The Take 12 Challenge is a fun, easy challenge to encourage those of us who live and work in the Olympic boroughs to get more active and explore our local communities. As an added bonus, anyone who signs up for the challenge before the end of the month (31 March) is eligible to win 2 Olympic Park Tour tickets for 3 April.
How to Complete the Challenge: 12 Hours or 12 Kilometers
1. Cover 12km (or more!) by walking, running, cycling, wheelchair, paddling or swimming. Discover your local area using one of the suggested walking, running and cycling routes on the Take12 website. Alternatively, you can complete your distance by adding up what you do in your local gym or on your way to work/school. Log your achievements on your online profile at take12.org.
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2. Be active for 12 hours (or more!). Try out your local sports clubs & facilities and complete your challenge by doing over 12 hours of sport or active recreation (such as get fit or dancing classes). The Take12 website has lots of information on what you can do in your local area.
If you’re the competitive type, you can also compete with others in your company, group or school to see:
Who can finish the challenge first
Who can log the most km/hrs in 12 weeks
Which department does the most km/hrs within 12 weeks
Who can complete the challenge in the funniest way
Which borough has the most participants or finished challengers
If you are interested in getting competitive and would like to compete against people in your company, group or school then please email info@take12.org and we will set up your league.
What to Do?
The Take12 website has loads of suggestions, from areas to explore, activities to do, and even specific routes to take. For example, in our borough, Waltham Forest, you could explore Epping Forest, Chingford Plains or Leyton Marshes. One of the walks suggested is a circular route around the Olympic Park itself. To see more of what you can do in Waltham Forest, go to: https://take12.org/boroughs/waltham-forest. Live in another borough? There are suggested routes and activities for Barking & Dagenham, Greenwich, Hackney, Newham and Tower Hamlets. You can also search by activity or post code for inspiration.
Keeping Track
Every time you log an hour or a kilometer you can update the website, or there’s a free app for iPhones and Androids that can track you as you exercise. Once you’ve completed your 12 hours or 12 kilometers, you’re encouraged to keep going for twelve weeks, and even beyond, during which time you can continue to log your activity on the Take12 website.
Taking Care of Yourself – A Note from Leyton Sports Massage
It’s always exciting to start a new fitness regime, but here are a few tips to help prevent injury:
1. Warm-up. Make sure you always warm-up before doing anything strenuous. This may mean walking briskly before a run or doing a series of dynamic movements to prepare your muscles for exercise.
2. Build up slowly. Don’t try to run five miles if you’ve spent the last six months on the sofa. One of the most common causes of injury is when people do too much too quickly.
3. Stretch after exercise. When you finish, gently stretch the muscles you’ve used to reduce post-workout soreness and prevent decreased flexibility.
4. Re-hydrate. Drink enough water to replenish the fluids that you’ve lost during your activity.
5. Massage. Finally, if you find yourself a little bit tighter or more achey than you expected, come see us for a post-workout or MOT massage to help your muscles recover more quickly and prepare you for your next session.
Will you do the Take12 challenge? Do you think it will help you get active, or encourage you to do more than you already do? Interested in joining a Leyton Sports Massage group to see how much we can do compared to others in Waltham Forest, and beyond? Let us know!
