Find out which employees were recently named Wellness Champions and winners in the Healthy Holidays wellness challenge. Plus, don't miss out on the Biggest Loser challenge and healthy cooking demonstrations.
Biggest Loser: Sign Up by January 16
The 2019 Biggest Loser challenge is focused on healthy habits. Participants can earn points by logging exercise, keeping a food journal, attending healthy cooking demonstrations (see below), and more, for a chance to win cash prizes! Goals include weight loss and body fat percentage loss. Compete as an individual or team for $5/person. Email Sara Pickett to sign up.
Healthy Cooking Demonstrations
All About Carbs: Carbohydrates are an everyday topic of conversation. However, not all carbs are created equal. Sign up to attend a 30-minute class to learn more about carbohydrates -- how much, ones to avoid, and ones to include in your diet. Classes are scheduled for Tuesday, January 15, 12-12:30 p.m. in the Operations Conference Room at Langsdale 1B, and Thursday, January 17, 1-1:30 p.m. in the Leadership Conference Room at the GO.
Eat More Beans, Live Longer: What do the longest-living humans have in common? They all include some sort of legumes, which includes beans, in their diets. Join this 30-minute cooking class to learn how to include more beans into your meals. Classes are scheduled for Tuesday, January 29, 12-12:30 p.m. in the Operations Conference Room at Langsdale 1B, and Thursday, January 31, 12:30-1 p.m. in the Leadership Conference Room at the GO.
Email Melissa Hehmann to claim your spot for any of the cooking demonstrations!
Wellness Champions
Congratulations to Ann McIver for being named the November Wellness Champion! She has had a healthy long-term weight loss and done an amazing job at setting an example of living a healthy lifestyle. She loves to ride her bicycle and has participated in three mini-marathons.
Andrea Bennette was the wellness champion for December. She cycles, runs, or participates in high-intensity interval 
training (HIIT) every day at 5 a.m. She has accountability partners who faithfully join her for these early workouts. She consistently eats healthy meals and avoids soda. When training for special events, such as the recent Pike YMCA Heroes Health Hope 5K, she’s disciplined about making healthy meal choices to give her extra fuel. Her philosophy is that physical wellness is a major contributor to mental wellness. She attributes the success of her wellness journey to staying off the scale, focusing on strength and HIIT, and practicing consistency. Congratulations, Andrea!
Wellness Challenge Winners
Congratulations to the winners of the Healthy Holidays wellness challenge! The goal of the six-week challenge was to maintain weight during the holiday season. Participants had the opportunity to earn points by tracking exercise, and attending healthy cooking demonstrations and a class about mindful eating. First, second, and third place winners received Citizens points (to redeem a gift from the Citizens Prize Catalog) or a Visa gift card (200 points/$200, 150 points/$150, and 100 points/$100, respectively).
First place – Louis Gattone, 738 points
Second place – Jason Howard, 624 points
Third place – Lynn Studdard, 622 points
Mark Your Calendar for 2019 Blood Pressure Checks
Find a list of all scheduled blood pressure checks for calendar year 2019 on the Health and Wellness page on iTrust. In addition to the scheduled checks, employees can contact Sara Pickett for an individual appointment.