Live Healthy Texas 100 Day Challenge open to community

100 Day Challenge promotes health through online tracking of activity, weight loss, access to resources

(McKinney) If you made a resolution to get fit this year, McKinney has a new program to help you reach your goals.

The Live Healthy Texas 100 Day Challenge provides an online platform for residents to form teams and track physical activity, weight loss, or both from Jan. 23 through May 1.

The program also provides meal plans, video workouts, healthy recipes and nutrition and wellness resources.

Live Healthy Texas $20 fee for each participant includes a year-long subscription to a national lifestyle magazine and a t-shirt. Registration is open at livehealthytexas.org and will remain open through Feb. 6.

“McKinney is known as a healthy, active community. This program provides an easy, cost-effective platform to kick-start physical activity and improved nutrition. Through programs like this one and partnerships with the McKinney Independent School District, we have a goal to make our community the healthiest in the country,” said Mayor Brian Loughmiller.

City of McKinney employees are participating in the program this year for the fourth year in a row. In 2010, city employees won an award as the Healthiest City in North Texas for the level of activity and weight lost through the program. This year, city staff will help keep track of members of the community who register with the code LHTCITIZENS.

At the end of the program, data will show how many activity minutes and weight lost was entered from teams in McKinney. Winning teams will be eligible for prizes and recognition at a community event in May.

The sign-up process to participate is easy.

· Step 1: Form a team of 2-10 individuals and appoint a team captain.

· Step 2: Choose a team name and gather team members’ e-mail addresses and t-shirt sizes.

· Step 3: Register. The team captain registers the team at livehealthytexas.org. Make sure you enter the Group ID LHTCITIZENS. The entry fee is $20 for each participant.

Teams may register in the Minutes of Activity Division, the Weight Loss Division or both. In either case, individuals track and record minutes of activity and weight loss which is used to calculate your team’s percentage weight loss and total activity minutes. This site also provides a daily journal and message center to help keep team members connected and involved in making health changes to reach their fitness and weight loss goals.

Last year, during the Mayor’s Get Fit Month in May, McKinney residents logged more than 750 hours of activity. By participating in the Live Healthy Texas 100 Day Challenge, participants have the opportunity to track physical activity for a longer period of time, plus have access to health, wellness and nutrition resources. Get Fit Month in May 2012 will focus on resources in the community available for residents to continue their fitness goals past the Live Healthy Texas program.

Live Healthy Texas is part of the Live Healthy America program, which began as a non-profit program in 2001.