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May 19, 2021 · 2 min read timeIt's getting warmer outside, and the trees are just on the verge of sprouting out green leaves – a sign of the spring to come. And yet, getting out and about seems like an impossible quest to undertake.
Enter Nitor's April Challenge!
An activity challenge used to be something that we took upon ourselves in November when blankets, sofas and bowls and bowls of pasta start their siren songs. This spring, we thought a similar kind of challenge would be the perfect solution to fight pandemic-induced apathy.
So, what did this challenge mean in practice? It meant committing to exercise for at least 20 minutes a day, every single day. It may sound like a piece of cake, but it is surprisingly hard not to skip a single day for one whole month.
As an incentive, for every completed hour of exercise, Nitor decided to donate five euros to the charity of choice. The receiving charity would be picked according to the votes given by the participants.
For most of the participants, there was a definite boost to the activity levels thanks to this challenge. Most relied on the tried and tested favourites like walking, running, and cycling, and gained an additional nature boost at the same time.
Some went bonkers. Like Filipp, for example, who ran a half-marathon for seven days straight. 🤷 Some, like Suvi, relied on her four-legged personal trainer Mauno to cajole her out the door every day. Personally, I took the challenge quite seriously and jogged as slowly as I could to raise more money.
In total, we raised close to 3 600 euros with our challenge. This means 718 hours and 30 minutes of activity split between the 28 participants over the course of one month! Pretty impressive, right?
Nitor donates 3000 € to Mental Health Finland
According to the voting result, the biggest sum of 3000 euro will go to Mieli ry to help support, aid, and raise awareness of mental health issues. Stress and mental health have a huge impact on our society and we are happy to support their work. You can read more about Mieli ry here.
The rest was split between Animalia, Oma Kamu ry, Kehitysvammaisten tukiliitto and Doctors without borders – all causes that are meaningful to our participants.
There is no denying that exercise challenges can be a bit ridiculous. For us at Nitor, it’s important to aim for a sustainable pace. Sometimes, however, we need a bit of a boost to remind ourselves of the importance of wellbeing and a good work-life balance. This is especially important now that we work from our homes.
I hope our April Challenge was a way to support this goal, even if it was just a nudge towards the right direction!
Written by
Annina Kivikari is a Designer with skills ranging from digital design and moving image to marketing. She is also part of Nitor's award-winning Culture Desk.
