Participants Power Through P3 Challenge
Dec 02, 2020
Thirty-two participants from Cowley County and the surrounding area recently joined forces to complete 6015 pushups, 3122 miles of cycling, and 67 miles on foot. The P3 Challenge: Push, Pedal & Pace was presented by William Newton Hospital Healthways and Walnut Valley Outpost. The challenge combined three individual events to encourage strength training, cycling, and running throughout the month of October.
When both the Junebug Jog and the Winfield Community Food Pantry Fun Run switched to a virtual format this summer, coordinators teamed up to turn those individual events into a larger virtual challenge.
“Signing up for a virtual run is a little underwhelming – especially for longtime participants of these local events,” said Ruth Bumgarner, Healthways Coordinator at WNH. “Our hope was to generate some new motivation by pairing this year’s virtual runs with new fitness challenges.”
Bumgarner and Tara Sutton, owner of Walnut Valley Outpost, had two goals going into this challenge. The first was to celebrate people for the healthy choices they make day after day. The second was to encourage people to try out something new.
“A lot of our participants hit all three goals, which was really exciting,” said Sutton. “But we are just as excited about the participants who used this challenge as motivation to relearn how to do a pushup or pull their bike out of storage.”
“I decided to sign up because I was inspired to get active and be outside, and I remembered how much I loved to bike as a child,” said P3 participant Tabitha Hogan. “Even though I did not reach the challenge goal, I met a personal goal of my own. I am so happy that I tried this and found a regular bike route that I will continue to enjoy.”
Bumgarner and Sutton say their motto has been “fitness was never cancelled.” In this year of uncertainty, cancellations, and endless changes, fitness can be a constant.
“We knew many people around Winfield and Cowley County were using these months of social distancing to commit more time and energy to their health and active hobbies. We wanted to let them know we see them and we’re there for that,” said Bumgarner.
With cold weather, flu season, and increased community spread of COVID-19 upon us, regular exercise can seem impossible. Sutton and Bumgarner offer some advice for staying active despite these limitations.
Outside. Yes, the temperatures are colder. No, that doesn’t mean you have to stay inside. Walking, running, and cycling are still great socially-distanced physical activities. To keep them comfortable during colder weather, dress in layers of light- to mid-weight clothing. Remember your body temperature will increase during your workout, so it may take some trial and error to find what’s comfortable for you. To keep you visible during low-light conditions, look for reflective stickers, battery-powered lights, and light-colored clothing. At home. Bodyweight exercises use your own weight to provide resistance. Because they don’t require machines or equipment, they are great options for home workouts. Pushups, squats, planks, lunges and, yes, burpees are examples of bodyweight exercises that can help improve strength, balance, and posture. Online. Sometimes exercising just feels harder by yourself. Online videos combine the motivation of a group fitness class with the social distancing of your own home. Thousands of fitness videos are available online, at all fitness levels and price points (even free!). These can be a great option for sampling new workouts and staying COVID safe.
Posted in In The News on Dec 02, 2020