Sitting in an office day after day, hour after hour, minute after minute, tends to weigh heavily on you. Not to mention add some weight to you. So this year a few of us decided to kick things into gear and start up a Biggest Loser competition.

There were a total of fourteen participants who started out. Throughout the competition there was a friendly rivalry between competitors, people bringing each other chocolate, which in any other situation would probably be considered a very kind thing to do, however, in this situation was absolutely diabolical.

I also noticed something else as the months rolled along. People started talking about eating healthier and exercising techniques. I wouldn’t have thought much of it if it weren’t coming from people who were not in the competition. I was surprised to see how many people were being affected by what the few were doing. It seemed as though the spirit of getting healthier was spreading like wildfire. This was a great thing to see. Not only did this little competition get the select few on track to a healthier life it motivated the entire chapter.

Through the rollercoaster ride of who was going to win there were a few on the top (or bottom) of the scales and in the end rightfully won the competition. The two biggest losers of this 2010 competition were Kathy Ray and Chris Shanahan, with Red Cross volunteer Patty Lee coming in second place!

Kathy Ray		Chris Shanahan

Congratulations to the three of you for working very hard to accomplish your goals, and congratulations to everyone for recognizing the importance of staying on the healthy track of life, even though we all want that junk food that whispers in our ear. So stay strong, stay fit, and keep on going, because you never know who is being motivated because of your actions.

Kathrine

Kathrine Vigil is theAmeriCorps NPRC Response Memberfor the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter.