Fall Into Fitness Challenge
October 22, 2023 - December 2, 2023
Summer is ending - and fall flew by...
Just for fun - and a bit of fitness too
Join us this fall (in 2023) to keep family and friends moving with you
Enjoy the great outdoors or time inside as well
With these activity ideas designed for connecting and feeling swell!
Share your Wellness@Dickinson pictures, group shots and more -
Tag with #FallIntoFitnessChallenge for all to explore
As we Dickinsonians garner and build fitness together
Inside or outside - no matter the weather
Complete any or all options listed below
For the fun Fall Into Fitness Challenges grow
Wellbeing from within and without each one
The benefits reaped are second to none!
Report your activity weekly to virtually explore
The healthiest behaviors - to help you endure...
Stay Well - Be Well - Stay Calm - Be Engaged
Be amazed with the outcome as behaviors are changed!
Adapting to wellness seamlessly transforms
PIVOTing your priorities — becoming your healthy norms
Show fun fitness spirit with wellbeing's ascent
for this fun-fitness, community wellbeing event!
Reporting Your Exercise Minutes!
Once the Challenge is underway - Remember to report your minutes of play
A link* is provided below to report - and show your spirit just for sport
PLEASE report daily/weekly times in minutes NOT in hours!
*The Fall Into Fitness Challenge Weekly Reporting is onine via Fizikaflex - please report your all data by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. to help accurately determined weekly stats*
If you would like a tracking sheet to help your brain - to track your minutes day by day - click the pdf form link below to track your minutes as you go:
2023 Fall Into Fitness Challenge Exercise Minutes Tracking Form
2023 Fall Into Fitness Challenge
6 weeks of Fun, Fitness for All
- October 22-28 | Focus on Holistic Health for your MIND & BODY
Meditate & Be Mindful — Take 5-15 minutes each day this week to quiet your mind and de-stress! Calming yourself and finding peace is a great way to disconnect from the myriad of things that worry us. Focusing on the present - such as the whistle of the wind or the sound of rustling leaves - living in the moment allows you to appreciate the simple things. For Challenge participants, a special link to the CALM app is coming your way to try out for the next 2 weeks!
Fitness Variety & Intensity - Try something new this week - vary your walking route - or something else that you don't do regularly. Varying your exercise type helps challenge your body and offers increased fitness overall. Check out the Kline Fitness Center - but be sure to complete the online orientation course first!
***Of course - if you are trying something totally different or greatly challenging, please check with your healthcare provider for guidance before attempting any NEW exercise program. Schedule your annual well visit or biometric screening too! Employees sign up here for your FREE biometric screening on Thursday, October 26!
- October 29-November 4 | Focus on Fun | Fitness with Family & Friends
Family, friends and inclusivity fits this week of fun that includes a Scavenger Hunt across campus! (Details to be shared during week #2)
AND Focus on YOUR health - If you have not already done so - schedule your flu vaccine for November 7 - last chance for the fall semester!
Just for Fun! Build Your Team — Continue to recruit your team members and have some fun - please be inclusive to get the job done! The team with membership variety wins this weeks kudos!
Carve a Pumpkin & Share your photo #FallIntoFitnessPumpkinArt2023. Take a walk with friends/family, and collect a variety of falling leaves! Snap a photo and share #FallIntoFitnessLeafingSummerBehind
Try out the campus Arbor Walk Tour - this self-guided tour is a fun way to learn about the variety of trees growing around campus! Complete this with mini-team members or family/friends - enjoy the crisp, fresh air and sunshine!
- November 5-11 | Focus on Water - for a happier mind and body!
Drinking 8 cups of water each day is recommended for optimal bodily and cognitive functioning and health. Try a fruit-flavored water, such as adding a few strawberries to your water, for a delicious and refreshing drink.
Clarke Aquatic Center at the Kline Center --- Check out the pool at the Kline Center. Swimming is a great way to burn calories and increase your aerobic capacity! Click the link for more information.
Bonus: Complete an online health risk assessment (HRA) to learn more about your own health risks! Visit the week #3 challenges in Totara for a link to complete an HRA.
- November 12-18 | Focus on Nutrition - Nourish Your Body, Mind & Soul — Berries, Nuts, Beans, Leafy Greens, Grains & Other Veggies – Feeding your body wholesome, nutritious foods keeps you mentally and physically healthy!
Try or create a new recipe – and share by posting online #FallIntoFitnessNourish2023 Take the MyPlate.gov nutrition quiz to gain information on nourishing your body.
***For some FOODIE fun, join the Foodie Photo Challenge - and share your Foodie Snaps here by November 15!
***Check out Farm Works at 169 W. High Street for a savory bowl of soup as a lunchtime treat - or to purchase your favorite organic/fresh products!
***For a breath of fresh air... try the ArtWalk Tour as a self-guided tour...or the Dickinson & Slavery (Self-Guided) Walking Tour
***Visit the College Farm to learn more about the CSA and other options available related to your nutrition! Explore local farms, markets, and restaurants through the Edible Excursions video's posted online! Next - take a road trip to visit these locations with family and/or friends...ENJOY!
- November 19-November 25 | Focus on Family & Family Health History:
Thanksgiving week is a great opportunity to show GRATITUDE...Random Acts of Kindness make someone else's day - Saying thank you to another lifts there spirits and yours as well in numerous ways. For this week and for this month look for ways to show - your family, friends and strangers acts of kindness as you go. Learn about your own family health history by chatting with relatives as you visit over the Thanksgiving holiday.
Complete the CDC’s My Family Health Portait from the office of the surgeon general – an online tool to help navigate your health and health risks, along with advice from your healthcare provider.
Have some fun with your family and friends! Sign-up for the annual Carlisle Family YMCA Turkey Trot held on Thanksgiving Day (November 23) in downtown Carlisle! OR...
enjoy Leafing Summer Behind — As fall settles in around us, take a walk or hike and capture your favorite fall snapshot and share online #FallIntoFitnessLeafingSummerBehind2023
- November 26-December 2 | Focus On SLEEP... Zzzzz! It does a body good! Rejuvenate, Heal, Dream...strive to sleep 7-8 hours each night to be at your best!
Special Technology Break Challenge: "Lights OUT" on your electronic devices after 7 p.m. at night this week. Giving your eyes and mind a break from technology may help improve your sleep!
Check out the activity links for week 6 for tips and resources regarding better sleep and relaxation...
See below for more ideas to stay active, fit and healthy this fall...
Family & Friends Fun Fitness Activity Ideas this fall:
- Family Game Day/Game Night: Pick an active game (age-appropriate) to play with kids/family/friends each week Twister, Tag (regular or flashlight), Hide & Seek, Red Light/Green Light, "Mother May I" or any other game that you know and love or enjoyed as a kid…Play the game(s) for at least 30 minutes or more. End the fun with some hot cider, hot chocolate & smores or other favorite treat!
- Mad Mall "I Spy" Window Shopping Dash: After you completely fill up on Thanksgiving Dinner or someday after that when things seem to slow down, gather your family/friends and go “Window” shopping at a local mall. Play a challenge game of “I Spy” as you power walk around the mall and search for items from A to Z. This should take about 30 minutes or so. Possibly prepare in advance with a list of items to spy for each letter of the alphabet – this could make it more or less challenging depending on your creativity! Reward your group with a special treat at the end of your game – or simply enjoy spending the time together as the reward!
- Leaving Fall Behind: Have way too many leaves in your yard? Assemble your family or friends for 30-60 minutes and turn yard work into fun times spent together. (Think of the old Tom Sawyer fence-painting story or the Whistle-While-You-Work song). Make a game of piling the leaves and challenge your kids/family/friends to do the same! Challenge for the largest pile of leaves, the most colorful pile of leaves, the most creative (bagged) shape of leaves (think of those decorative pumpkin bags)…and then possibly put them in a mulching pile to use next spring in your (or family members) gardens! Take some photos of your leaf piles and post/share with: #LeavingFallBehind @DickinsonHR @DickinsonCol
- Snowy Sculpture Day(s): If Mother Nature fools us again before winter actually arrives (or after), take a break from the snow clean-up chores and have some good, old-fashioned fun building a snow sculpture of your choice with family and friends! Get creative and enjoy the beauty of the cold wintry mix – then post or share your artistic endeavors using #SnowSculptureFunFitness @DickinsonHR @DickinsonCol
- Cycle to the Handlebar: Getting ready to put away the bikes this fall? Consider a ride to the Handlebar to tune up your bikes for next spring before putting them away for the winter months. The Handlebar is an on-campus teaching bike repair co-op that was created by the Dickinson Community, for the Dickinson Community. The vision became a reality after joint efforts by the Center for Sustainability Education (CSE) and the Dickinson Idea Fund. Now operated by CSE interns and student and staff volunteers, The Handlebar services members of the Dickinson College community, aiming to increase bicycle use, repair services, and bike-related knowledge on campus. Ready to Roll into some fresh air and sunshine, learn how to fix your bikes, and get some fitness minutes on a fall afternoon? Get started soon and enjoy before the snow drops in!
- Fall Farm Fun: Wondering what to do on a weekend this fall? Consider a self-guided walking tour of the College Farm! Click Here to visit the College Farm website and download an audio tour put together by Dickinson students, and also a brochure to begin your family fun day at the Farm! The walking tour should take approximately one hour and is a great way to gain a few fresh air focus minutes while spending time with family and friends. Except for guided tours and special events, the farm is closed on Saturday and Sunday. Don’t forget to let the farm know you will be coming by sending a message at farm@dickinson.edu!
- Parks, Ducks, Slides & More: If you simply want to find a local park in a different place to spend some time outdoors, try visiting the websites below to find a new one to explore that you have not visited before:
- Good Old Fashioned Active Fun: Visit a local bowling alley, ice-skating or roller-skating rink or maybe some snow-tubing…if you dare!
- Getting a Ghostly Feeling about Winter? If you are up for a drive and have a few dollars to spend as well, consider visiting our neighbors slightly to the south in Gettysburg! Gettysburg ghost tours are available by clicking the preceding embedded link and selecting the tour of your choice. Fees start as low as $5-$10 per person based on the tour selected and range from 30 minutes to about an hour.
- Book-it to the Whistlestop, Pomfret Street Books, a Bookstore or Library : For any bookworms in the Dickinson community, consider taking a family-friendly book walk (tour route available via the link below) to any or all of the book-related venues! Look for a favorite old book from your childhood or explore a new one to broaden your horizon through the magical world of reading and imagination! The walking tour should take about 45-60 minutes if you go to all locations to explore – or simply pick one location to find a new or old favorite! Your exploration and find is your reward along with the knowledge that comes from enlightening your mind and fitness from the walk with family and friends. Denim Coffee/The Quarry and other local beverage shops are great places to warm up after your walk with a cup of your favorite hot beverage. Click the following link to visit any or all of the area book locations and enjoy a Self-guided Historical Book Walking Tour with stops at the Whistlestop Bookshop, Pomfret Street Books, the Bosler Library, other local bookstores!
- Complete a Personal Archeological Dig & Exploration of Closets for Charity! Engage your inner curiosity shop, and consider clearing out the clutter while donating unwanted and unused/gently used items to a local charity such as the Salvation Army, Community Aid or Good Will. This archeological dig through closets, basement areas and other parts of your home requires physical lifting, sifting and a trip down memory lane that can be shared with family members as you individually or as a group explore what lurks in these storage areas! Pack up donations into a box or bag and then donate them to a good cause to help others in need. This physical and emotional journey will also benefit others with gifts needed and benefit yourself knowing that you gained closet space and good will.
Wondering about previous Fall Into Fitness Challenges and how participants enjoyed the fun in the past challenges?
Gym Class Heroes - Sam Cramer and Kathy Ballew show their spirit participating in the 2020 American Heart Associaiton Hearlwalk!
Gym Class Heroes - Jessica Wilson - enjoyed participating in the Run for Steph during the 2020 Fall Into Fitness Challenge!
FALL 2020 Outcomes & Challenge Standings!
Mini-Teams were very active during the Fall 2020 Challenge...
The mini-teams during the fall 2020 challenge participated greatly - and revealed some great wellbeing impacts while having fun! Gym Class Heroes had the highest total points as a mini-team, and Mind Over Matter eclipsed all other mini-teams for having the highest average per participant points. Congratulations to all mini-teams for showing winning spirit towards your own wellbeing and for being active in the 2020 Fall Into Fitness Challenge!
Individuals also excelled with earning tremendous wellness points over the course of the 12-week Challenge...
Congratulations to Kim Morgan, Shelley Hess, Michelle Spencer, Brenda Bretz and Laura Wills for being the top 5 participants in the 2020 Fall into Fitness Challenge!
Many, many thanks to Alum, Martha Harris '77 for supporting Wellness@Dickinson in the fall semester 2023 with the Fizikaflex online app!
Fizikaflex is an online app designed to help participants to adopt healthy, physically active lifestyles supporting wellbeing while reducing the risks of cognitive decline. The easy-to-use digital health platform provides self-monitoring tools, a motivational community, and educational content to empower users to take control of their health and overall wellbeing. Developed based on brain science research, Fizikaflex motivates users to make healthy choices on a daily basis that can improve cardiovascular and brain health.
Fizikaflex Online Platform Features:
- Daily/weekly health and fitness tracker and self-monitoring tools
- Synchronizes step counts with biometric devices
- Attractive interface motivates users to log in daily
- Companion easy to follow exercise guide to improve strength, flexibility, balance, and cardiovascular health
- Evidence-based practices help users improve physical, mental and emotional health
- For more information or assistance, visit Fizikaflex online or send an email to Martha Harris '77 at Fizika!