The start of a new year is the perfect time to prioritize your health, but making that commitment last is the real challenge. Many ambitious fitness resolutions stall because they lack two essential components: structure and a reliable support system.
The Active Marion Project (AMP) offers a clear, sustainable framework to help Marion County residents turn their New Year’s resolutions into lasting active lifestyles. Sponsored by the Marion County Hospital District, AMP is a free, countywide initiative focused on fun, practical steps toward better health.
Here is how the Active Marion Project utilizes structured challenges, community support, and data-backed goals to help you stay active all year long.
1. Structure Step Challenges With Clear Goals
Instead of pursuing vague fitness goals, AMP gives you a specific, measurable objective in your step count. The project is built around engaging, periodic step challenges that align with professional health recommendations.
- Meeting Health Benchmarks: The Harvard Medical School recommends a weekly minimum of 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity. By consistently engaging in the AMP step challenges and aiming for the Gold Level point tier (which aligns with the American Heart Association’s 10,000 steps per day or approximately 5 miles or 8km recommendation), you are hitting that exact professional benchmark for physical activity.
- Easy Tracking and Rewards: The free Active Marion Project 2 App integrates seamlessly with your existing devices (FitBit, Apple Health, and Google Fit). It automatically tracks your movement, allowing you to focus on walking rather than logging data. For every 100 steps you take, you earn a point, which can be redeemed for rewards through local partner businesses.
2. Community Creates Accountability
The strength of AMP lies in its emphasis on community. Moving together is proven to be far more effective than moving alone, providing the necessary accountability to overcome days when motivation is low.
- Team Competition: The AMP 2 app encourages users to form teams of three or more people. Whether with family, friends, or coworkers, these teams introduce a healthy dose of friendly competition. Team performance is tracked on a leaderboard, giving you a shared goal and a group of people counting on you to contribute your steps.
- A Focus Beyond Cardio: According to Harvard Health, a balanced fitness regimen should also include strength exercises, targeting all major muscle groups twice to three times each week. The AMP tracks any movement if you have the phone on you or are using a fitness tracker, so you can enjoy dancing, aerobics, gardening, or running to mix things up. Cycling, swimming or other activities will be included if you carry your smartphone or wear a tracker.
3. Boost Mental Health With Consistency
A smartly designed exercise program benefits both body and mind. The structure of the AMP challenge is perfectly suited to combat the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle.
- Combatting Depression: The structure of the AMP challenge helps you build habits that directly support better mental health. According to a study from Harvard Health Publishing, sedentary people are 44% more likely to be depressed. Those with mild to moderate depression could get similar results to those obtained through antidepressants just by exercising for 90 minutes each week.
- Measure Your Success: By keeping an objective, constant log of your activity, the AMP 2 app provides visual proof of your progress. Seeing your daily steps and points accumulate helps solidify your new habits and shows you exactly how much you are accomplishing, reinforcing the positive mental cycle.
This year, secure your success by making your commitment a community effort. The Active Marion Project provides structured challenges, group support, and tracking tools to ensure your commitment to an active lifestyle is a lasting one.
Learn more and download the Active Marion Project 2 app today by visiting mchdt.org/amp/download-app.
