“Last one there is a rotten egg!” How many times have you heard this or some variation of it on the playground?
In Canada, at least, it’s common to hear someone joking that they don’t have to run faster than a bear, just faster than the guy beside them. (And you’ll definitely run faster if you have a bear on your tail than on your own!) Humans have this innate desire to compete, with some scholars arguing that it stems from a need for survival. While we don’t need to compete for food anymore, our competitions have switched to things like sporting events or job promotions.
Competition holds you accountable.
Even in cases where someone isn’t naturally competitive, no one likes being in last place. You may not need to be the best, but you don’t want to be the worst.
No sales associate likes hearing that they had the fewest sales that month. Growing up, you never wanted to be picked last for the team or the last person invited to a party. You would do your best so that wasn’t the case.
Competition isn’t always a bad thing, however. With companies, having a rival can hold them accountable to keep their standard of work high and constantly improving, versus lingering on mediocre or unethical because they have no one to challenge them.
Challenge on with WeStretch!
One of the best things about WeStretch is that you can challenge your friends and family. This has been proven to get people moving and stretching on a daily basis since you know that your loved one will see if you haven’t stretched.
In a challenge, you will possibly be encouraged to stretch more than if you were trying to create a habit on your own. The friendly competition keeps you accountable to maintain your streak. From the users we have interviewed so far, there is a general consensus that the challenges can be the biggest factor in keeping them motivated. Even Maria, who is an incredibly active individual, says that her stretching challenges keep her accountable to stretch daily.
Recently, WeStretch has also added leaderboards, which show how you rank up in comparison to all the stretchers worldwide. There are options to see who has the most consecutive days, the most stretching routines completed, and even who has stretched for the most minutes overall! One of our users has often DOUBLED how much she stretches in striving to be first across all leaderboards!
See what’s possible when you compete.
The beauty of being able to compare your rankings is that you are able to see what’s possible. You may feel like stretching for thirty consecutive days is an insurmountable task, but when you see people who are well over 400 days, it becomes more achievable.
It’s like creating a path through the forest. If you are the first one to do so, it can be slow and difficult, with a lot of starts and stops. If you can see the path others have carved out for you, though, you can make your way on your journey a lot quicker. Having that support of knowing that it is possible can be a huge motivation towards achieving your goals.
While these one-on-one challenges and the leaderboards provide short-term extrinsic motivation, they help people to see what they are capable of. If you did a challenge with your workout buddy who encouraged you to stretch for thirty minutes every day for two weeks, you would see that it is possible. That could be the factor that encourages you to go from stretching only ten minutes a day to thirty!
Compete in a group challenge!
New in version 3.6 is WeStretch’s Group Challenges! If you have a premium subscription, you can create challenges for yourself and up to 49 other people. This way, everyone can make sure they stretch daily.
If you don’t have a premium subscription, you can still participate in these group challenges. You just have to be invited to one of these team-building activities!
Get the world stretching!
WeStretch’s goal is to get the world stretching. Person by person, we believe that everyone deserves to move freely and without pain by allowing people to reach their fitness goals, improve their flexibility, and increase their range of motion.
Send a challenge to a loved one. Use the competition to keep yourself accountable. Encourage your friends and family to get moving, even if it is just a little bit. Every minute they spend stretching is one less on their couch and can make a world of difference as they age.
The thing is, it can be difficult to encourage people to stretch. Many people have excuses as to why they don’t want to start. They will often say things like they:
- Don’t have the time.
- Are not flexible, so they can’t stretch.
- Do not need to stretch.
Understand that it isn’t a rejection of you or your suggestion, but rather that this is a new activity to incorporate into their lives and they have to process this.
Have patience with them and know that not everyone will want to get stretching, but you will find people who do. Once you find them, challenge them to become the best version of themselves that they can be! Use a stretching competition to keep yourself accountable. Your health deserves it!
Any links included are for reference, additional information, or entertainment value only, without monetary compensation. Contact us on social media or at support@westretch.ca. Photos courtesy of Unsplash.
Written by Kayla Willsey
Updated May 13, 2021