2013 Weight Loss Challenge Open to Heard County Residents

Tanner Health System and community partners are sponsoring the Get Healthy West Georgia 2013 Weight Loss Challenge from Jan. 28 to April 28, 2013.

The 12-week challenge is open to all residents over age 18 who live or work in Carroll, Haralson or Heard counties. This challenge is made possible by funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“Everyone at Tanner Health System is thrilled to be able to provide the tools, support and incentives for so many people in our community to take that first step toward changing their lives by participating in the 2013 Weight Loss Challenge. We’d like to thank the CDC and our community partners for making this possible,” said Denise Taylor, senior vice president and chief community health strategy and brand officer for Tanner Health System.

According to Gina Brandenburg, community outreach coordinator for Tanner Health System and Get Healthy West Georgia, the 2013 challenge is being promoted to the community with an advertising campaign that asks: What motivates you?

Brandenburg believes that if challenge participants can figure out what motivates them—their children, their friends, potential rewards or even their competitive natures—and use that to keep motivated during the 12-week challenge, then it will be relatively easy to achieve significant results.

To participate, area residents simply need to go online to www.GetHealthyWestGeorgia.org, register as a new user, complete a short health assessment and accept the invitation to join the 2013 Weight Loss Challenge.

Each participant will be able to create or join a team of five to 10 people, or register as an individual. They also will be asked to weigh-in prior to the start of the challenge and to choose a weigh-in location and time.

Weigh-ins will be held at various locations and times during the week of Jan. 20 to Jan. 27. The schedule is available on the Get Healthy West Georgia Web site. (Franklin weigh-in at Piggly Wiggly January 22, 2013 at 4:00 p.m.)

During the challenge, participants will use the Get Healthy West Georgia tracking tool to track their exercise and food intake, chart their weight loss progress and see how they are doing in comparison to others.

At the end of the 12-week program following a final weigh-in, the grand prize winner will win an Apple iPad 2, selected in a random drawing of all the participants who lose at least 10 percent of their body weight during the 12-week program.

Other prizes include a heart rate monitor/pedometer watch and personal training sessions. For more information on the 2013 Weight Loss Challenge, including the rewards and rules, visit www.GetHealthyWestGeorgia.org or call 770.836.9282.