BOISE, Idaho--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As the New Year approaches, Americans who make resolutions to get fit can reap extra emotional and lifestyle benefits in addition to improving their health and appearance. According to a recent study conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of Bodybuilding.com – one of the world’s largest fitness resources – people say that successfully completing a fitness program helped them achieve more happiness, sex and better relationships, as well as the courage to try new things they may not have tried before.
Of those who have successfully completed a weight loss or fitness program:
- 54% say they have become a happier person
- 21% say they have more sex
- 19% say they have improved relationships with family and friends
- 16% have better or new romantic relationships, and
- 15% say they have tried something they never thought they would do, such as scuba diving, skydiving, etc.
The study also revealed that finding the right motivation to finish a weight loss or fitness program is critical. According to the study, people who did not successfully complete their program cited the following reasons:
- 53% did not have the right motivation
- 23% had set goals too high
- 15% say it was too expensive
- 14% say the program was too difficult
To help people overcome these challenges, Bodybuilding.com is kicking off its free, annual $100,000 Transformation Challenge, which provides motivation – not only through a $50,000 cash prize each for one male and one female winner, but also through help and support from its online fitness community, BodySpace.
A separate survey of people who have participated in the Bodybuilding.com $100,000 Transformation Challenge in the past shows the program has a high rate of success. Ninety-eight percent of more than 100 past participants say they successfully completed the program, and 94 percent say they have been able to incorporate the principles into their daily lives, or have continued to strictly follow their program, versus 83 percent of online adults who have successfully completed some type of fitness program. Past Challenge participants also saw a higher rate of added benefits from completing their program, with 69 percent reporting they are happier, 35 percent reporting improved relationships with family and friends, and 28 percent saying they have more sex.
Registration for the international Challenge is open from Dec. 18, 2013 through Jan. 13, 2014, and then starting Jan. 13 participants have 12 weeks to complete their transformation. Registrants have access to a host of motivational tools and training tips including comprehensive fitness programs built by PhDs, celebrity and professional trainers, and athletes such as Jim Stoppani, Kris Gethin, Jamie Eason, Lee Labrada, and Ashley Conrad, who creates training programs for Bradley Cooper, Kate Hudson, P. Diddy and Penelope Cruz. Participants will also get weekly emails to help them stay motivated and on track, and can access free, up-to-date information on nutrition, workouts, motivation and supplementation on Bodybuilding.com.
Participants can also easily track their progress along the way using the free BodySpace app, which is available for both iOS and Android platforms.
In May 2014, two grand prize winners – one male and one female – will be chosen by a panel of Bodybuilding.com and Dymatize employees based on the most significant transformation and will each receive $50K in cash, as well as a year supply of Dymatize products (valued at $1,200). Weekly challenges announced via email will incentivize participants to continue on their transformation journey.
More than 27,000 people from 28 countries participated in the Challenge last year losing thousands of pounds and gaining lean muscle. People who sign up for the $100,000 Transformation Challenge will become members of BodySpace, the world’s largest health and fitness social network, which has more than 1.5 million members who connect with one another for motivation, tips, encouragement and advice.
Kevin Gore, a runner-up in Bodybuilding.com’s 2013 $100K Challenge, decided to enter the program at age 50 to become a good role model to his two sons and a husband that his wife would be proud of. According to Gore, "I didn’t anticipate how much better I would feel, the new friendships, and having so many people check in on me daily to see how my progress was going. Unwittingly, I have become a role model to a rather large number of people who know me."
For more details and official rules for the Bodybuilding.com 2014 $100,000 Transformation Challenge sponsored by Dymatize Nutrition, visit http://www.bodybuilding.com/100k.
Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Bodybuilding.com from November 19-21, 2013 among 2,082 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
For complete survey methodology from the Harris Interactive survey, including weighting variables, or the separate, independent study of Bodybuilding.com Challenge participants, please contact Jill Petersen at 206-683-5225.
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