Cary Medical Center’s new fitness challenge, 30Four90 is off to a great start. After just one week of promotion, the program has registered more than 100 participants on the hospital’s website. Many hospital employees and members of the community have registered and the numbers keep building every day. Bill Flagg, Director of Community Relations and Development for Cary Medical Center, said that the program has surpassed even his expectations.
“I am a pretty optimistic person, but I am very surprised with the immediate reaction to the program,” said Flagg, who will participate in the program but cannot win any of the prize incentives. “I just think it is a great way to get started with a daily fitness activity and I really want to see if I can do the 30 minutes a day, four days a week.”
Individuals who join the fitness challenge have a chance to win one of three impressive prizes. The first prize drawn will be for a $250 gas card, the next prize is a $500 Walmart gift card and the final prize, which will be drawn at the end of the program is a cruise for two to Bermuda. Flagg said that he hopes the incentives will draw more people into the challenge who have not been physically active.
“We know from research that being moderately physically active, especially as we get older is critically important for a healthy life,” said Flagg. “It doesn’t take a lot, just a brisk walk for thirty minutes most days of the week will do it. You can even break up the time in ten minute intervals and still get the benefit.”
Flagg also said that he is working on getting out information to individuals living in smaller communities, where it might be difficult to find a place to walk inside, particularly as the weather gets colder.
“We want to work with organizations that can offer a safe and warm place for people who would like to walk or do some other regular physical activity,” said Flagg. “We know that can be tough in smaller communities. We are also working on suggestions for exercising at home and we hope to get this information out to folks in the coming days.”
The 30Four90 fitness challenge began on October 19 and will run for the next 90 days. Individuals can join the challenge any time up until Saturday, Jan. 10, 2015, the final week of the challenge. Flagg said that even if individuals enter the challenge the final week and complete the 30 minutes of exercise for four days of the week they can enter to win the final grand prize.
“That’s what makes this event so unique,” said Flagg. “Obviously, the more times you complete the challenge the more entries and chances you will have to win, but there is always a chance that even one entry could win the big prize.”
Every week that participants successfully complete the challenge they go back to the hospital’s website and submit their success. Every time they do this they will receive one entry in the prize give-away. Prizes will be drawn the second week of the following month to give participants a chance to get their successes submitted. People can register for the program by visiting the hospital’s website at carymedical center.org, or by mail by sending their name, mailing address and phone number to: Cary Medical Center, Att: Community Relations, 163 Van Buren Road, Caribou, Maine 04736, or by calling the Cary Office of Community Relations at 498-1112.
