Kickstart Your Year: 727 Challenge

The 727 Challenge

Steps, Hydrate, Sleep

Welcome to a challenge that we hope will help you kickstart your year! We’re encouraging everyone to get moving. On the surface, it might seem simple, but here’s the idea: we want you to conquer the challenge and discover how even small steps toward healthier habits can make a big impact on your fitness and your life!

What’s the Challenge?

What: Fitness Tracking competition for most people & most abilities

7,000 steps per day
2 liters of water minimum per day
7 hours of sleep nightly

When: Start the 2 week challenge anytime during February.

Who: Anyone who is able to meet the requirements and who wants to try

Where: Anywhere

Why: To inspire a healthy & active community

How to Sign up

Joining is free and simple. Just post on social media that you’re participating. We recommend that you make other people around you aware of your challenge so they can encourage you and support you along the way. Also, Feel free to invite 2 other people to do it also. Here’s an example of a social media post.

“For February I’m doing the St. Pete Running Company 727 Challenge. for 14 days straight I’ll be taking 7000 steps, drinking at least 2 liters of water and sleeping 7 hours every night. I challenge ______ and ______ to participate with me!”

Breaking Down Each Element of the Challenge

STEPS: Plan at least one walk daily. A 20-minute walk equals about 2,300 steps depending on your cadence. Every step you take counts, so it’s best if you have a step counter keeping track for you. Looking for a group? Join the Get Fit St. Pete Trail Run at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve the 2nd Saturday of every month. Here’s a bonus tip: skip the elevator and take the stairs!

WATER: Carry a water bottle with you. 2 liters is about 67 ounces. If you are active you’ll probably require MORE than that total, so remember 2 liters is a minimum. If you don’t like drinking just water, you can try dropping in Nuun or Koda tablets which turns the water into a zero-sugar electrolyte drink. Here’s a bonus tip: Drink a glass of water after every coffee you consume!
SLEEP: Sleep is underrated. So many good things happen when you sleep at night: your body can repair itself, a well-rested body fights sickness better than a sleep-deprived body, and your cognitive functions improve during the day when you get a good night’s rest. Reduce or eliminate caffeine in the afternoon/evening. Turn off the phone/electronics/TV at least an hour before bed time. Here’s a bonus tip: wear your Garmin smartwatch at night so it can track your sleep and be sure to check Garmin Connect every day to view your sleep patterns.

Tips and Advice

PLAN AHEAD – Have your week planned before it starts! That will help steer you toward success. Know your bed time and stick to it. Select when/where you’re walking to get those 7,000 steps. Pick a water bottle that goes everywhere with you.
INVITE FRIENDS – You don’t have to do this alone! Some of the best motivators in life are other people. Ask family, friends, neighbors, whoever you’d like and take a walk together. If they don’t want to participate, let them know what you’re doing so they can encourage and support you.
TRACK YOUR PROGRESS – Take out any guesswork and have a method of tracking how you reach your daily goals. Remember, it’s 7,000 steps, at least 2 liters of water, and 7 hours of sleep. Read on for specific tracking tips.

How to Track Your Progress

We highly recommend you have a step counter, but even a paper & pen will work if that’s what you prefer. We recommend a Garmin smartwatch (all of the latest models have a step counter). We also recommend downloading the Garmin Connect app, which is an easy-to-use, comprehensive tracking tool for these daily health stats.

Stay Connected

Remember that you don’t have to do this alone! St. Pete Running Company hosts Group Runs every Monday and Thursday at 6:30 PM. Plus we’ve got our monthly Trail Run at Boyd Hill. We’re so lucky to live in a city that is focused on building a culture of health. Please follow healthystpetefl.com for all the information you need to live, work, and play healthy in St. Pete.

Also, if you’re looking for support/encouragement on social media, join our group Run St. Pete. Feel free to post up a daily picture and tag #runstpete on Instagram.

Prize: We’re not giving away any prizes and there is no finisher’s medal. BUT your reward is knowing you’re probably a little healthier than you used to be and you’re aware of the benefits of steps/hydration/sleep. Extra credit if you can inspire someone else to participate and pay attention to these 3 metrics moving forward.

Fine Print: This program is not medical advice and is not intended to treat or diagnose any condition.

Need Help?

At St. Pete Running Company, we’re happy to help you in any way we can so that you can conquer this challenge. Come into the store (6986 22nd Ave N, St. Pete, FL 33710) or give us a call (727-800-5043).

St. Pete Running Company is OPEN

We are working hard to keep our store clean and sanitized for you, our customer family. In accordance with county, city, and CDC guidelines, we require our employees to wear masks. Customers are also asked to wear masks when they come into our store. We provide hand sanitizer when you enter the store and we are limiting the number of patrons in the store at one time.