Maintain, Don't Gain Holiday Challenge Success

Many Americans succumb to the lure of holiday treats while trading in regular exercise for Christmas parties and visiting with family, and end up several pounds heavier at the first of the year. To combat all the splurging, I organized a Maintain, Don't Gain Holiday Challenge for the participants in my Zumba® class at Valdosta Parks and Rec, and I was extremely impressed with the results!

All the students who wanted to participate in the challenge weighed in during the first week of November. I would weigh again the first week of January, and anyone who maintained or lost weight during the two month span would receive one free class pass, and all those names would be put in a random drawing for a free 10 class punch card and other Zumba® goodies.

I posted some motivating status updates on my Facebook page to help participants remember to indulge in moderation and keep up the physical activity over the course of the challenge, and continued to remind those who came to class about it as well, but I didn't conduct any midpoint weigh-ins. It was really up to each individual to have the willpower to not gain weight over the holiday season.

I began post weigh-ins last week, and finished up just prior to Zumba® last night. There were 36 people who weighed in at the beginning of the challenge. Out of those, 21 participated in the post weigh-in. Of the 21 who weighed, 15 either maintained or lost weight. Three participants lost over 10 pounds, and 6 lost between 5 - 10 pounds! I am very proud of all those who accepted the challenge!

Several participants told me that they ate smaller slices of pie or went out walking after a large meal because they knew that they had to weigh-in after the holiday. I am so glad that my challenge helped motivate people to make healthier choices during a time most are overindulging. I'll definitely be holding the Maintain, Don't Gain holiday challenge again next year!