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The 2008 NFL Season is finally here! If you haven’t been playing yet, now is the time! If you have been playing Training Camp with us, it is about to get more fun!
The full version of Fantasy Healthball takes place during the NFL season. That’s when you can take on the NFL pros in a head to head match-up for victory. The “on the field” actions of NFL players will relate directly to your healthy actions throughout the week. You’ll earn “Healthpoints” for executing good decisions just like the pros earn points for executing a successful scoring play. The weekly result will be a win or a loss as you’ll attempt to have a good season and even make the playoffs!
For those of you already in a fantasy football league, the concept will be simple, straightforward and easy to implement immediately in your current league. If you are not in a fantasy football league, no problem, just click here!
Fantasy Healthball has the same general principles and scoring systems as fantasy football. So if you are in a fantasy football league, this is going to come naturally to you. Just continue doing what you normally do to plan, strategize and root for your existing fantasy team. However, add in a separate competition that pits your own personal health against your established opponent in your fantasy league.
Scoring in Fantasy Healthball happens when you practice the good habits described on our website under “Diet and Nutrition” and “Exercise.”
Your scores are easily tracked on the Fantasy Healthball Daily Challenge Team Roster Scorecard.
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Exercising and eating right? You’ll score and score again. Supersizing those fries and laying on the couch? You are likely to get pounded by your opponent. Just like in the NFL, if you make smart choices and play hard, you are likely to come up with the win. Show a lack of effort and make poor choices and you will likely tally a loss. |
The main thing to understand is that the “players” in Fantasy Healthball are health challenges you set for yourself to accomplish (described in detail below). Similar to how you have a team roster of NFL players from which to choose your weekly “starting lineup” for your fantasy football team, everyone who plays Fantasy Healthball selects from the Daily Challenge Team Roster to determine their Fantasy Healthball “starting lineup” for the week. These will be the individual daily health goals you set for yourself to accomplish during the ensuing week.
Below, we detail how to translate your league’s scoring system into Fantasy Healthball scoring. The game is based on you making sound, healthful choices throughout the week, and receiving Healthpoints when you do.
These are easily measured and tabulated to comprise your Fantasy Healthball score. You then pit your score against your fantasy opponent for the upcoming weekend. So, instead of only one fantasy score, you will have two scores that matter each week. You will have your normal fantasy football team score, and you will have your Fantasy Healthball Healthpoint total, both of which are compared against your fantasy football opponent’s scoring result. Just as this results in a win or loss for your fantasy football team, now you will also award yourself a weekly Fantasy Heathball “win” or “loss.” Your personal Fantasy Healthball win/loss record will be useful in measuring whether you are winning or losing in your challenge to improve your overall health
- Determine the number of Fantasy Healthball starters needed to translate Fantasy Healthball into your current fantasy football league. Learn More...
- By each Monday morning, select your Fantasy Healthball Challenge Starters for the week. Learn More...
- Monday through Saturday, work to meet your daily challenges, and keep track of your success on the Fantasy Healthball “Daily Challenge Team Roster Scorecard.” (We find attaching it to the front of the refrigerator works as a convenient reminder for us!) Learn More...
- By Sunday morning, tally your Fantasy Healthball score. Learn More...
- Watch the NFL games on Sunday and root accordingly. Learn More...
- Compare your week’s Fantasy Healthball score to the final result of your fantasy football opponent and assign yourself a win or loss for the week. If it’s still during the football season, return to step 2 and repeat the sequence this week. Learn More...
- At the end of the regular season, if you hold a record of 9-7 or better - you’re headed for the playoffs! Congratulate yourself for a regular season well played, and get geared up for the postseason! Learn More...
1. Determine the Number of Fantasy Healthball Starters
Determining your starters for Fantasy Healthball is very straightforward. Simply choose the same number of Fantasy Healthball Challenges as the number of starters required in your own fantasy football league.
Please note in Fantasy Healthball, we only use offensive players from fantasy football. We realize that some leagues include defensive players, or defense/special teams units in their fantasy scoring, but we play Fantasy Healthball without them. Remember, we want to keep the Fantasy Healthball scoring system nice and simple so you can easily measure your progress.
2. By Each Monday Morning, Select Your Fantasy Healthball Challenge Starters
Each week in fantasy football you name a starting lineup, activating the players that give you the best chance (hopefully!) to win that week’s contest. Likewise, in Fantasy Healthball, we need to name a starting lineup. Rather than choosing from a list of football players, we choose the starting lineup from the Fantasy Healthball Challenge Roster.
The idea is to choose the challenges from the roster that focus on your personal weaknesses. Focus on those areas that you want to work on throughout the next week.
When selecting your starting lineup, there are three key rules:
Rule #1) Select the same number of challenges as your fantasy football opponent has starting players in their lineup.
Rule #2) One of your challenges MUST be to exercise. Just as a team cannot compete without a QB, you cannot play Fantasy Health-Ball without addressing the challenge of exercising.
Rule #3) Select those health challenges that are MOST troublesome for you and you know you need to work on. Hey, this isn’t college anymore, we’re not padding our schedule with the Southwest Missouri A&M Fighting Muskrats of the world. This is the NFL! There are no easy weeks! The whole point is to challenge yourself in those areas of your life where you know you need to work for some improvement.
3. Monday through Saturday, Work to Meet Your Daily Challenges, and Keep Track of Your Success
Use the Fantasy Healthball “Daily Challenge Team Roster Scorecard” to easily record your daily results. Make it part of your daily habit to check your score and recognize whether you are making progress or not toward a winning week. Keeping the scorecard in a convenient place to record your daily results, such as the front of your kitchen refrigerator, or attached to your bathroom mirror, will serve as a good reminder of your daily progress.
It’s simply not enough to say we are going to just do better drinking enough water each week, when that water is chasing a double cheeseburger and fries every day for lunch. To achieve the health goals we desire, it is necessary for us to provide focus on multiple areas of our life simultaneously. Thus, the requirement to pursue six or seven challenges each week pushes us to consider each of these important goals as they are areas of our life we are forced to make decisions on every day.
No one can do these things for you. It’s all on your shoulders, and now you can have a simple, fun measuring stick which shows whether you are winning the game, or if you are sliding toward 1980’s-era Tampa Bay Buccaneer levels of futility. We need to strive for eras of domination, such as those enjoyed by the legendary Steelers, Cowboys, 49ers, and, recently, Patriots teams. As our goal, we must accept nothing less than this high standard of excellence.
4. By Sunday Morning, Tally Your Fantasy Healthball Score
All these activities need to be pursued from Monday through Saturday, every day. If you successfully achieve one of your roster challenges on a given day, reward yourself with a Healthpoint. If you achieve the goal every day for the week, you will have six Healthpoints, a touchdown!
In addition, since we are trying to establish these behaviors as positive, healthful choices that should be maintained daily, if you achieve the goal at least 3 days out of the week, you can award yourself with a consistency bonus, of 5 or 10 Healthpoints depending on the challenge selected (see the Fantasy Healthball Daily Challenge Team Roster table). If you achieve the goal all six days, you have earned an even larger bonus amount.
The daily total of one Healthpoint per day is scaled for a basic scoring fantasy football league, where points are issued primarily for touchdowns and little else. If your league does score points for yardage gained, consider using the optional rule shown below:
OPTIONAL FANTASY FOOTBALL YARDAGE LEAGUE SCORING ADJUSTMENT: If your fantasy football league allows players points for yardage gained (e.g. 1 point per 10 yards), then your league will result in higher scoring games. To adjust Fantasy Healthball to this type of league, we suggest scoring two Healthpoints per day for successfully meeting a challenge, as opposed to only one. Consistency bonus amounts remain the same.
Whichever scoring method you choose, the consistency bonuses for 3 days achievement and 6-days achievement are not cumulative. If you succeed all 6 days, only apply the 6-day bonus, not both.
5. Watch the NFL games on Sunday and root accordingly.
The NFL is the greatest league, representing the greatest team sport ever invented. Whether enjoying from the comforts of your own home, or from your favorite sports bar, or best of all – from the stands of an NFL stadium- take time on Sunday to relax and enjoy some football. You have worked hard to meet your daily challenges, and your body deserves a rest.
Also, your fantasy football opponent has finalized his starting lineup for the day, so by now you know exactly who to root for – and against!
6. Wins and Losses - Compare your Fantasy Healthball Score to Your Opponent’s and Assign a Win or Loss. (Return to step 2 and repeat.)
At the end of the week, tabulate the number of Healthpoints you have amassed against your weekly roster of challenges. This gives you a point total to compare against your actual fantasy football opponent during that week. If your Healthpoint total ends up higher, give yourself a ‘win’ for the week. If not, you tally one in the ‘loss’ column. This gives you a personal Fantasy Healthball record which you can use to determine if you are winning or losing your battle to improve your health.
When scoring, it is important to remember the basic rule that each Fantasy Healthball daily challenge can provide you one, and only one, Healthpoint (or two in a scoring league) per day. This cannot be doubled or increased because you happen to dominate that challenge in a given day. Need 3 cups of veggies, and on Tuesday you eat 6 cups…don’t think you can give yourself double Healthpoints for the day. That’s not going to fly, buster. Just because you stopped at Dunkin Donuts yesterday, rather than the gym, don’t think you can do 60 minutes of exercise today and count it as two Healthpoints. Each challenge must be completed each day, and Healthpoints lost cannot be made up later in the week. Daily consistency is the key, and the scoring system must reflect how we are accomplishing our goals day-in-and-day-out.
Your body simply isn’t going to react well to skipping a challenge Monday through Friday, then trying to cram in a week’s worth on Saturday. In fact, this can be decidedly unhealthy for you! The point is incorporating these actions into your daily life.
7. Headed for the Playoffs!
Even with the parity existing in today’s NFL, most teams still need a winning record of 9-7, if not 10-6 to make the playoffs. If you are successful in 9 out of 16 regular season weeks, then you are probably doing the things necessary to achieve and maintain good health. This, therefore, enables you to take full control of all other parts of your life that you enjoy and, indeed, enjoy it to the fullest.
Just as it’s extremely difficult to post an undefeated season in fantasy football, doing so in Fantasy Healthball will also prove tough. However, the point is to strive for more weeks in the win column than otherwise. Strive for that 9-7 minimum record and know that you have put together a playoff caliber season for your health. We guarantee you will feel all the better for it.
Each of the Fantasy Healthball challenges, in and of themselves, will not guarantee good health. However, as you “master” each of them and implement them into your daily lifestyle, you can shift your Fantasy Healthball starting roster to those areas that you then need to work on.
If you get into a routine where you are now eating a healthy breakfast regularly, then drop that bad boy to the bench for the following week!
If you gradually start to spread your starting lineup around to each of the roster challenges, then you will slowly start to implement basic, healthful principles into your everyday life, and better health should ensue, allowing you to enjoy life to the fullest. That is the real goal!
As the NFL regular season concludes, most fantasy leagues also finish for the year. However, it is possible to continue playing Fantasy Healthball through the post-season and into the off-season. Even if you do worse than a 9-7 record in the regular season, we urge, we implore you to keep playing into the play-offs and beyond!
If you’re fantasy football league continues through the NFL playoffs, then keep playing Fantasy Healthball in the same way as well. If not, then consider playing by re-drafting your fantasy football teams before each weekend. As more and more NFL teams are eliminated, fewer and fewer players are available for draft. But many people enjoy playing right through the Super Bowl.
After a full NFL season of working to meet the Daily Challenges, our sincere hope is that many of these activities have become part of your normal life routine. Fantasy Healthball has given you a four month structure to help ingrain these actions until they are habitual. By all means, whatever it takes, keep making good daily life choices, and stay healthy. And hopefully, we’ve all had a little more fun along the way.
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Exercise: Moderately Intense Physical Activity for at least 30 minutes OR Vigorous Physical Activity for at least 20 minutes OR Strength Training
This is the only mandatory roster challenge. We list it first so it is easy for you to check off each day! What we mean here, at minimum, is meeting the Surgeon General’s exercise recommendations found in Exercise. Under the section “Not Your Father’s Calisthenics” we give a variety of examples of exercises that will meet this challenge.
The goal here is to get some moderately intense or vigorous exercise. We intentionally stayed away from setting any sort of specific standards here, such as amount of calories you should burn, because every human body is different. Some people who have been sedentary for some time may be walking around the block for 30 minutes to meet this challenge. Another person may be running or swimming hard to meet this challenge.
The challenge presents a minimum exercise time. That means if you like to jog for 45 minutes, we aren’t saying stop at 20 or 30. Accomplish the exercise in a way that is meaningful to you, but make it at least 30 minutes for moderate intensity or 20 minutes of vigorous physical activity. The strength training option is measured in individual exercises rather than time (put together a program with your physician if this is new for you).
We can’t say it enough, these times are guidelines. Listen to your body and consult with your physician to determine the level that is best for you. Do you feel like you exercised? Did you get your blood flowing and lungs pumping? For some people all it will take to make this happen is a walk for 30 minutes. Others will need to do more to feel like they worked up a sweat and had a good exercise.
As with all the challenges, if you meet it you get two Healthpoints for that challenge for that day. Two Healthpoints. We know the more devious among you were thinking “if I work out vigorously for an hour can I take credit for 3 exercises that day and give myself 6 Healthpoints?” No, you can take only two Healthpoints per challenge per day if you’ve met the challenge.
The reason we don’t count multiple exercises in the same day is that we are trying to encourage a healthy lifestyle where people incorporate exercise into their daily life and make it part of their routine. If you bundled a few exercises into one day early in the week, you wouldn’t have much incentive to exercise later in the week. Conversely, we don’t want readers to skip working out Monday through Friday and then try to pile them all together on Saturday! The goal is making it a part of your daily routine – thus two Healthpoints allowed per day.
We do, though, offer one slight variation. Our scorecard tracks your progress Monday through Saturday and leave Sundays open for game day! This may work for many people who want to rest on the 7th day and watch football. However, we also understand that many American adults work Monday through Friday and have more time on weekends for exercise. It seems a shame to have a full Sunday available and not be able to earn an exercise Healthpoint for that day.
For this reason, our program allows you to count a Sunday workout in place of any day the following week. Let’s say you exercised three times in the Monday through Saturday week. If you then worked out the next day, Sunday, you could count that workout in place of any other day in the following week. That way you can get some credit for a job well done on a Sunday. Exercise is the only roster challenge that allows applying a Healthpoint to the following week. You’ll notice our notation for this on the Daily Challenge Team Roster Scorecard.
Eat at least 5-8 Ounces of Grains (Bread, Cereal, Rice, Pasta) with at least Half of Grains Whole
See the Fantasy Football Food Formation in Diet and Nutrition. These are the defensive linemen. Fearsome Foursome. Steel Curtain. The “grains” are also known as the “Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta Group.” You need more of these than other types of foods. They are going to be your base.
Examples of this group are whole-wheat bread, whole-grain cereal, crackers, bagels, muffins, cornbread, brown rice, corn tortillas, flour tortillas, pretzels, popcorn, and pasta. For each of these items, you can find healthy and unhealthy versions so keep an eye on the labels.
How much per day? Between 5-8 ounces a day for adults who don’t get a lot of exercise, with half of those whole grains (see Diet and Nutrition for details). An “ounce” is defined as a slice of bread, a half muffin, 3 cups popped popcorn, a small tortilla, a half cup of cooked rice, pasta, oatmeal, etc.
Eat at least 2 Cups of Fruit
See the Fantasy Football Food Formation in Diet and Nutrition. Like their counterparts “vegetables,” fruits are part of the linebacker corps. Along with the linemen, the linebackers are the foundation of your defense. Your body needs a lot of these. How much? About 2 cups of fruit per day for adults who don’t get a lot of exercise (see text for details). Examples of a cup of fruit include: an apple, a large banana, 32 seedless grapes, a large orange, a large peach, a medium pear, two large plums, eight large strawberries, and a small wedge of watermelon.
Eat at least 2-3 Cups of Vegetables
See the Fantasy Football Food Formation in Diet and Nutrition. Like their counterparts “fruits,” vegetables are also part of the linebacker corps. Your body needs a lot of these. How much? About 2-3 cups of veggies per day for adults who don’t get a lot of exercise. Examples of a cup of veggies include: two medium carrots, a cup of chopped broccoli, a medium sized baked potato, two large celery stalks, a large tomato, and two cups of raw leafy greens.
Eat 5-6 Ounces of Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts
See the Fantasy Football Food Formation in Diet and Nutrition. Along with the “dairy,” these are the defensive backs. They are crucial to the success of the team, just as their food group counterparts are crucial to your health.
The “Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts” group contain foods that are generally high in proteins, vitamins, and minerals. How much? About 5-6 ounces a day for adults who don’t get a lot of exercise.
Examples of an ounce of “meats” include: an ounce of cooked beef, pork, ham, chicken, turkey, or fish. For reference, a small lean hamburger or steak is about 3-4 ounces as is a can of tuna or a small trout. A small chicken breast half is about 3 ounces. As you can see, it doesn’t take much before you hit your recommended daily servings of meats.
Consume Three Cups of Dairy Items like Non or Low-Fat Milk, Cheese, and Yogurt
See the Fantasy Football Food Formation in Diet and Nutrition. Along with the “meats,” these are the defensive backs. They are crucial to the success of the team, just as their food group counterparts are crucial to your health.
The “Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese” group is high in calcium and vitamins. How much of this group per day? About three cups a day. Examples of a cup of “dairy” include, well, a cup of milk. Also: a regular (8 oz.) container of yogurt, 1/3 cup shredded cheese, 2 cups of cottage cheese, a cup of frozen yogurt, and one and a half ounces of cheddar, Swiss, mozzarella, or parmesan.
As with all of the roster challenges, consider your dietary restrictions where applicable. Some readers may be lactose intolerant, have food allergies, etc.
Limit Consumption of Oils, Trans Fats, and Saturated Fats
Watch out for hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats and oils, known as trans fatty acids or “trans fats.” You want to limit your intake of these. Trans fats are found at high levels in foods such as French fries, donuts, and vegetable shortening. You will also want to limit saturated fats such as butter, candy bars, and cake.
As of January 1, 2006, food manufacturers had to include on their nutrition labels the amount of trans fats. The FDA has required that saturated fats and cholesterol be listed on food labels since 1993. Saturated and trans fats raise cholesterol in the blood, which contributes to heart disease. To get your two Healthpoints in this category for the day, we are recommending that you eliminate them altogether that day. Keep an eye on those labels!
Do Not Exceed Adequate Portion Sizes
Clearly, what is “adequate” differs from person to person. If you are older than an infant, you have probably figured out about how much you can eat before you feel full and how you feel when you go past that amount. We recommend eating meals until you are full or just before full, and then filling in with healthy snacks (like fruits and veggies) in between meals.
The last thing your body needs to do eat portion sizes that are too large. What goes in must get burned off to maintain current weight. You can save yourselves hours in the gym by just keeping to adequate portion sizes.
Remember, restaurant portion sizes are often huge. Share an order or ask for half in a to go box before it comes to you, so you aren’t tempted to keep eating. If you can control portion sizes, choose healthy foods, and work in exercise, you are there, baby! You are playoff bound!
Determine your Daily Calorie Need and Stay Below. Keep a Detailed Food Log.
We highly recommend a week of calorie counting for anyone who hasn’t done it before. If you have done it before, and you enjoy it or it works for you to stay on top of what you are eating, then by all means keep doing it.
Eat a Healthy Breakfast
See “Starting Over: Learning How to Eat” in Diet and Nutrition. As we’ve said, breakfast is an easy victory that gives you the energy you need to move into your day. Do it right and you just set the tone for the rest of the day.
Remember the Fantasy Healthball “Food Formation” in Diet and Nutrition as it relates to breakfast. Breakfast is a great time for some whole grain cereal, eggs, yogurt, whole wheat toast, low fat milk, fruit, fruit juice, oatmeal, and no, we don’t mean all at the same time! Watch those portion sizes!
Get a Minimum 7 Hours of Sleep
A full night’s sleep makes your body work better. It rests and restores energy and adds to well being. You are going for restful sleep here. If you know you have trouble falling asleep, allow for extra time.
Participate in Low Impact Activities such as Yoga or Stretching for at least 30 Minutes
Yoga and stretching have been said to prevent injury, increase range of motion, reduce risk of injury, and increase performance. Plus, in this hectic, busy world, we think it provides a time to slow down and therefore reduce stress, a worthy goal for any of us.
Another benefit of yoga and stretching is that it puts us in closer touch with our body and helps in the ability to “listen” to our body. Try it, your body will talk to you. Here are some things it could utter: “Ahhh, that feels good.” “Hey, not so far, I’m not Plastic Man!” “Keep up the good work.” “Maybe you shouldn’t have had the third donut.”
You never want to stretch to the point of pain. If you are concerned about how to stretch properly, consult with your physician or a personal trainer. If you want to do yoga properly, see a yogi, or just the instructor at the gym down the street. It is everywhere now.
Drink Adequate Water e.g. 8, eight-ounce glasses
We are generally recommending 8, eight-ounce glasses of water which equates to about a 2-liter bottle of water every day. You get water through the foods you eat as well. The Institute of Medicine advises that men consume roughly 3.0 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day and women consume 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day. Coffee, tea, and alcohol will count somewhat toward this total. However, the diuretic nature of these beverages will require additional pure water to be consumed to replace what is lost.
Remember, you are getting water through food too. Fruits and vegetables can contain more than 90% water! This water intake through food may account for approximately 20% of your daily water needs. The remaining amount needs to be taken in through beverages. So, if you are a 150-lb. male, you need to take in about 62 oz. per day – roughly 8 glasses, assuming a healthy diet. If you’re an offensive lineman double this size, then doubling the water intake wouldn’t be a bad idea, especially if you played a day game in 90+ degree heat.
Eliminate Soft Drinks
That’s right folks, cut them out. They are empty calories. Even if you have switched to the diet version, your body doesn’t need the caffeine, sodium, artificial sweeteners or preservatives. Let’s keep it simple and flatly turn them down.
Limit Caffeine to Two Servings or less
Caffeine may have some health benefits such as improving memory and decreasing fatigue and even helping to prevent some diseases. However, there are some significant downsides such as high blood pressure, speeding the heart rate, dehydration, and making you feel jumpy and restless. Caffeine is in coffee, chocolate, tea, some sodas, and many energy drinks.
Eliminate High-Fat Processed Foods and Sweets (yes, that includes the fast food drive-through at 2:00 a.m.!)
Processed foods have been somehow altered from their natural state often for packaging and shelf life. Avoid high-fat processed foods and sweets made with trans fats, saturated fats, and high amounts of sodium. To get your two Healthpoints for the day in this category, you should avoid things like: canned foods that are high in sodium, packaged high calorie snacks, packaged candy bars and cookies, “fast food,” “junk food,” processed meats, canned foods high in fat, and breakfast cereals with any names that resemble Super Duper Sugar Fun Puffs!
Consume the Recommended Daily Allowance (about 30 grams) of Fiber (incrementally build up if this is new to you, and drink plenty of liquids!)
The USDA’s recommendation for dietary fiber intake varies depending on age and gender with about 25 grams for women and 30-38 for men. A high fiber diet may help prevent cancer, heart disease, and other serious ailments.
You’ll find fiber contents on nutrition labels and you’ll need to keep track throughout the day to make sure you get to about 30 grams. Good places to find fiber are: whole grain cereals, oatmeal, wheat germ, raisins, bananas, berries, raw vegetables, dried fruits, and beans. If you are new to a high fiber diet, you may need to work up to this amount. And drink plenty of water to help the fiber move through your digestive track.
Consume less than a Teaspoon of Sodium (roughly 2,300 milligrams). Remember, read those labels, salt is in everything!
Sodium content has been linked to high blood pressure. The daily limit is set at 1,500-2,300 milligrams. You can far exceed this limit without ever touching a salt shaker as salt seems to be in everything. Read the labels and keep track.
Limit alcohol consumption to 1-2 drinks (on Sundays while watching football, let's just say "drink responsibly")
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, drinking in moderation is defined as “having no more than 1 drink per day for women and no more than 2 drinks per day for men.” The definition is referring to the amount consumed on any single day and is not intended as an average over several days.
However, you’ll note the Fantasy Healthball “Daily Challenge Team Roster Scorecard” is a Monday through Saturday affair. How you spend game day is up to you! As they say over at Anheuser-Busch, “Drink Responsibly.” And, oh, yeah, one more thing, don’t drink and drive.
Take your Physician-Prescribed Medication and/or Take Your Physician-Approved Daily Supplements such as a Multi-Vitamin
Sometimes people forget to take their medication or choose not to if they are feeling good that day. Choose this category if you should be taking your physician-prescribed medication or supplements but you have a hard time doing it.
Perform a "Pantry and Refrigerator Exorcism" (can be used only ONCE per season!)
This challenge is described in detail in our forthcoming book. Click here to notify us that you would like to get on the waiting list.
The OTHER category
The “other” category is for anything that is important for you to track that we may have missed. This is a great area to list any special dietary needs or circumstances that are unique to you. You can use this to tweak another category, such as the need to avoid dairy products, or add a new idea. For example, if you want to cut back on cigarettes, put your daily goal here. This is your area to personalize our personalized system even more! You may wish to consult with your personal physician if you want to check your new goal.
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We want to emphasize that you do not have to be in a fantasy football league to utilize Fantasy Healthball to meet your personal fitness goals. For those of you reading this section, you likely fall into one of the following categories (find the one that suits you!):
- “I’m not in a fantasy football league currently, but willing to try.” Learn More…
- “I have no intention of joining a fantasy football league, but enjoy following NFL football and willing to try Fantasy Healthball on my own.” Learn More…
- “I don’t really care about NFL football, but I’m looking for a fun way to meet my personal health goals.” Learn More…
- “I’m very thorough and am reading the book cover-to-cover.” (We have one response for you: God Bless You!)
Whichever quote suits you best, please read on to find several ideas which may suit you to get in the game! We’re confident that everyone can find a way to get started, get healthy, and have some fun along the way.
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1. “I’m not in a fantasy football league currently, but willing to try.”
Though it works for all sports fans, Fantasy Healthball will feel most natural to those millions of people already involved with fantasy sports or willing to try. There are a myriad of free leagues on the web which you can easily join, many times even after the NFL season has started. Or, if you want to start a league with your family and friends, you may want to consider a website such as yahoo!, cbs sportsline, and nfl.com, which allows you to easily customize a simple fantasy league, at no cost or obligation to you. There are many great sites to choose from. Pick one that you like and then check out our How to Play Fantasy Healthball section.
We hope you will enjoy following NFL football in a new way, and most importantly, use it to help meet your personal health goals through Fantasy Healthball.
2. “I have no intention of joining a fantasy football league, but enjoy following NFL football and willing to try Fantasy Healthball on my own.”
If you are a fan of NFL football, but have no desire to get involved with fantasy football, we have ideas for you…read on!
Play Against Your Favorite NFL Team's Weekly Opponent
One idea how to play Fantasy Healthball when not in a fantasy league is to simply play against the team your favorite NFL team is playing against. When it is time to tally your score-to-beat for Fantasy Healthball, simply just check the box score for your favorite NFL team and add up the opponents points in a fantasy football way. In this case, most NFL teams will have the following significant performers: 1 Quarterback, 1 Running Back, 3 Receivers (the top three from the game, any combination of wide receivers or tight ends) and 1 Kicker. Therefore, this method will require you to select Six Challenges from the Fantasy Healthball Daily Challenge Roster at the beginning of the week. These are the daily health challenges that you will work to achieve throughout the next week.
Fantasy football scores are created by assigning points to actual events that occur in real-life NFL football games. For example, when a player scores a touchdown, or kicks a field goal, the fantasy team will be awarded points. You will need to calculate a final score for your opponent. For simplicity sake, you can use the Fantasy Football Basic Scoring System, as follows:
Fantasy Football Basic Scoring System
TD’s (passing, rushing, receiving, return) = 6 points
Interceptions = -2 points
Field goal made = 3 points
2-point conversions = 2 points
PAT made = 1 point
100 yards Rushing/Receiving = 6 points
300 yards Passing = 6 points
Check the box-score of the game on the Internet (www.nfl.com) or in the newspaper and calculate a final score. If you scored more in weekly Fantasy Healthball Healthpoints, then award yourself the win and gear up for the next week!
Play Against Hand-Selected NFL Opponent
A second idea is to play Fantasy Healthball against NFL players that personally interest you. For example, select players that formerly played on college teams that were rivals of your college alma mater. (e.g. for you University of Michigan alums, you may choose former Ohio State Buckeye’s and Notre Dame Golden Domer’s to play against.) Or, select players that you love to root against in the pros. Dislike Terrell Owens? Put him on your opponent’s starting lineup! Tired of Brett Favre beating your favorite team? Put him on your opponents list and give him a taste of his own medicine! Choose whoever will motivate you to do your best to beat them.
If you choose this option, we recommend selecting seven health challenges and seven NFL players as your weekly opponents. You can keep them the same each week, or change them up, whichever appeals to you. Choose 1 Quarterback, 2 Running Backs, 3 Receivers (Tight End or Wide Receivers), and 1 Kicker. Choose a Scoring System (Basic or Yardage) and Play!
3. “I don’t really care about NFL football, but I’m looking for a fun way to meet my personal health goals.”
Even if you don’t have interest in professional football, you can enjoy Fantasy Healthball. If you are not passionate about the NFL, the emotion we are seeking to help drive you to improved personal fitness simply won’t be there. Fear not! We understand and offer the following options for your consideration:
Play Head-To-Head Against Your Family and Friends
What’s more fun than a friendly competition between rival siblings or best friends? The simplest way to motivate some is to pit their weekly performance head-to-head with their brother, sister or best friend. Get a group together that are willing to select weekly Fantasy Healthball Challenges, keep score, and highest score wins. By turning your daily trips to the local gym into a friendly competition for family/friend bragging rights, it just may be enough to motivate you towards more healthy decisions. We’ve tried it, it is!
Play Solitaire
Choose a Fantasy Healthball scoring method (Basic = 1 Healthpoint per day or Yardage = 2 Healthpoints per day) and establish your own weekly, personal win/loss goal, based on the number of challenges selected. Typically , with seven challenge starters, a score of 60 or more in Basic scoring, or 90 or more in Yardage scoring, will provide a challenging target. This method will work anytime of the year, even if it’s not football season!
So that sums up the various ways for you to get the most out of Fantasy Healthball. Just select the option that you most enjoy and get to work….and play!
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