A kick-off event for the 2013 Live Healthy Iowa 10-Week Wellness Challenge will be from 3 to 6 p.m. Thursday at the Newton YMCA.

The high-energy open house will encourage people to register for the Live Healthy Iowa program, which starts the last week of January. Several valuable prizes from local businesses will be given away at the kick-off. The event will also feature Zumba demonstrations, healthy snacks, coupons, recipes, nutrition information, and free blood pressure and body composition checks.  

The Live Healthy Iowa 10-Week Challenge is an opportunity for teams of people to improve their health while engaging in fun, friendly competition. The program starts Monday and runs through April 5. Teams of two to 10 people can track their minutes of activity over the course of the program or attempt to reach weight-loss goals.  If individuals are seeking a team to join, they will be able to be matched with others at the kick-off event.