Photo submitted to the Times Observer Two participants in the STRONG Challenge are Kendra Tudor, left, and her mother, Sandy Schott. The challenge — aimed at getting people moving in the midst of the pandemic — is free for the entire community

It’s no secret that 2020 hasn’t been the best of times for many in our community.

The Warren County YMCA is looking to provide a little shot in the arm to break out of that mindset — the “STRONG Challenge.”

The challenge is pretty simple — 20 minutes of physical activity, five days a week for four weeks.

“Everybody’s kind of tired of 2020,” Kim Slocum, the Y’s marketing and grants coordinator said. “We are adopting a program that the Cincinnati Y did to engage the entire community in moving and feeling better.”

Registration is open and the challenge will kick off on Oct. 19 and run through Nov. 14. Registration forms can be picked up at the front desk of the Y.

“The whole idea is to just get the whole entire community moving,” Slocum said, noting that the county is “kind of in this bubble with COVID.”

She said they’re encouraging people to encourage each other in this process.

“We’d like them to post on Facebook that they’re doing it,” she said, and tag the Warren County YMCA page “so we can follow what everybody’s doing.”

Participation is free for the entire community.

While there are incentives for members completing the challenge with a non-member, any non-member that registers will get a calendar to keep track of their activity and also get free access to the Warren and Youngsville Y facilities every Friday and Saturday during the challenge.

Slocum said there are also plans for having a surrey at the Y that people can take for a ride and the cheer team, that now utilizes space at the former Allegheny Valley Elementary School – will be holding a fitness event specifically for families.

Workout options are available online at ymca360.org and the Y’s Facebook page will include posts such as “Motivation Monday” and “Encouragement Wednesday.”

“We’re calling it RESET,” she said. “We want to reset 2020. We want to take it back (so we are) going out the way we want to go out.

“We just want everybody moving.”