Fort HealthCare Community Weight Loss Challenge - Slimdown 2017
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Fort HealthCare’s sixth annual Slimdown Weight Loss Challenge begins Tuesday, April 11th, with pre-registration beginning on Monday, March 13th. As part of the wellness challenge registration process, weigh-ins will begin on March 27th. More details about the event and the schedule of weigh-in times and locations can be found on the challenge’s website: FortHealthCare.com/Slimdown. This community challenge is free and anyone at least 18 years old can participate.
Fort HealthCare Community Programming Coordinator, Marci Pasquesi, states, “The Slimdown Challenge is more than just a weight-loss competition. The goal is to motivate and inspire participants in our community to take charge of their health and focus on shedding unwanted pounds over an eight-week time period, while providing them with the tools necessary to be successful after the challenge has ended.”
Pasquesi continues, “As a participant in this challenge, you are part of a community of like-minded individuals working together to help Jefferson County improve its overall health and well-being, and work toward a goal to become the healthiest community in Wisconsin.”
Each year’s challenge focuses on a theme, and this year’s theme is about incorporating small changes into one’s daily routine and celebrating all successes toward sustainable weight loss and overall health improvement. As the activity is also a “challenge,” an element of friendly competition is also implied, and different incentives and prizes are awarded throughout the wellness challenge.
One of the 2016 Slimdown Challenge winners, Amanda Price of Fort Atkinson, recollects, “I knew all my life what I ‘should’ be doing, but the Slimdown Challenge was definitely the catalyst I needed to make the lifestyle change.” Price achieved a total weight loss of 125 pounds since April 12, 2016, which was the first day of last year’s challenge.
Price continues, “My Slimdown Challenge experience was just the beginning. I now feel more energetic and happy after over 300 days of tracking what I ate and using different resources in the community to find ways to be active every day. The Slimdown Challenge made a difference in my life, and I want more people to know that it’s a tool that works. It’s FREE, and it’s all worth it!”
Fort HealthCare designs community wellness challenges with health improvement of our area residents in mind, but understands that it takes collaboration with other groups and organizations to see real results and lasting changes happen. As such, there are also sponsorship opportunities available for organizations that wish to participate as a team of their own. Details and more information can be found at FortHealthCare.com/Slimdown.
For individuals wishing to participate on a team, but may not have a company or organization to affiliate with, they can sign up as a part of a Healthy Community Coalition. Fort HealthCare supports seven coalitions – in Jefferson, Fort Atkinson, Whitewater, Johnson Creek, Cambridge, Jefferson County, and Lake Mills – that regularly work toward garnering engagement for the overall health of their respective communities. For more information about the Coalition nearest you, visit FortHealthCare.com/Community-Coalitions.
Price adds, “If I could write a love letter to the city of Fort Atkinson, I would. I was out on the bike paths every day last summer, logging 20 miles on my bike per day, and even got to know others who were out there being active too. It feels good to be a part of a healthy community.”
Price also gives credit to Anytime Fitness and Two Rivers Bicycle & Outdoor of Fort Atkinson, fellow Jefferson School District employees, the MyFitnessPal app, and Fort HealthCare for her continued motivation and success. “I have found myself planning my life around physical activity rather than fitting activity into my life; now it’s non-negotiable. Instead of sitting and wishing, I am doing the work and enjoying it.”
After registering for the challenge and weighing in, participants will receive weekly challenge instructions, helpful guidance and motivation, and incentives for reaching individual goals through email and primarily via a community health and wellness portal (website) over the course of eight weeks. Each participant with have an account they will be able to log in to and interact with information and track activity. At the end of the eight weeks, there will be a final weigh-out, and prizes will be awarded. Pasquesi notes, “There is no cost to participate, and the Slimdown Challenge may very well be the jumpstart that you need to achieve some of your health goals.”
Fort HealthCare Community Health and Wellness Manager, Bridget Monahan, states, “Currently, Jefferson County holds the ranking of 8th healthiest out of 72 counties in Wisconsin, a status we wish not only to maintain, but improve. It is the contribution of community members in a county-wide challenge like this that helps drive us toward improvement for all.”
Pasquesi adds, “With your motivation and yearning for a healthier ‘you,’ you are helping to create a healthier ‘us’.” To learn more about the County Health Rankings, visit CountyHealthRankings.org.
Fort HealthCare is committed to improving the health and well-being of our communities, with a vision to be the healthiest community in Wisconsin. As the leading healthcare provider in the region, it is our goal to reach as many members of the community as possible with health and wellness messages, providing tools and resources to help individuals improve their health and quality of life, while collaborating with several partners to positively improve the population’s health overall on a long term basis. For more information, visit FortHealthCare.com.