Hi Friends!
Elf For Health is back for another year and it’s time to kick things off!
Three years ago Elle of According to Elle (formerly Nutritionella) and I started this challenge to promote health and wellness during the holidays, a time when healthy habits tend to fall to the wayside. In years past, all challenge participants were paired up as elves to support and encourage each other during the holidays.
We recognize this is an especially busy time of year and not everyone can commit to having an elf, so this year you’ll have the option of having an elf assigned to you, or participating solo. Regardless of whether you want your very own elf or choose the solo route, all elves are welcome to join our awesome community on Facebook, as well as by using the #elf4health hashtag on Twitter and Instagram.
Here are all the details about what the challenge entails and how to sign up!
Introducing the Elf for Health Holiday Challenge! This is a four week challenge that will run from the Monday November 24th thru December 21, 2013. The challenges fall into 4 different categories: Food, Fitness, For You & For Others. There will be daily tasks, daily winners, prizes, weekly newsletters, and a Facebook group for support.
And are you ready for the best part? You’ll have an elf to support and encourage you! When you sign up, you will also be committing to be an elf for someone in return. Over the course of the challenge, you will have two different elves.
Sounds like a great way to stay motivated and meet new people over the holidays doesn’t it?! Since this challenge is internet based, anyone can participate… no matter where you’re located! All you need is access to the internet and an email address.
So what does an Elf do?
Elf Duties
As an Elf, you are expected to support your assigned buddy with their holiday health goals and the daily challenges. Elves & buddies will be reassigned after 2 weeks so that hopefully you get to meet 2 new people! You are only asked to email your buddy 2 times per week:
- Monday: Send your buddy an email to help them with the challenges for that week. Ideas of things to include/attach: your own personal tips & tricks, inspiring words and/or images, a new, healthy recipe or workout to try.
- Thursday – Saturday: Any time during these days, check in with your buddy! For example, ask them if they tried a new recipe, workout, or had fun with any certain challenges. Feel free to tell them how you did with your challenges, too!
Anything more than those 2 emails is up to you but feel free to go above and beyond this to show your support! Just a few ideas: send your buddy Tweets, shout outs on our Facebook Page, email a fun workout you liked or send a hand written recipe or note.
Important Dates
- *Friday, November 21st at 11:59pm EST: sign up deadline
- Sunday, November 23rd: Round 1 Elf assignments emailed
- Monday, November 254h – Sunday, December 7th: Round 1
- Sunday, December 7th: Round 2 Elf assignments emailed; Round 1 “Best Elf” winners chosen
- Monday, December 8th – Sunday, December 21st: Round 2
- Sunday, December 21st: Round 1 “Best Elf” & participant grand prize winners chosen
*If you missed the initial sign up deadline, you can still participate:
- Sign up before December 5th for Round 2
Not clear about something? Email Elle or Lindsay!
Prizes
We have some fabulous prizes from some of our favorite companies to give to the winners.
- 2 prizes for “Best Elf”, one awarded at the end of each round
- 1 grand prize for best participant awarded at the end of the challenge determined by participation, hashtagging and being an awesome Elf.
There will be a daily challenge winner chosen each day. Daily winners will be entered for a chance to win the grand prize!
Best elf prizes will given based on participation and nomination. If you love your elf, let us know so we can consider them for a Best Elf prize. Best Elf prizes will be awarded at the end of each round.
Prizes will be provided by our 2014 Challenge Sponsors:
Prize packs will include 3 months of meal planning from Cook Smarts, beautiful workout gear from Sweaty Betty, hemp seed protein powder from Manitoba Harvest, and more from Swanson Health, Love Grown Foods, Nuttzo, Cabot Cheese, and Sizzlefish.
** Unfortunately, due to shipping costs, only USA residents are eligible to win prizes. But we’d still love to have you participate, even if you’re from somewhere else!**
Still with me?
Challenge Calendar
If so, you’re probably wondering what the daily challenges are, right? Here’s a nice square image that you can save on the lock screen of your phone to remind you of the challenges!
You can see more detailed descriptions on the calendar below and we’ll expand even more on the challenges in each weekly newsletter. See below for a printable list! Print it out and hang it somewhere to remind you participate, or add it to your Google calendar!
Sign Up
Want to sign up?! Fill out the form below.
We will be sending out a weekly newsletter reminding you of the weekly challenges so look out for a confirmation email to confirm your participation & newsletter subscription. If you don’t receive a confirmation email, check your spam box. If you still can’t find a confirmation email, let one of us (Elle or Lindsay) know ASAP and we’ll add you to the list.
Buttons
Did you sign up? If you’re a blogger, grab a button:


Follow
Make sure you’re following us for the latest updates, daily challenge reminders and winner announcements by social media.
Info Pages
–Lindsay–
Get my free Table Talk email series where I share bite-sized nutrition information about carbs, protein, and fat, plus bonus information about snacks and sugar!
totally signing up! this was such a fun challenge when i did it a couple years ago!
Love this – I soooo wanted to sign up last year and missed it 🙂 Signing up and Sharing!
OH MY GOD I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS!!
I totally signed up and shared it on my time line. So excited.
Just signed up! Excited to participate!
Awesome- sharing!!
Woohoo! Can’t wait! This was so much fun last year!
This is such a great idea!!
Great idea for this time of year!!
This looks like tons of fun!! Always up for a challenge!
Very cool plan. Am totally going to follow along!! Thanks for doing this!
I’ve been waiting for the Elf4Health challenge. I participated the last two years and it was fun (well, I used my old blog when I had signed up the past two years). I’m so excited!
Can’t wait! I participated last year and it was fun to have a buddy.
LOVE this idea! Can’t wait for it to begin!
How exciting! I love this challenge and was hoping it was happening this year again. Thank you so much! 🙂
Love this challenge idea!
Wow I really love this idea! 🙂 Such a great thing to do during the holiday season and, can’t wait to start!!
glad to have you!
What a terrific way to keep on track with feeling good through the holidays, a time that is so often gets hijacked by lack of sleep, overindulging and falling off the exercise wagon. I especially like the community support aspect, because that really makes a difference. Sharing this. Thank you!
thanks for sharing!
I’m signed up!!! I love this!!!
What a great idea! I don’t have time to participate this year, but maybe next year.
Thinking about signing up, this sounds like fun!
awesome idea! totally love it! I really want to try to participate! Just depends on my athletic season training!!!
This sounds like a lot of fun! 😀 Never tried anything like it before, but I’ll do my best!
Will be my first time in. Sounds like a fun challenge!
This looked like so much fun last year. Ill be traveling for 3 out of the 4 weeks, but I might sign up anyway. Staying healthy while traveling is kinda my thing lately 🙂
Love it! So fun!! And girl, I am impressed that you are doing this with a new baby. Super woman 🙂
Is it OK of I’m just on Facebook?
yep!
I’m so excited for this! I didn’t sign up last year, but I am so ready now! 🙂
yay! glad to have you!
I am so glad this has the option to go without an Elf. Both my elf and I kind of struggled last year to stay in touch! Just so hard to make the time. Thanks for that option!
you’re welcome!
I am so excited! I LOVED doing this challenge last year, and I am hoping to get a couple of my friends to do it along with me. Thank you for this great event, and looking forward to making new friends!
glad to have you back!
I’m excited for this 🙂 it’s always nice to have a little inspiration coming your way.
Hi Lindsay!
I love this idea and signed up!
I was looking at the challenge list and the challenge calendar and they don’t seem to match up… Nov 27 says Try a New work out but the calendar says share a book or podcast?
Thanks! Katie
sorry! it should be fixed now. I forgot to update the challenge image on my page from last year!