenge, or perhaps an annual one, so there will always be the opportunity to participate and win different prizes each time.
To register and learn more about the Live Long. Live Well. Wellness Challenge, visit livelong.dixie.edu/wellness-challenge.
