The Nova Challenge Month 3 - Mental Health
Nicole Chatten • May 29, 2021
The Release of Month 3 of the Nova Challenge!
We Have Some Winners From Month 2!
After another month of constant movement on the leaderboard, and a fight to the finish, we came out with two participants on top. The husband and wife duo, Pam and Rob Smith ended up in the top spot once again with 2850 points each! Following close behind in second place was Erin Gordon with 2790 points, following in third place was Darrell Chatten with 2745! Amazing work to all of our participants of month 2!
The Nova Challenge
The struggles of lockdown and social distancing can lead to many individuals feeling isolated. These feelings, coupled with the struggle of finding a work/life balance when working from home, has led to a very mentally challenging and exhausting year. It can be difficult to step back and relax, while also finding a strong, motivating and encouraging community… Queue month 3 of The Nova Challenge.
Wellness Habit Building
Since April 5th Nova health club members and their families have come together to build healthy wellness based habits. Over the past two months we have helped 85 members improve their health with small daily activities to form better habits. If you missed out in April and May, you are in luck and still have one more month to join the Nova Challenge. The third phase of the challenge starts: Monday May 31st.
“I'm a huge believer in habit building and the science that backs it, so the Nova Challenge had me at the word "habit". I wish more gyms, trainers embraced this method because it actually works if you're committed to long lasting behavior change.”
Leona Olney
Mental Health Focus
During this final month of The Nova Challenge we will continue to build on the fitness habits started in April, and the nutrition habits focused on in May but will have more of a focus on Mental Health.
Daily Activities
The Nova Challenge features daily challenges that are released on an app called Obii. The activities included will create overall wellness, with the hopes of creating habits in fitness, nutrition, mental health, rest and recovery, nature and community. With activities ranging from completing a walk in nature, to bird watching, cloud spotting, planks, a nap, salt baths and much more there really is something for everyone. This free challenge is meant to encourage Nova members to try new things and step outside their comfort zones to reach heightened physical, mental and spiritual health.
Stay Within Your Limits While Still Challenging Yourself
This program is meant to be a challenge for you to take those steps closer to a healthier you, through wellness based habits. To get the most out of this challenge, focus on the habits that are important to you, that you feel you wish to change the most. If you feel you need to change some nutritional habits then focus on those while someone else may want to focus more on the challenges to do with nature.
As the months have progressed, some of the fitness activities have become more challenging. However, remember that everything can be completed with modifications. You can modify using your best judgement in order to create alternatives that work yet still take you outside of your comfort zone. An example of this is on the days of No Social Media, take data from your phone indicating how much time you spend on social media per day, and cut this in quarter or half, making it more attainable each time the activity arises.
Creating a Community
While you can check the leaderboard at any time to see where you are standing, and completing as many daily activities is the goal, do not stress yourself out about it. Remember that you can go back to ANY missed activities from previous days. Over the last two months participants of the Nova Challenge have done an outstanding job creating a fun and engaging group chat within the Obii app. With dog pictures, bird pictures, fun inspiration, jokes and reminders, the Nova community has given each other a positive and safe environment which has allowed for friendships to form and strengthen. Keep up the great work!
“I am really enjoying all the challenges Nova is coming up with, even if some days I feel a bit exhausted! Thanks for all the work the team has put into this. It is certainly a great idea to help us all through this time and to connect with other Nova members. -
Pam Smith
Month Three Registration
Register
Here
for Free.
If you participated during the April or May challenge, you will automatically be added to month three of the challenge within the app. To move over into the June challenge within the Obii app:
-Click on your profile (the picture you added)
-There is a category that says “current program settings”
-Then click on The Nova Challenge Month 3
If you have any questions please contact
Nicole@NovaHealthClub.com.
Andrew has been a Nova member for 9 years. One of his long standing goals was to do his first triathlon. He has been working towards this for years and just at the end of August he did it!
If you're doing all the “right things” — working out, eating clean, trying to stay consistent — but still struggling with stubborn belly fat, low energy and slow results, you’re not alone.
Tanya’s dedication to rebuilding her health after surgery offers valuable lessons and perspective for anyone facing setbacks.
Do Hard Things Now, So Life Becomes Easier Later Modern humans default to the easy way but it's not our fault... Throughout human history, we were wired to survive constant hardship - scarcity of food, threats from predators, harsh environments and manual labor for everything. Our DNA evolved for survival in these conditions, not for modern living. Imagine an early human stumbling across a fruit tree. It made sense to gorge - there was no telling when the next meal would come. The human who gorged had a higher chance of survival than the human who only ate a few pieces of fruit. Practicing self-control in an environment of scarcity would have been a death sentence. Likewise, if given a chance to rest instead of walking miles or hunting, rest was the obvious choice. The problem? Our genes haven’t caught up with modern life. Today, food is everywhere. We don’t have to fight to meet our basic needs. Technology does the heavy lifting, cars replace walking, entertainment is on-demand and calorie-dense foods are always within reach. Left unchecked, our instincts will always lean toward easy options like overeating unhealthy foods (that are so easily accessible) or driving to the store instead of walking. In other words, we’re still hardwired to take the path of least resistance. But here’s the catch: Choosing easy now often means a harder life later and choosing hard now often means an easier life later. Most modern humans are overweight, stressed, tired and dealing with chronic health problems because we’re following outdated survival programming that no longer serves us. It’s time to become aware of these defaults. To override them. To consciously choose the hard thing - because doing hard things is what actually makes life easier in the long run. Hard things like: Going to bed on time instead of watching another episode Preparing a healthy meal instead of grabbing fast food Moving your body instead of sitting all day Walking or biking to the store instead of driving Managing stress with deep breaths and fresh air instead of pouring a drink Looking at your habits instead of masking symptoms with medication It might feel uncomfortable because it goes against everything your biological programming is urging you to do. But that’s exactly why it matters. Don’t think of it as punishment or sacrifice. Think of it as an investment. Every time you take the stairs instead of the elevator, cook instead of order out, or put your phone down to truly rest, you’re building a life that’s easier, richer, and more fulfilling down the road. And remember: Do easy things, and you’ll have a hard life. Do hard things, and you’ll have an easy life. Most of the above information is probably not new to you. That’s because we live in the information age with the internet and now AI - we already know what it is we need to do. The problem however is implementation. This is where having a customized plan and accountability comes in. If you know the hard things you need to do more of but struggle with breaking past your ‘default mode’ then contact us for a complimentary consultation HERE .
Congratulations to Sonya Jeyaseelan, Our July 2025 SuperNova!
Congratulations to Liz Belford, Our June SuperNova!
We are back with our second series of 'Pod Calls' available exclusively to our Nova Health Club members. Don't miss these unique sessions to help you level up your health and wellness game! What is a Pod Call? A Pod Call is a live online (webinar like)_ session with a Nova coach, offering support and insights on key health topics like fitness, nutrition, recovery and overall wellness. Why did we create Pod Calls? Our goal is your success and your health goals can not be built on fitness alone. After delivering thousands of personal training sessions, we noticed a disconnect between fitness sessions we were delivering and the other pillars of health (and lifestyle habits that happen outside of the gym). To get the most out of your health and your fitness sessions at Nova we need to link other pillars such as mindset, nutrition, stress and recovery. Training coaches who care about your results will agree that a couple hours of personal training each week is not enough time to workout AND learn everything you need to know about maximizing those workouts... Things like how to eat before or after workouts, what recovery habits should be practiced or the link between stress and working out are all subjects that you need to know on your health and fitness journey. Pod Calls are dedicated sessions where we teach you essential health and fitness insights that we can't often cover during your gym workouts. We hope you take advantage of these expert-led sessions that will enhance your workouts, teach you new concepts about health and bridge the gap between fitness and overall wellness. Upcoming Pod Calls (all times in EST) Mon Jun 2, 2025 (6:00pm) Topic: How To Eat Carbs For Better Energy, Muscle & Fat Loss Coach: Josh Allen Wed Jun 4, 2025 (2:00pm) Topic: Hip Mobility Using the 'CARS' (active session) Coach: Kim Vo Sat Jun 7, 2025 (12:00pm) Topic: Benefits of Single Leg & Arm Training for Overall Strength Coach: Matthew Nadler Tues Jun 10, 2025 (6pm) Topic: Releasing Neck Tension Coach: Zack Fernandez Wed Jun 18, 2025 (1:00pm) Topic: Training The Backside of The Core Coach: Colin Soltesz Thu June 19, 2025 (7:00pm): Topic: Ayurveda for Healthy Ageing Coach: Kayla Hutchinson These calls are free for Nova members and Zoom links for each call can be found in the Nova Mighty Networks platform. If you are not a Nova member and would like to attend any of these please email Info@NovaHealthClub.com for a seat. We look forward to seeing you then!
Check out the interview with Beth to see the habits, mindset and lifestyle shifts that helped her reach her goals
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