Get Fit, Get Cash

It’s easier to stick to an exercise regimen with a group -- even a virtual one.

That’s the theory behind the “Cory Booker Challenge,” a wellness program using social media and monetary prizes to encourage Newarkers to get healthy by engaging in regular physical activity.

Newark's mayor officially launched the program yesterday at the Newark Museum, which is currently hosting an interactive exhibit called “Generation Fit” where visitors can learn their standing heart-rate, BMI ratio, as well as a wealth of information about nutrition (including tidbits like this one: appetite can be affected by the color contrast between your meal and your plate).

Obesity is “dramatically undermining our quality of life, dramatically undermining our ability to enjoy and savor life,” said Booker, who is the national co-chair of First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” wellness initiative.

For the last few years, Booker has been promoting exercise and wellness among Newark residents to combat what has been described as an epidemic of obesity, particularly among the young, and even more so among minority youth. Dennis Gonzalez, of the New York-New Jersey regional office of the federal Department of Health and Human Services, said yesterday that about 33 percent of all American youth are overweight or obese, a figure that rises to 40 percent among African-American and Hispanic children.

“Unless something is done, this generation will be the first in history that will be less healthy than the one that preceded it,” Gonzalez said.

That’s where the Cory Booker Challenge comes in. Similar to the online social utility Foursquare, which allows subscribers to check in at their physical location, "Challenge" users notify their friends via Facebook whenever they are doing some physical activity -- whether it’s a walk in the park or an intense aerobic workout at the gym. The challenge is open to anyone 13 or older.

Everyone in the network will be able to see who is doing what, while Booker himself will be able to reply directly to participants, said Zach Goodman of ClixLocal Media, a Newark-based company that developed the app for the challenge. The challenge also includes a “Leaderboard” where participants can gauge how well they’re doing against each other. 

Anyone anywhere can participate -- during the app’s “beta,” testing, stage, people from as far afield as England had joined up -- but only Newark residents will be eligible for cash prizes, including a grand prize of $1,000. The challenge, which will initially run for 90 days but may be extended, is funded by the General Mills Foundation.
 

Booker himself is taking part in his own challenge, having lost 20 pounds since the start of the year and slimming out of what he described yesterday as his “fat suits.”

“There’s no better feeling than fitting into clothes you haven’t fit in to since your 20s,” said Booker.

The challenge is currently only open to those with a Facebook account, but may be extended for non-Facebook users. To learn more or to sign up, visit www.corybookerchallenge.com.