The Tucson Challenge:
Becoming the Healthiest City in the Country.  How Do you Measure Up?

If it takes a village to raise a child, it must take that same village to keep the child healthy. At least that's the philosophy of the Tucson Challenge, a 12-week community-based program focusing on long-term weight loss. Last year, 112 participants lost a total of 716 pounds in only three months. "People need some sort of push to get out of their bad habits. The Tucson Challenge convinces people that they can do this, that they will succeed and that their friends will help," said Lauve Metcalfe, Director of Program Development at the Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition. Close to 400 people signed up for the 2006 Tucson Challenge that began in January. Some participants signed up as a family. They all weigh in at the beginning and end of the program and attend monthly workshops that focus on physical activity, nutrition and eating behavior, mind/body connection and social support. Organizers offer a summer incentive program and fall booster session to help participants maintain their weight loss throughout the year.

Carol Dyhr lost nine pounds during last year's Tucson Challenge. For her, the group setting served as a constant reminder about being healthy. "It sounds like a small thing but to me it makes an incredible difference in how I live my life. We encourage each other to be mindful about eating, scheduling, listening to our bodies, exercising, celebrating life and each other," Dyhr explained. The weight loss program has proven very beneficial to women. Lauve Metcalfe said, "They  need to make themselves a top priority, even ahead of their husbands, children and jobs. They must surround themselves with a support system of people with similar goals to be active and healthy." 

Recent statistics show 30 percent of the U.S. population is obese and another 35 percent is overweight. Sixteen percent of children, ages 6 through 19, are overweight. "People have to ask themselves whether they are going to be a spectator or an active participant in being healthier," said Metcalfe.  

As part of his Healthy Tucson Initiative, Mayor Bob Walkup spearheaded the first community program in 2003, calling it the Mayor's Challenge. Shortly thereafter, the University of Arizona Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition (CPAN) joined the effort. CPAN organizers wanted to use information gleaned from their research on weight loss and physical activity in a community setting. The program is now called the Tucson Challenge and boasts 741 participants who have lost a total of 4,729 pounds the past three years. During that same time period, another 1,000 people signed up just to attend the workshops.

Even if you didn't sign up for this year's Tucson Challenge, you can still attend the monthly workshops. The workshops are open to the public and are held at University Medical Center in the DuVal Auditorium from 9-11 a.m. The cost is $10/workshop.

Tucson Challenge Workshops:
Sat. April 1: Emotional Aspects of Overeating and The Body Image and Self-Esteem Connection

Sat. April 29: Social Support- Why Other People Help Us or Hinder Us with Our Weight-Loss Goals.  

The goal of the Tucson Challenge is to make Tucson the healthiest city in the country. This is the first step toward achieving that goal. For more information, go to http://www.tucsonaz.gov/tucsonchallenge/.

Tucson Challenge 12 Tips to a Healthier Lifestyle

1) Develop a social network that supports you.  Positive remarks and encouragement from family, friends and co-workers help keep you focused and on track.

2) Make physical activity the foundation of your program.  Exercise and lifestyle activity have been shown to be key elements of weight loss maintenance.  Get up off that couch and move, move, move!

3) Monitor portion sizes and drink more water.  Our "super-size" mentality has created portions that are out of control. Cut down by sharing entrees, asking for a take-home bag, ordering a-la-carte and serving up smaller portions. Water has no calories, helps fill you up and keeps you hydrated.

4) Practice mindful eating. Overeating is a result of eating more than our body needs. We over eat for a variety of reasons: stress, unconscious eating, and dealing with emotions. To curb overeating, deal with emotions and life experiences directly and constructively.

5) Accept, admire and appreciate the body you have.  Create a healthy body image by focusing on what you like about your body.

6) Include strength training as a part of your exercise program, and find ways to include more lifestyle activity in your day.  Strength training builds muscle, strengthens bone and increases lean body tissue, which provides contour and definition to the body. Take the stairs instead of the elevator to burn more calories.  

7) Identify emotional eating patterns. Become aware of situations that trigger emotional eating and develop healthful alternatives.

8) Create more fun and pleasure in your daily life.  Enjoying each day brings a positive energy to any situation.  Developing daily, healthy pleasures makes life worth living!

9) Seek out joyful ways to move your body.  Tedious exercise will not become a life-long activity.  Dance, hike, walk your pet, garden, skip, bike, and play, play, play!

10) Challenge yourself to accomplish new goals and welcome new experiences.  Committing to challenging, yet reachable goals helps keep you motivated and focused on maintaining your healthy lifestyle on a daily basis.

11) Practice, practice, practice.  Developing permanent healthy habits takes time, and practice is the key.  Remember, small changes over time create lasting results!

12) Mastery living.  Mastery living involves creating a lifestyle that allows us to balance life's daily responsibilities while taking care of our physical, emotional, intellectual, social and spiritual needs.