2014 uFit Challenge
About uFit
!  uFit is a committee of the Urbandale Community
Action Network (UCAN), a 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization providing leadership and ongoing
support for comprehensive community based
action to improve the quality of life in Urbandale.
!  uFit committee members volunteer their time
and talents to focus on improving community
health.
"! Emily Cataldi ! Heath Hinkhouse
! Kathy Koenig ! Jessica Schroeder
! Lacey Gillies ! Kim Hinkhouse ! Ashley Mobley
! Suzanne Stewart
The uFit model
!  uFit takes a three-pronged approach to
improving the health and wellness of all
Urbandale residents.
!  Healthy eating – developing programs that support
health and promoting educational opportunities;
improving food nutrition in schools and restaurants,
etc.
!  Active lifestyle – creating and supporting ways for
residents to encourage healthy behaviors and
connect through physical activities.
!  Positive outlook – contributing to the community
culture by highlighting the positive impact that
physical activity and healthy eating can have on a
person’s emotional well- being.
The uFit Challenge
!  The uFit Challenge is our flagship program, now
in our second year of engaging the community
to improve health.
!  The program acts as a catalyst for improving
health in a sustainable way—particularly focused
on integrating healthy choices into every day.
!  Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors we were
able to increase the program to 15 challengers
!  We created a supportive environment with
dedicated community members and
professionals and eliminated common obstacles
to a healthy lifestyle, awarding uFit Points for
healthy activities.
Eliminating obstacles
!  The uFit Challenge eliminated several obstacles:
!  Camaraderie – Improving health is easier when you
aren’t alone, and our committee and fellow
challengers provided support.
!  Cost – The uFit Challenge was free thanks to Aspen
Athletic Clubs, Urbandale Hy-Vee, & The Iowa Clinic.
!  Education – We surrounded the challengers with
professionals—trainers, dietitians, and physicians—that
could identify actions to improve their health.
!  Experience – We exposed challengers to new foods,
new exercises, new people, and new activities in an
effort to find ways to make getting healthy fun.
What we learned
!  The 2014 uFit Challenge was an overwhelming
success based on challenger participation and
the improvements in biometric data.
!  We had a very engaged group of challengers
that were committed to improving their health.
!  After participating as individuals in 2013, we
changed to teams of 3 in 2014. We learned that
there is no “right” answer in terms of format and
we’ll continue to adjust in the future.
!  We also learned a lot about our challengers!
uFit Challenge data
Our challengers worked hard
!  24 biometric screens at The Iowa Clinic
!  123 trips to Hy-Vee for Begin nutrition classes
!  Over 400 trips to Aspen
!  Over 200 additional at home workouts
!  Nearly 800 entries into daily food journals
!  111 appearances at 14 uFit Challenge events
!  Almost 4,500 uFit Points earned
Hard work yielded results
!  Almost 150 pounds lost
!  11 challengers lost weight
!  Average challenger lost 4.3% of their body weight
!  Eight challengers lost 8 pounds or more
!  Five challengers lost 14 pounds or more
!  One challenger lost 39 pounds!
!  Challengers earned 45 prizes along the way
!  Nearly all challengers improved a biometric
uFit Challenge Results
Andy
!  Lost 39 pounds, nearly 14% of
his starting weight
!  Lowered BMI by 5 points
!  Lowered cholesterol by 45
points
!  Lowered blood pressure from
Stage 1 hypertension to normal
!  Had 57 check-ins at Aspen
Linda
!  Lost 2 pounds, but was already
in a healthy BMI range
!  Lowered cholesterol
!  Met her goal to increase
physical activity and build
muscle
!  Tied with four others by
attending every Begin class
and recording every meal
during the Challenge
Jeff
!  Lost 13 pounds
!  Lowered BMI by 2 points
!  Lowered blood sugar and
cholesterol
!  Attended the cooking demo
and two walks at Lakeview Park
Kathie
!  Lost 8 pounds
!  Lowered cholesterol and blood
sugar
!  Attended every uFit event!
!  Led all challengers with 58
check-ins at Aspen
Anna
!  Lowered blood sugar,
triglycerides, and blood
pressure
!  Completed the uFit Challenge
5k around Lakeview Park
!  Is excited to share what she’s
learned with her family
Sandra
!  Lost 14 pounds
!  Reduced her BMI by 2 points
!  Lowered cholesterol
!  Regularly shared what she
learned with friends and coworkers
Heidi
!  Lost 9 pounds
!  Lowered triglycerides and
blood pressure
!  Excited to continue her journey
to healthier living beyond the
uFit Challenge
Lindsie
!  Lost 24 pounds
!  Lowered blood sugar and
cholesterol
!  Made her mother (uFit
Challenge alumni and current
committee member Suzanne)
extremely proud! ☺
Kris
!  Lowered cholesterol
!  Lowered blood pressure
!  Helped her team exceed 1,000
points
Other challengers
Alex
Cortney
David
Mike
Ryan
Carrie
!  Did not turn in final biometric screen data
!  5 of 6 competed regularly in the uFit Challenge
!  These challengers lost an average of 8 pounds
!  Cortney lost 19 pounds, and had 49 check-ins at
Aspen
uFit Challenge Team Results
Final team results
Team 4
Team 5
Team 2
Team 1
Team 3
1,099 uFit Points
1,033 uFit Points
927 uFit Points
796 uFit Points
669 uFit Points
!  Team 4 achieved the highest point total during
the uFit Challenge and earned makeover gift
certificates from the Iowa School of Beauty
THANK YOU
to everyone who
contributed to making the
uFit Challenge a success!