Take steps towards a healthier life

General Article

Annual Healthy Challenge touts teamwork approach to making positive exercise, diet, lifestyle habits

Boot Camp instructor Regan Rodgers (left) leads Sue Carbonneau, Helen Crawford, Stephanie Page-Lester and Kristin Pittman in lunges. Rodgers offers the hard-core, full-body workout twice weekly. Photo by Todd McNaught

On your mark, get set, get healthy. Beginning Jan. 23, hundreds of Hutchinson Center and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) employees will start, renew or continue a personal commitment to good health by participating in the 2006 Healthy Challenge.

Taking the challenge is simple. Just join or form a team of co-workers or family members, set a personal goal and start earning points for pursuing various healthy lifestyle choices — especially physical activity. At the end of the 12-week challenge, the teams with the highest average scores will be recognized with prizes.

The challenge is intended to promote positive exercise, diet and general-health habits through the camaraderie of being part of a team. "It's not really about the competition, although some people enjoy that," said Jonathan Sheppard, compensation and benefits manager at the Center. "It's about people making small changes that will most likely have a significant effect on their health over time."

The scoring for this year's Healthy Challenge places more emphasis on physical activity than in the past, Sheppard said, and informal walks along several routes — maps provided — will offer a convenient way to earn points during the lunch hour. "The main goal of the walking groups is to help people exercise, but we also want to build the social network here and cultivate a greater appreciation between members of different departments and divisions," he said.

Participants also can earn points by taking part in several ongoing exercise programs at the Center. For example, Judith Davies, an occupational health nurse at the Center, has organized a group that meets to engage in a combination of kickboxing and weight training. The hour-long sessions provide a moderate- to high-intensity workout that includes stretching, jump roping, kicking and punching sequences, weight training and floor exercises.

Regan Rodgers, a certified personal trainer and owner of a custom training business, leads two on-campus classes. Belly Blasters is a 30-minute program that focuses on abdominal and back exercises. Boot Camp is a 45-minute total body workout held outdoors. "If the weather is really bad, we find somewhere under cover," Rodgers said.

Special Weight Watchers session

In addition to joining an on-campus exercise program, Healthy Challenge participants can earn points by participating in a work-site session of Weight Watchers that is running at roughly the same time as the challenge.

Employee advisory committees at the Center and the SCCA sponsor the Healthy Challenge. "The involvement of the two organizations sends an important message about their support for healthy lifestyles and raises awareness about the benefits of good health among everyone who works here," Sheppard said.

Sheppard hopes the Healthy Challenge inspires people to ask themselves important questions about their health such as what issues they may face in the future if they don't start making changes now.

The Healthy Challenge registration deadline is Jan. 20. Employee teams can range from three to eight members. Home teams must include a minimum of two people with at least one member being a Center or SCCA employee.

Points are awarded through a scoring system that rewards consistent participation in four categories of healthy activities: exercise, nutrition, general health and special events. Points also are awarded for meeting measurable personal fitness goals or keeping a very simple journal in which participants describe their motivation and record their progress.

Each team picks a captain to serve as contact person. The captain receives and relays information about challenge events, collects individual scores and reports team scores.

Examples of point-earning activities include sustained physical activity (one point for every 15 minutes up to a maximum of four points per day), eating one or more whole-grain food daily (two points per week) and attending any four of eight scheduled special events (two points per event up to a maximum of eight points).

Many of the special events are open to challenge participants and non-participants alike. These brown-bag events will highlight research findings on exercise and nutrition and offer practical ways for people to incorporate healthy habits into their daily routines.

---

Exercise classes at the Center

• Belly Busters
  What: Intense abdominal exercises
  Mondays and Wednesdays, 11:25-11:55 a.m., Yale, JA-115
  Cost: $8. per class or $70. for 10 classes
  Contact: Regan Rodgers at (206) 755-0691 or reganrodgers@yahoo.com.



• Boot Camp
  What: Hardcore, full-body workout
  Mondays and Wednesdays, 12:15-1 p.m.
  Meets at the Campus Drive traffic circle.
  Cost: $10. per class or $80. for 10 classes
  Contact Regan Rodgers at (206) 755-0691 or reganrodgers@yahoo.com.



• Pilates
  What: Gentle exercises focusing on stomach and lower back
  Mondays, noon-1 p.m., Yale, JA-115
  Cost: $11. per class.
  Contact: Janis Levine at (206) 633-3913 or janisl@mindspring.com.



• Yoga
  What: For absolute beginners as well as those with experience in movement or yoga. Instruction is given for details of alignment, breath practice, restorative relaxation and meditation.
  Mondays, 5:15-6:15 p.m., Hutchinson, C2M-015
  Tuesday and Thursdays, 12:30-1:30 p.m., Hutchinson, C2M-015
  Wednesdays, noon-1 p.m., Hutchinson, C2M-015
  Cost: $7. (pay check or cash per class, no punch card)
  Contact: Tim Hunt at (206) 667-4209 or yoga@fhcrc.org.



• Yoga
  Thursdays, noon-1 p.m., Yale, JA-115
  Cost: $13. drop-in fee or $60. for six classes
  For information contact Jan Kikuchi at (206) 667-5140 or jkikuchi@fhcrc.org.



• Cardio Kickboxing/Interval-Weight Training
  What: Multiple-exercise, total-body workout
  Tuesdays and Fridays, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.; Mondays, Yale, JA-115
  Wednesdays and Thursdays, 1:15 -2:15 p.m., Yale, JA-115
  Cost: Free.
  Contact: Judith Davies at (206) 667-5785 or jbdavies@fhcrc.org.
  Classes are subject to Davies' availability. Participants will be notified by e-mail of the status of the class. Limited to eight participants. Each must bring light and heavy set of weights, jump rope and floor mat or towel.

Center News Table of Contents