Healthy Holiday Hustle 2015: Hustle for Wishes

On November 26, 2015, The healthy holiday hustle was born…

About a week before Thanksgiving, my friend Lisa and I were sitting in a restaurant booth, eating Italian, groaning over the upcoming Holidays and the dreaded weight gain that the 6 weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years always brings. We needed motivation, something to force us to exercise and stay healthy during the holidays when all we seem to be surrounded by is too much wine and too many appetizers.

The "Healthy Holiday Hustle" was born.

Since this time of year is not only one for weight gain, but also giving, we thought we could make the “punishment” philanthropic in nature. We decided to commit to 20 minutes per day, EVERY DAY, between Thanksgiving and New Years. And for every day we missed, we would donate $5 to charity. There were 36 days between Thanksgiving and New Years so we figured, at the very least, we would be fat and out $180.

The challenge worked. Not only did Lisa and I make the Hall of Fame (reserved for those who don’t miss a day), we were able to bring a community together in exercise and holiday fun. We made up fun workouts, shared pictures in our Facebook group and managed to encourage a handful of others to Hustle with us. I realized that not only was the Holiday Hustle about avoiding weight gain, but it was about connection and community and spending time with family and friends in healthy and fulfilling ways.

In the past, I had been heavily involved in the Make-A-Wish Foundation- a national organization that provides "wishes" to children who have life threatening diseases. The hope that these children receive through their wish can keep them motivated and excited while dealing with a different kind of challenge. The wishes give these kids and their families something to focus on and be positive about during a very tough time in their lives.

I encouraged our participants to donate to their own charity if they chose to do so, as I know everyone has causes they care about. In the end, we had over 100 people in our Facebook group and because of a company match, were able to donate nearly $2,000 to Make-a-Wish, contributing to one child’s wish.

The first year of the Healthy Holiday Hustle was a huge success and I knew it was only just beginning…