The new year and semester has already started for Notre Dame Academy students. While some students may have started their own positive New Year’s resolutions, the NDA APPP club has developed a Wellness Challenge that can help in keeping them.

The Wellness Challenge focuses on things such as consuming water, spending less time on electronics, obtaining enough sleep, and getting more exercise. A week is dedicated for each of these four challenges.

“This wellness challenge is a chance for all NDA students to focus on their health. Each week the students will be challenged to add a healthy habit into their life,” Associate Principal Mr. Greg Masarik said in an informative email.

While it is popular for many people to drop their resolutions only after a short time, the Wellness Challenge is an opportunity to practice these healthy habits that should be daily, dedicating one week at a time to developing each healthy habit.

According to WebMD.com, your daily intake of water should be about 64 ounces, or, 8 ounces of water, eight or six times a day. Water aids in digestion, hydration, and regular bodily functions a human needs to survive. It can help in many aspects of life, especially physical, and it boosts your mood and mental health.

The Wellness Challenge can help in practicing the habit of getting enough water, especially for athletes this winter season. The Wellness Challenge asks for at least two water bottles during the school day.

Technology in this day is becoming more and more of a must-have, and is greatly influencing daily life. While it may be hard to break away from using technology because you need it, students need to take a break from technology to spend leisure time away from a phone or computer screen.

While the Wellness Challenge asks for you to save yourself time from not procrastinating on your phone or computer, it can help in the last two challenges.

Getting enough sleep is very important any time of the year, whether you are in sports or simply just a hardworking student. Oftentimes, teens can develop sleep deprivation that can affect their well-being. A popular cause is because they can’t put their phone down when the hours are late.

You may hear from your doctor that even not getting enough water can affect your ability to fall asleep. The Wellness Challenge wants you to aim for 8 hours a night, a healthy recommendation for high school students and student-athletes.

Lastly, The Wellness Challenge asks for a goal of 20 minutes or more of physical activity a day. It may be hard to find time in a busy schedule, but even doing a little between other commitments can add up.

Associate Principal Mr. Masarik said on Monday mornings the challenge for the week will be announced and a logging chart designed for the challenge will be handed out in first hour. When the second logging chart is handed out the first weeks’ chart will be collected.

The APPP Wellness Challenge Committee provides prizes for names drawn in a pool of those who will successfully complete their chart each week. The prizes can be motivating incentives, but what is truly a prize are the healthy habits that can be kept in the long run.

“There will be prizes awarded for greatest levels of success. Together we can help build a healthier Notre Dame Student Body,” Masarik said.

The Wellness Challenge begins Monday, January 13^th.