HUNTSVILLE, Ala — It's time for Scale Back Alabama 2021, and this year, the popular fitness program goes virtual with no in-person weigh-ins.
Registration has been extended through April 4 to allow more Alabamians to participate.
In past years, all participants were given the same goal: to lose 10 pounds. This year, people will set up to three goals of their own, with Scale Back Alabama supporting them with resources, tips, and weekly challenges. Teams are not required this year...all prizes will be based on individual achievements.
Jeannie Gaines with the Alabama Hospital Association said, "We know that overall health has a lot of different facets that don't include just weight loss."
Some of the suggested goals are:
- Drink 64 oz. of water 5 or more days each week
- Get at least 7 hours of sleep 5 or more nights each week
- Do strength training activities 2 or more days each week
- Limit screen time to 2 hours or less per day for entertainment, 5 or more days each week
- Get at least 30 minutes of physical activity 5 or more days each week
- Practice at least one stress relieving technique on 5 or more days each week
"What participants can expect is a user dashboard. They're going to be given some challenges. They're going to be able to select their own goals, and they are going to be able to keep up with their own progress each week," said Gaines.
Prizes are also part of the program. Setting three goals and achieving them each week gives you the greatest chance at winning a prize. Completing the week's SBA challenge gets you entered into the weekly prize drawing for Amazon e-gift cards. You need to be at least 18 years of age and/or live or work in Alabama or work for an Alabama-based organization.
There's also a wellness prize drawing at the end of the program for people who meet the wellness goal(s) they chose at the beginning of the program. The more times you meet your goal(s), the more chances you have to win.
“Scale Back Alabama is a great program that kick-starts the new year for individuals and their health goals,” said Mayor Tommy Battle. “I participate each year with City Attorney Trey Riley and am glad that I have an accountability partner. While teams are optional this year, I highly suggest finding someone that will participate with you and encourage you to reach your goal.”
You can register through Thursday, April 4 here. Follow Healthy Huntsville and Scale Back Alabama on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with events, news, and changes.
The Alabama Department of Public Health provided the following information regarding the event:
- To get started, participants will answer a few questions that will help them choose the best goals for them.
- After registering online, participants can log into the website to view their user dashboard and set one to three wellness goals to work on over the ten-week program. Goals must be set by April 4 at 11:59 p.m.
- Important: Public weigh-in sites are no longer available. Some workplaces or organizations may host private sites if they can do so safely. Weigh-ins and outs are no longer required to participate in the program.
Prizes
- All prizes will be on an individual basis; there will be no team prizes.
- At the end of each week, participants will indicate on their user dashboard if they did or did not complete that week’s challenge. Participants that did complete the challenge on any given week will be entered into a drawing for that week’s prize.
- Each week, participants will indicate on their user dashboard if they did or did not meet their pre-set goal(s) that week. For every week that participants meet at least one of their goals, their name will go into a prize drawing to be held at the end of the program.
- All prizes will be in the form of an Amazon e-gift card.
Facts about Scale Back Alabama:
- Inaugural contest started in January 2007
- Now in its 15th consecutive year
- Cumulative number of pounds lost statewide: 1.4 million
- Cumulative number of participants statewide: 335,752