Q: I'm not sure I understand how many points I can earn by eating a well balance meal.   Can I earn up to 3 points per day if I eat three balanced meals a day?
A: Adding one balanced meal a day to this year's Fitness Challenge is to encourage people to eat at least one well balanced meal during the day.  Participants can earn only one point per day. 
 

Q: How do I calculate my team's weekly average and how many decimal places should I turn in for our team average?
A: Two decimal places. Calculate by adding all team member’s weekly totals together and then dividing by the total number of people on your team. For example: You have 9 people on your team, for Week 1 they each earned the following amount of points 54, 90, 103, 45, 75, 55, 150, 25, 68, add those together giving you a weekly team total of 665, then divide by 9, and enter the average 73.88 on the "register and enter points" page.
 

Q: Can I earn points for a ‘sanctioned competition’ as well as points for exercising during that competition?
A: Yes. The sanctioned competition points are bonus points. However, they may only be counted one time if a meet or tournament lasts more than one day. Also, when counting your points for participating it must be for the amount of time you are actually playing. If you are on the bench during the basketball or football game those minutes cannot go towards your 30 minutes of an active sport. You can count your warm up activities as part of the time.
 

Q: Can I "round up" for my exercise time and fruits and vegetable servings?
A: There is no rounding on times or servings.

Q: Can I count half points or partial point values?
A: NO! You must complete the entire time to get the entire point value. If you jog or walk for 1.5 miles, that is NOT 1.5 points. You must make it up to 2 miles to get two points. If you jog for 2.8 miles it is still only 2 points. Take those extra few steps to get to 3 miles and 3 points.

Q: If I do a 30 minutes cardio, Yoga or Pilates workout every morning, is this more than 1 point?
A: If you add 10 more minutes to your 30 minutes workout you can claim a total of 2 points (1 point for each 20 minutes). With exercise you can double your points if you double the workout time or distance.
 

Q: Does attending the lunchtime presentation on wellness count as one point?
A: Yes, team members who attend wellness presentations can claim one point.   Place the point in the “Read or listen to a 1,000 word article or wellness program" row.

Q: I understand that there are trace amounts of caffeine in decaffeinated beverages?  If I switch to decaf will this count?
A: Yes, you can claim a point for not having caffeine if you drink decaffeinated beverages.

Q: I would like to substitute reading a 1000 word wellness article with watching a POD cast health and wellness show?  Is this allowed?
A: Yes, if the show has a speaker that speaks for at least 15-30 minutes.

Q: Is golf considered an active sport or recreational sport?  If I walk the golf course while playing 18 holes can I claim miles walked points too?
A: Golf is a recreational sport and for each hour of golf you can claim 1point.  You cannot "double dip" points.  You cannot receive points for golfing and walking.  You must select one category or the other.

Q: I played golf - 18 holes - and used a cart.  Do I claim walking points?
A: You can earn 1 point in the Recreation Sport Section.  No double dipping.
 

Q: If we have 10 fruits or vegetables in a day would we get the following for points?  2 pts for 10 servings and 3 bonus pts for the 9 servings for a total of 5 pts.
A: Refer to the Point Chart – Five fruits or vegetables ** 1 day = 1 point (can eat 10 servings to double points to 2 points plus can qualify for bonus below for a total of 5 points.
Bonus: 9 fruits and vegetables on 1 day = 3 points.  

Q: If we eat 9 fruits/vegetables, do we get the original point and plus the 3 bonus points
A: Yes, for a total of 4 points.

Q: Can tea, coffee or diet Pepsi or flavors added to water count as water?
A: No, just water may count for water.

Q: Can I count propel, sugar free flavored water, green tea, or decaf coffee as part of my 32 oz of water?
A: No, water is just water with nothing added. (A fresh lemon or lime wedge is fine.)

Q: Do mental health articles count as wellness articles?
A: Yes, any articles that assist with holistic health and well being counts.

Q: Do self-help or self-inspiration books count?
A: Yes, see answer to question above.

Q: Does a "nutrition bar" that has sugar listed in the ingredients be considered O.K. in the "No refined sugar" category, or do we strictly watch ingredient list of all food products to make sure it has no sugar in it at all? Are sugar-substitutes, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, etc considered "refined sugar" or is the regular processed white sugar the only thing considered "refined sugar"?
A: A nutrition bar is considered O.K.  Regarding "refined sugar," only "sugar" you give up includes desserts, sugared cereal, sweet breads like muffins, sugar added to coffee or fruit.  Sugar substitutes are ok. 

  Fun, yet useful definitions defined by Webster's dictionary:

• Exercise -

• Fruit - the ripened reproductive body of a seed plant

• Inspire - stimulate, motivate, encourage, influence, inspirit, animate, fire the imagination of

• Workouts - training/practice session; physical exercise, drill, training

• Working - employed, in a job

• Wine - fermented juice (of grapes especially)

Have a question regarding the Fitness Challenge? Send question via email to jleitz@stancoe.org