The “weight” was worth it. All 2,332 pounds of it.

           The inaugural Community Health Lifestyle Challenge was a healthy success, with 297 community members combining to lose over one ton of weight.


           “Total starting weight of the participants was 58,877 pounds, and total end weight was 56,545 which equals a total of 2,332 pounds lost,” said Mandi King, Fitness and Wellness Coordinator at The Bellevue Hospital, who helped to organize the event.


            “The average person weighed 198 pounds and the beginning and 190 pounds at the end, and participants totaled 9, 920 hours of activity, which equals 3 hours per person per week on average.”
 
           The staff at Touch of Peace Massage in Bellevue won the “most weight lost by percentage” bragging rights, at 8.54 percent. Runner-up was the staff at Immaculate Conception School with a combined weight loss of 6.88 percent. The remaining teams included Mid-Ohio Sludge, 5.39 percent; City of Bellevue, 4.85 percent; American Baler, 4.54 percent; Bellevue Public Library, 3.72 percent; Bellevue City Schools, 3.54 percent; First National Bank, 3.32 percent; The Bellevue Hospital, 3.09 percent; and Cornerstone Counseling, 1.01 percent.


            For activity points (one point earned for every hour of exercise per person), the staff at Bellevue Public Library claimed bragging rights with 17.13 average activity points per person, per week. Second was the City of Bellevue staff with 13.02 points. The remaining teams included Immaculate Conception at 9.78, Bellevue Public Schools at 9.28, Mid-Ohio Sludge at 8.98, American Baler at 8.26, First National Bank at 6.85, Touch of Peace Massage at 6.63, Cornerstone Counseling at 6.44, and The Bellevue Hospital at 5.48.


            The top three Individual community winners for percentage of weight loss were, Laurie Stimmel, The Bellevue Hospital, 14.21%; Missy Eberle, The Bellevue Hospital, 14.04%; and Linda Daniel, Bellevue City Schools, 13.62%.

           
            The top three Individual community winners for Highest Activity Points were, Dave Foos, Bellevue City Schools, 392 points; Ed Sieger, City of Bellevue, 367 points; and Cody Cramer, Bellevue City Schools, 340 points.



           King noted that the second annual Healthy Lifestyle Challenge will get underway in the fall of 2010. Groups or businesses interested in learning more about the program can contact King at 419.483.4040, Ext. 4625.