UO faculty, staff, students and fans have extra incentive to get healthy this month – it will benefit nonprofit organizations in the Willamette Valley.
On Oct. 28, PacificSource Health Life Civil War Challenge kicked off its third year of uniting UO and Oregon State fans in a friendly competition to take an active role in healthy living, piggy-backing on one of the nation’s oldest rivalry football games.
Until Nov. 25, Duck and Beaver fans can visit healthylifechallenge.org to take the pledge. PacificSource will donate $1 for each pledge received – up to $10,000 – to be shared by four nonprofit organizations: the Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis, Morrison Child and Family Services in Portland, Eugene Family YMCA, and Health Beginnings, which serves Central Oregon.
Fans can participate in the Civil War Challenge by pledging to go healthy for 30 days in one of four categories: healthy eating, tobacco cessation, stress reduction or physical activity. The pledge can include one or more of the following:
- Get Moving: Add 30 minutes of physical activity per day
- Eat Healthy: Eat at least five servings of fruit and veggies per day
- Kick the Habit: Go smoke and tobacco free
- Sleep Well: Reduce stress by getting eight hours of sleep each night
- Relax: Practice deep breathing or other relaxation techniques for a few minutes each day
“It’s never too late to start making healthy choices,” said Jordan Kent, the former football, basketball and track and field star from Oregon who now runs the Jordan Kent Skill Camps for Kids. “Though I’ll be rooting for my fellow Ducks, everyone wins just by participating and by making healthy choices over the challenge month and in the months and years that follow.”
To learn more about PacificSource Healthy Life and to take the Healthy Life Civil War pledge, visit healthylifechallenge.org.
- by Melissa Foley, UO Office of Strategic Communications