100 Days to Health Challenge

With so much information out there today, from infomercials to magazines to water cooler talk, nutrition and fitness can be overwhelming. It's easy to get lost in the latest diet fad and exercise craze. And it can be daunting to do it alone.

The good news however is you don't have to do figure it all out and do it alone. Through the Morris County Chamber of Commerce Health & Wellness Committee and KEAS, our staff here at the Mayo Performing Arts Center are rising to the 100 Days to Health Challenge. Other participating companies include Novartis, Investors Savings Bank, Quest Diagnostics, Chilton Hospital, Solix Inc., Delta Dental, and various other companies in Morris County.

What is Keas? The following is an excerpt from the Keas website: Recently named by TIME Magazine as one of the "50 Best Websites for 2010," Keas is an interactive online service that empowers you to take charge of your health. Keas allows you to join teams and earn points for completing small, but important health-related "To-Dos." Keas also gives you personalized information about your health data—including lab results, current conditions, and risks—and tools to help you take action to reach your health goals.

We've divided into 3 separate teams because of the 6 member limitation. The competition is spirited but friendly as each member reminds one another to participate by going online and tracking fitness and nutrition goals. We've also gotten creative with our team names: Mayo on the Side, The Mayo Revolution, and Hold the Mayo.

With all the companies participating we're proud to say we're doing well. There are 355 teams and our teams are definitely ranked in the upper third due to points accumulated. Our very own “Hold the Mayo” team members like to boast that they’re number 12 of 355. We're 3 weeks in so let's see what happens in the upcoming month. Oh and good thing the elevator is out of order today because we have to walk up 3 flights to our administrative office. Wonder if we can get bonus points for that.

Stay tuned.

And don't forget to check out this weekend's lineup. This Thursday starts off with The Dukes of Dixieland, the oldest continuing jazz band straight from New Orleans. They've sold out such venues as The Hollywood Bowl, the Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian, to name but a few.

On Friday, Roseanne Cash is here, Saturday violinist Itzhak Perlman makes his Morristown debut and closing out the weekend children can enjoy Winnie the Pooh for a delightful, eye-opening adventure based on A.A. Milne's books. Check out www.mayoarts.org for tickets and times.