LOCAL WELLNESS CHALLENGE OFFERS CASH AND PRIZES Special to The Sun-Sentinel Tallahatchie General Hospital (TGH) and the Charleston Arts and Revitalization Effort (CARE) have announced plans for the third annual Tallahatchie County Wellness Challenge, which will award cash and prizes to winners. “The Wellness Challenge will begin with three registration days, and this year registration will take place in both Tutwiler and Charleston to better serve residents living on either side of the county,” explained event director Catherine Woodyard. Registration in Tutwiler will be Saturday, June 21, from 8 a.m. until noon at the Tutwiler Community Education Center (TCEC). Registration in Charleston will take place Friday, June 27, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Saturday, June 28, from 8 a.m. until noon, at the Charleston High School cafeteria. The public may attend whichever registration session is most convenient for them. There is a $5 entry fee, and participants will have access to the Tallahatchie Wellness Center in Charleston for the three-month duration of the Wellness Challenge. Registration will include participant sign-up, weigh-in and a wellness assessment. “It is important for all participants to come to registration day fasting — in other words, do not eat or drink anything but water after midnight the night before registration,” said Woodyard. “This is to ensure accurate blood sugar and lipid panel readings.” The Wellness Challenge will last for 12 weeks and will end in mid-September (Sept. 6, 12 and 13 will be the weigh-out days), and winners will be announced at the Gateway to the Delta Festival on Saturday Sept. 20, in Charleston. This year, challengers can join as an individual and/or as a team of four. “The team component is intended to provide participants with increased motivation and support during the Wellness Challenge,” noted Woodyard, who said two winning teams will be awarded. To be eligible to participate in the Challenge, individuals must at least 16 years old and either live or work in Tallahatchie County. On registration and weigh-out days, participants will receive a free wellness assessment featuring the following measurements: blood pressure, lipid (cholesterol) panel, blood sugar levels, height, weight, body mass index, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, body fat percent and resting heart rate. Participants will also complete a demographic and health status questionnaire. As part of the Wellness Challenge, seven community workshops and three cooking demonstrations will be held on Monday nights from 6-7 at the TCEC and on Tuesday nights from 6-7 at the Charleston First United Methodist Church. Weekly group walks will be held on Thursday nights starting at 6 at the TCEC and at the Charleston High School track from 6-8. Weekly group fitness classes will be offered on Thursday nights in Charleston from 5:30 to 6:30, location to be determined. “The community workshops are designed to educate individuals regarding various topics on health and wellness,” explained Woodyard. “The workshops will cover topics ranging from nutrition, healthy living, weight management, weight loss, metabolism and behavior modification to personal exercise plans, cooking demonstrations and stress.” To be eligible win, participants must attend at least six of the 10 workshops. For teams, one member from each team must be present at each workshop. Attendance at the group walks and group fitness classes are not mandatory to win, but attendance is encouraged. Winners will be chosen based on the percentage of body weight lost over the course of the Wellness Challenge. For teams, the total percentage of body weight lost by each team member will be summed and the team with the greatest percentage of weight loss will be the winning teams. The first place winner of a previous Wellness Challenge is not eligible to win future Challenges. However, they can be part of a winning team. “Prizes include a lot of cash money, P90X systems, Wii Fit consoles, NutriBullet machines, various cookware, three-month membership to the Wellness Center, personal training sessions and improved health and wellness,” said Woodyard. For more information, contact Woodyard by phone at 501-276-5459 or by email at cwoodyard@mytgh. “We hope that you all will consider participating in the Wellness Challenge and that you will encourage your friends, co-workers and/or family members to participate, as well,” Woodyard added. “The road to optimal wellness is yours to take, so come on and join us! We promise you will not be disappointed.”
Posted on: Thu, 12 Jun 2014 15:33:11 +0000
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