ST. MARYS (WLIO) -Â Some of you may have losing weight or eating healthier on your New Years' Resolution List, and the Grand Lake Health System kicked off an annual event to help the community out.
Tuesday (1/10/23) was the kickoff night for the 17th annual Grand Health Challenge at the St. Marys Theater. Participants arrived around 6:30 PM Tuesday evening to start their journey to good health by weighing in for their starting points and then were instructed on the rules of the challenge inside the theater. The challenge is a ten-month program where participants create teams from 2 to 7 and compete against each other to lose the highest weight loss percentage by weighing in monthly. Organizers with Grand Lake Health System provide participants with a list of physical competitions and races, dietary education, and proper exercise techniques so everyone can live and enjoy a long, healthy life.
"We have over 300 participants in our challenge that we're going to take on a ten-month journey to make these changes throughout their life and hopefully take back into the community with their family. And so, we're very excited [about] everybody's outpouring response for tonight," says Lesia Arnett, Executive Director of Development of Marketing & Outreach, Grand Lake Health System.
"We want it to be a lifestyle change not a weight loss challenge, so the ten months will allow them to start from January until September, and hopefully be able to maintain until the next challenge and then hopefully come back and better themselves for the next challenge as well," adds Stefanie Westgerdes, Community Outreach Coordinator, Grand Lake Health System.
At the end of the challenge, there will be team and individual male and female first, second, and third-place prizes.
