A new year brings an opportunity for new goals. Often people make working out and eating healthy one of their New Year’s goals. Yet, many fail never reach their goals because they don’t hold themselves accountable. We come up with these great goals, but at the end of the day, nobody is really telling us to do this or that.
Katie Hartman and I are no different. I (Becca Windover) wanted to have a goal this semester that was about something other than trying to get a job as I graduate in May 2015. I needed my goal to be tangible and fun and I needed a reason for this goal. Working out and eating healthy were easily the answer.
Working Out Can Work Out
Working out provides me with an outlet from the stress of the last semester of graduate school. I needed to be held accountable. I am very much intrinsically motivated, but it’s a challenge for me to go to the gym because, “Hey, its 6AM and getting sweaty is a great idea.” #Facepalm. So after talking with Katie, we realized we both had similar goals. We wanted to be held accountable for our fitness and health. We have both became real life friends through #SAChat and #SLChat. This is yet another great example of how building online relationships can turn into friendships. Between our conversations about wanting accountability for our fitness and health, we decided to launch the #SAFitChallenge. The irony is through the numerous other ongoing conversations on social media, we continue to be motivated each day by our peers in this field. The Student Affairs world is a family; a family that has the power through social media to hold one another accountable and motivate.
Are You Ready for the Challenge
The #SAFitChallenge is a challenge through social media for Student Affairs professionals and and anyone else who would like to be adopted into our family. It is a promise and a commitment to one another.
Here’s how the challenge works:
1. The challenge requires you to exercise for 30 minutes a day. The #SAFitChallenge is welcoming to all workout styles. You pick your workout and go at your pace with your style.
2. Next, post a photo to Twitter with #SAFitChallenge of your workout.
3. In spirit of the #ALSIceBucketChallenge, job is to challenge a friend or colleague to join the challenge with you. If you would like to dump ice water on yourself as well, that’s up to you.
Opportunity Awaits
The Student Affairs life gets busy. We often make excuses for why we can’t do this or can’t do that. The #SAFitChallenge doesn’t allow excuses. It only requires 30 minutes a day of some type of exercise like walking, running, elliptical, lifting, Yoga, or Intense PingPong (Becca’s favorite).
The #SAFitChallenge is an opportunity to connect with the Student Affairs family on a daily basis. Individuals are sharing workouts, recipes, funny photos, fitness apps, and techniques. As of 1/8/2015 over 70 #SAgrad and #SAPro have joined the challenge. A challenge that started off between Katie and I has now extended across the country! Each day, Katie and I look forward to seeing everyone who has jumped on the #SAFitChallenge and is not only hold us accountable, but one another. Together we can hold each other accountable and reach our goals.
Katie Hartman is a first year graduate student in the College Student Personnel program at Ohio University. She serves as the Graduate Assistant for the Higher Education and Student Affairs program at Ohio University.
