With weight loss being a popular resolution, one reason people may not meet their goals could be that the resolution is "to go on a diet" and not to live a balanced, healthy lifestyle. For the next ten weeks, there is an opportunity to begin again with education, support and the chance to win prizes.
Through the Wellness Center of Jacksonville State University and JSU Wellness-Anniston, people throughout Calhoun County are encouraged to participate in the state-wide public awareness campaign, Scale Back Alabama.
This campaign is hosted by Alabama's hospitals and the Alabama Department of Public Health.
According to its Web site, last year's campaign saw more than 40,000 Alabamians reach a reported weight loss of nearly 200,000 pounds.
As Scale Back Alabama begins its fourth year, JSU is joining with people from nearly every county in the state to foster an enjoyable and educational way to lose weight and gain a new way of living.
Gina Mabrey, Wellness Center instructor, says, "Scale Back Alabama is a great way to kick-start a weight loss program or reach a weight goal from a New Year's resolution."
To get started, gather a team of four people and sign up this week at the Wellness Center in Pete Mathews Coliseum or at JSU Wellness-Anniston, located at The Bridge on Noble Street. The goal of the campaign is for each team member to lose one pound each week during the ten weeks beginning the first week of February.
"The team mentality is often more motivating because someone is relying on you each week to keep them accountable and be successful too," says Mabrey. "The JSU Wellness Center is hoping to encourage employees to be more aware of their health and help them to address the challenges regarding obesity."
In previous years, the final weigh-in date conflicted with the university's calendar and took place during spring break. Mabrey says, after several requests, the Scale Back Alabama coordinators moved the dates this year to accommodate more Alabamians.
In addition to working alongside team members, participants will also receive support, education and encouragement from the Wellness Center through a series of "lunch and learns." These sessions are not mandatory, but they will be valuable. Participants need only to bring a brown bag lunch and meet in room 220 of Stephenson Hall on the JSU campus.
"The topics covered [in the sessions] will include goal setting, portion sizes, incorporating milk, fruits and vegetables into the diet, eating less sugar, eating out and budget meal planning," says Mabrey.
In addition to weight loss, there will also be several drawings for prizes participants can win. At the end of the campaign, participants meeting the ten pound weight loss goal will be in the running for one of fifty statewide prizes of $100 each. Also, the four-person teams with all members losing at least ten pounds will be eligible for one of three grand prizes. For the first team drawn, each successful member will win $1,000.
"I hope many of our employees are eligible for the prize drawings, which means they have all been successful in losing at least ten pounds each," says Mabrey. "You don't have to make healthy choices every single time, but it is important to make them more often than not. I also hope JSU becomes more aware of how individual efforts to be healthy can affect the entire population in regards to lowering health care costs."
For more information, contact Gina Mabrey at the JSU Campus Wellness Center at 256-782-5114 or gmabrey@jsu.edu.
There is no cost to participate in this campaign, so what do you have to lose? Only weight!
Erin Chupp, a freelance writer for the Office of Marketing and Communications, contributed to this article.
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