STUDIES HAVE PROVEN that fitness challenges like the ‘HOOD FITNESS CHALLENGE’ work in raising awareness of the importance of how physical activity can help communities lead healthier lifestyles. Never was there a more timely intervention when about two-thirds of adult Britons are overweight or obese.
The Hood Fitness Challenge was about bringing the community together to create some friendly fitness competition. It was also there to increase engagement with our local gyms by encouraging people to visit or interact with their facilities for the first time and inspire them to make exercise part of a lifestyle change.
Growing a fitness-minded community is challenging, yet connecting with others who share similar passions is incredibly empowering and motivating.
Getting people to buy into my vision was the first step. Then I turned to my Council Leader, Steven Cowan (Hammersmith & Fulham) who’s council motto was “People First” when, in reality, it read ‘Me First’. After numerous conversations and email correspondence, they did nothing.
Nevertheless, I brought together the two behemoths of the UK fitness industry: David Lloyd and Nuffield Health. It was a terrific feeling for me. A sense of community unites us, connects people for the greater good and inspires others to contribute to society.
Setting aside their differences for this milestone event, David Lloyd and Nuffield Health were living proof that when two horses work together, they can pull a higher gross weight than each could alone – proving the power of collaboration.
The Hood Fitness Challenge was for everyone: from the newcomer who had just started their fitness journey to the seasoned athlete who had their sights on becoming ‘The Fittest in the Hood’.
The event involved four teams of six doing six (The Super-Six) exercises: David Lloyd, Nuffield Health, the community football team, West Fulham FC, and The Super-A’s. The Challenge was super-short and brutally simple: to see how far each could cycle, row or run in one minute and record the furthest distance – a simple assessment of anaerobic power. Then, one minute of push-ups, sit-ups or squats – the universal test of body strength – were measured incrementally, depending on the age and sex of the competitors. All age groups participated; from various backgrounds and levels of ability and celebrated their accomplishments together at the end of the Challenge.
Following the fantastic success of the event, the goal is to expand with both David Lloyd and Nuffield to further host community learning events with experts in the field of fitness and wellbeing. It is possibly the easiest and most seamless way for community members to learn and put fitness into practice with new ideas and techniques.
Community activity events are not a new concept, and the Hood Fitness Challenge was proof of how the fittest can inspire others to take action. The competitors pushed themselves to their limit because they were working out with people they thought were fitter than them.
A published study of the Köhler Effect in the Journal of Sport and Physiology proved that getting people to do the plank exercise with a partner or alone, when the partner’s effort was better, motivated the other participant to push themselves more than they usually would. It illustrated how working out with someone fitter than yourself can push your efforts up by as much as 24%. One study found that 95 percent of people who embarked on a weight-loss program with friends successfully achieved their goal.
Well done to the Hood Fitness Challenge winners, West Fulham, a local community team that epitomises working together and bringing fitness to all. Sincere gratitude to Kristen Westwood and Mo Bouamri, the respective General Managers of David Lloyd and Nuffield, for making the event happen.
David Lloyd in Fulham London hosted the event.