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The #CommunityChallenge is about building a healthy community, but doesn’t work without the involvement of the hardworking people! You don’t have to be the mayor to engage the people around you, you just need to be passionate about practicing a healthy lifestyle. Here are some of the small ways that you can spread the message of the IT’S TIME TEXAS #CommunityChallenge!

Ways to Engage Your Work Community

In the IT’S TIME TEXAS office, we earn points through daily office-wide activities, like “Twisty Friday,” an organized stretching break, and “Thirsty Thursday,” where smoothies are prepared for staff members. These are just a few ideas to get your co-workers into the challenge. Here are a few more creative ideas for each work day that promote healthy habits:

• Meatless Monday: Already a popular weekday ritual for some, in your office it will encourage employees to bring a meatless meal. Make sure to post a picture of it to the #CommunityChallenge for points!
• Teammate Tuesday: Encourage employees to pair up with someone else in the office in order to be held accountable to their goals! This will build skills that are applicable to the #CommunityChallenge and everyday communication with co-workers!
• Waterfall Wednesday: Challenge your co-workers to a competition to see who can drink the most water before noon. Keeping track of everyone’s progress on a whiteboard in a centralized room to create fun competition!
• Thankful Thursday: Healthy habits don’t just come from just being physically active! A positive environment creates happy employees, so schedule a 5-minute break where employees can sit at their desks, close their eyes, and take a few deep. Meditation can be daunting to some, but this can relieve daily stress and encourage positivity.
• Free Dress Friday: Most companies implement a casual Friday dress code, but kick it up a notch by allowing employees to dress down, under the condition that it is in workout friendly clothes! Those who participate can be more active during their work day and maybe fit in a quick walk during their lunch break.

Ways To Energize Your Neighborhood

Do you work from home? Are you retired? You can implement healthy habits without the structure of a typical 9 to 5 office job. Get your own family members and neighborhood involved in making healthy choices a habit with these ideas!

• Encourage your kids to take a 30-minute break to spend time outside and invite other kids in the neighborhood! Go on a bike ride, play tag, or even climb a tree with friends.
• Prepare a healthy snack after school, and get your kids involved too. Doing so doesn’t just make you a good parent, it also makes you a strong asset to your healthy community! Snacks like ants on a log are easy and nutritious.
• Dogs can bring almost everyone together, so organize a meet up in your neighborhood for a weekly dog walk! That way you can get to know people AND their dogs while earning points in the #CommunityChallenge.
• Form a neighborhood club that participates in activities such as gardening, a book club, or yoga. These are popular hobbies that promote ways to create a healthy body, mind, and earth.

If you’re looking for a little motivation try putting your phone away 30 minutes before you go to bed.  The removal of screen time will calm down your brain and ease you into a much more peaceful sleep. It is proven that poor sleepers have an increased risk for heart disease and stroke, as well as a tendency to eat more calories during the day.

Hold Yourself and Your Healthy Community Accountable

Although it’s not always easy, being good to your body helps you in the long run. The #CommunityChallenge can hold you accountable to yourself AND your new healthy community! Make sure to share your Healthy Selfies and engage your community by encouraging your mayor, city council, and school districts to pledge to build a healthier Texas! Making little changes can add up and make a big impact on your current health as well as the longevity of your life. So join the challenge today!