The Continental Challenge
Welcome to the 3nd Annual “Continental Challenge” for 2026! The hardest part of change or starting a new routine is showing up, and you have taken the important first step!
*For Hamilton employees only*
What is the Continental Challenge?
Hamilton College Wellness is once again teaming up with one of the premier training and coaching facilities in the region, Mohawk Valley Wellness, under the direction of owner John Bartholomeo. The Continental Challenge launched in January 2024 with an emphasis on nutrition improvements, while simultaneously providing education and guidance on sleep, movement, mindset, tracking for success, and more. This third installment includes a whole host of improvements to make the Challenge more approachable, scalable, and still providing sustainable change.
OBJECTIVE: Embark on a journey to BE HEALTHIER. Our challenge is designed to help you reduce body fat and increase muscle, or simply put, lose weight and feel better. Start building momentum towards an improved body composition with us!
DURATION: Six exciting weeks of transformation! January is the perfect time frame to get focused and make significant progress that you can continue to build on after the challenge.
Challenge period : January 11th - February 21st
Weigh-ins: January 7th - 9th
Weigh-outs: February 23rd - 24th
FORMAT: This is designed to be a partner challenge. Most importantly, this is NOT a crash and suffer diet!
Why Partners? Teams finish 86% more often, lose way more fat, and actually enjoy the process.
NEW FEATURES FOR 2026:
- No more pen and paper! All tracking with me completed on a digital app platform
- Longer Challenge & earlier start: 6 weeks instead of 4, beginning January 11th
- Open to a "+1": previously, this initiative was only open to faculty and staff. While we still want as many of you on campus to participate, your feedback conveyed the value of a spouse, domestic partner, or other immediate family member of the household participating as your partner
- Simplicity: no more counting every every calorie and measuring food! (unless you want to)
- More opportunities for stacking "Wins": more prizes and more ways to win beyond losing the most. Consistency and engagement are just as important!
Standard Features that you and your partner unlock through participating:
- Your Best Week Yet Healthy Habits app – yours forever ($297 value)
- Daily 90-second “Do Exactly This” videos ($497 value)
- Mix-and-Match “Real Food” Meal Plans ($197 value)
- Private Members-Only Challenge Community – daily coaching, recipes, wins, and laughs ($197 value)
- Direct access to your coaches – ask anything, anytime ($197 value)
- Aggressive accountability – if you stopping tracking on the app we are reaching out to you! (Priceless)
- Weekly mini-prizes for streaks & engagement
- Proven 6-week partner points system that changes lives
All that sounds great! How do I participate? And are there any incentives?
- Make an early commitment to improving your well-being for 6 weeks (and hopefully beyond). Price goes up after December 29th.
- Find a partner. Don't have one? Sign up as an individual and we will pair you up.
- All participants that complete the 6 weeks will receive a commemorative challenge memento and be entered into several additional raffle prizes.
- Follow all instructions in the Registration section.
- Not quite sure? View the welcome video courtesy of Mohawk Valley Wellness.
Now...what you really came for: the prizes! We have FIVE different ways your team of two can walk away a winner — plus weekly prizes just for showing up consistently. No matter where you’re starting from, there’s a prize (or three) with your name on it.
- 90% Adherence Club
Tons gift card prizes
The ultimate “consistency wins” prize — now with weekly fireworks! Every Saturday, everyone who hits 90% adherence for the week gets their name tossed into a drawing for a weekly prize AND the end of challenge bonus surprise. You don’t have to lose 25 lbs or be perfect… just tighten up your habits and hit 90%. Tons of individuals win this one — everyone should be shooting for it! - Highest Total Team Points
$50 per partner
For the duo that’s in it to WIN it. The team that stacks the absolute most health points over the full 6 weeks takes home the prize for this category. One winning team. - Longest Consecutive Streak of Double Sevens
$50 per partner
This one’s for the streak lovers. The longest run of perfect days — 7 health points recorded in the app in a row for BOTH partners — wins. One team claims this crown. - First 3 Teams to 530 Collective Points
$50 per partner
Speed + consistency = victory. The first three teams (in order) to hit 530 total points between the two partners win big. Three winning teams! - Most Body Fat lost (partners combined)
Straight to the point. The top three teams with the biggest combined drop in body-fat mass (start to finish, as measured by the InBody 570 scanner) take home this prize.
1st Place: $150 per partner
2nd Place: $100 per partner
3rd Place: $50 per partner
Testimonials
I want to give major props to this challenge for being so much more than a check-the-box activity. It pushed me to make better choices: eating and drinking in ways that actually fuel me, moving my body more consistently, and paying attention to the habits that shape my day. And bonus: beyond the health wins the challenge also created something even bigger: a real sense of community. Sharing goals, cheering each other on, and celebrating small wins with colleagues made the experience meaningful and fun! I’m grateful for the momentum it gave me and the stronger connections it helped build.
--Liz Spaziani
Participating in previous years Continental Challenge was one of the best decisions I’ve made for myself. I just one week felt energized in a way I hadn’t in a long time. I could see and feel a real difference in my body. I felt stronger, lighter, and more confident every day. The Challenge kept me motivated, and the progress I made reminded me just how capable I am. If you’re thinking about joining, do it. You’ll be amazed by the changes, inside and out. - Stacey Manley
The Continental Challenge is a blast. A group of us in my office forms teams of two, and we have a friendly competition that parallels the challenge. In the past, we have crowned our winners, awarded special prizes to the participants, and shared friendly bragging rights. It is great to have this fun initiative during a tough stretch of winter weather. - Barb Fluty
I think the biggest takeaway from me from the challenge was this: Even making modest changes, consistently - and with some accountability - made some measurable progress towards my goals. I love that it was about progress not perfection. I'll join again next year and look forward to the results. - John Ossowski
F.A.Q.
ABSOLUTELY. In fact, it is encouraged! You may win the biggest lower contest, but the degree of resources, support, and community built is incredibly significant. You essentially have access to personal advisors and coaches throughout the challenge! You will only increase your knowledge base in your nutrition and wellness, which will lead to optimizing what you are already doing well. Plus, the data from the 6 weeks of the InBody scan is incredibly valuable!
You can participate as an individual but having a partner is strongly recommended. As the saying goes, there is strength in numbers. An accountability-buddy is a great asset to keeping you on track and maintaining commitment. Plus, you'll have the chance for a ton of different prizes based on the partner scoring system incentives.
This is voluntary, we are all human, and we all have unique accommodations based on our personal health. You can dial up or dial down the intensity of your challenge as needed for you. If you already do really well with nutrition or do not need to give up body fat, maybe your goal is to gain muscle instead, or just get rewarded for consistency!
As part of this challenge, you will receive weekly InBody 570 readings to evaluate your body composition: weight, muscle mass, body fat mass, and other valuable metrics. These are non-invasive in nature and are equitable with standing on a scale for 45 seconds. That's it! All readings will take place on campus.
Baseline, pre-challenge readings will be established prior to the challenge January 7th - January 9th, and post-challenge readings will take place February 23rd- February 24th.
An additional mid-challenge InBody scan is available for those who may want an interval check-in to view their progress.
A dedicated Facebook group will be created by John in which all videos will be posted, and discussions can take place.
Don't have Facebook or avoid social media all together? Don't worry, all content can be distributed via email to those who would prefer that method.
Furthermore, you will have unlimited email access to the Mohawk Valley Wellness team directly for any individual questions or discussions!
Your success will be dramatically improved by incorporating the movement category of the health-points scoring system. As always, the Hamilton College fitness center and our athletics facilities are at your free disposal. If you have an outside gym membership that you use, great! If you prefer to work out at home, great! Prefer walking and some gentle stretching or mobility? Super. Find what moves you.
Yes. Through funding sponsorship with Hamilton Wellness, the out-of-pocket cost for participants is reduced to $40 per person from the full price of $69.99 (early bird registration). After December 29th, the prices increases to $50 per person. Registration closes January 2nd.
As previously stated, partnerships are the most impactful element of the Challenge. You are limited to partnerships of (2) individuals. While on-campus partnerships with colleagues encouraged, permitted off-campus partners include anyone that is eligible for a Facility Access Card: members of your immediate household defined as spouses/partners and dependent children. For the purposes of this challenge, dependent children must be the age of 18 or older.
Registration
There is a 2-step process to register for this challenge for each person (partners register separately):
- Complete this Google Form first.
- Register and pay the entry fee (each person) through the MVW platform HERE.
- The early registration discount of $40 per person runs December 15th through December 28th.
- Late registration of $50 per person runs December 29th through January 2nd. Registration closes on January 3rd, 2026.
Challenge Support Team
John Bartholomeo
Owner & President, Mohawk Valley Wellness
John Bartholomeo is the owner and the head coach at Mohawk Valley Wellness (formerly Mohawk Valley Crossfit). John was introduced to CrossFit while working in Iraq first as a Marine and then as a private contractor. After being exposed to CrossFit John’s training and nutrition have been completely changed. John currently holds his CrossFit 2 Level trainer certificate and a host of other certificates CrossFit and non CrossFit related. John is extremely passionate about all dimensions of Wellness, including coaching, nutrition, mindset management, and enjoys working with members of all experience levels. John has competed in CrossFit, Power lifting, Weightlifting, and Strongman competitions. John finds as much pleasure if not more in training and coaching new athletes than he does from competing himself.
Mohawk Valley Wellness
Learn more about Mohawk Valley Wellness on their website below, and on social media: Instagram: @mohawkvalleywellness Facebook: Mohawk Valley Wellness
Contact
Contact Name
Stephanie Kowell
Assistant Athletics Director for Fitness and Recreation
