Texas Border Business
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – We are happy to announce the Challenge-RGV is back! Rescheduled due to the Omicron surge, we are now feeling safer and happy to celebrate the 13th year of creating a healthier Brownsville and Rio Grande Valley! The City of Brownsville, UTHealth School of Public Health (Brownsville Regional Campus) and other community partners and sponsors will provide free programming and opportunities encouraging healthy lifestyle changes and weight-loss. “The Challenge” is more than a competition. It is an invitation for all of us to make healthy choices and get motivated to set healthy habits in 2022!
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, last year’s 2021 Challenge was cancelled. This year organizers are working hard to provide safe options for participants to enjoy the motivation of friendly competition but encouraging folks to participate safely by getting vaccinated (including booster vaccinations), encourage mask wearing when gathering and keeping travel and large gatherings to a minimum. Monetary incentives and other prizes will be awarded to groups and individuals who lose the highest percentage weight over the three-month period. Categories include male and female individual, small team, and large team. Anyone losing 5% or more of their weight by the end of The Challenge will be eligible for cash incentive prizes.
In addition to free access to gyms, fitness, cooking classes and support groups, participants can also choose to receive motivational text messages and access web-based support. The Challenge-RGV is on Facebook at The Challenge-RGV and on Instagram and Twitter as @thechallengergv.
Lisa Mitchell-Bennett, Project Manager at the UTHealth School of Public Health shares, “The theme of this year’s Challenge is ‘This is our Shot’, a play on words to emphasize the importance of staying safe from new COVID-19 variants by getting vaccinations and boosters in order to keep everyone healthy. We know how hard the last two years have been and why its even more important for folks to get outside to exercise, make healthy food choices, and also take precautions to prevent the spread of this deadly virus.”
Dr. Arturo Rodriguez, Director of the City of Brownsville Health and Wellness Department, shares “The City of Brownsville is committed to offering its residents opportunities to improve their health. The Challenge is a fun and free way for folks to learn more about small changes that can have a big impact on health and wellbeing. We look forward to an opportunity to bring the community together safely to celebrate health.”
Dr. Rose Gowen, City Commissioner during every Challenge RGV season believes in the program. “The Challenge has had a positive impact on the health of our community but also on our local economy! Many small gyms and businesses that have partnered with The Challenge have grown their customers by exposing them through the free access to classes and gyms. Additionally, healthy people miss less work and work more productively so that they are therefore able to earn more money. This helps our families and businesses and impacts our economy positively.”
“We encourage participants to join with family, friends, and co-workers to form a team. We’ve found people lose more weight when there is accountability and social support. But even individuals will find the support knowing they are part of the larger Challenge,” added Mitchell-Bennett.
According to Dr. Belinda Reininger, Dean and Professor at the UTHealth School of Public Health, Brownsville Regional Campus, “The Challenge provides a mechanism of motivation, accountability, and social support to address high rates of obesity and chronic disease in our community. Thousands of individuals have lost weight and become healthier over the last decade of The Challenge. In fact, 84% have lost an average of 4% of their total weight. The pandemic has been a challenge for all of us to maintain healthy habits and we want to provide more support to our community to safely do so. Obesity and chronic disease are risk factors for complications of COVID-19, another important reason to work toward healthy weight loss.”
The Challenge organizers emphasize this is not about excessive weight loss, fad diets or extreme measures. Research shows that the healthiest way to lose weight and maintain it is to keep loss to 1-2 pounds a week at most by exercising, increase fruit and vegetable intake and reducing sugar and unhealthy carbohydrate consumption.
You must be 18 years or older to participate officially in The Challenge-RGV, however families are encouraged to set healthy goals together for 2022. You may not officially be part of the competition if you have had weight loss surgery in the last 12 months, if you are pregnant or underweight. Participants should see their doctor before starting any exercise or weight-loss program.
For additional information from the UT School of Public Health contact Lisa Mitchell-Bennett at (956) 466-5657 or email Lisa.mitchell-bennett@uth.tmc.edu. For more information regarding City of Brownsville or to schedule media interviews, please contact the Communications and Marketing Department at communications@brownsvilletx.gov or (956)547-6505.
