‘It’s on!’ for Team O-R Biggest Winner competition under way at Cameron Wellness Center
Kendra Boni, Wilfred R. Cameron Wellness Center fitness manager and personal trainer, instructs the Observer-Reporter team how to use a foam roller on their calf muscles. Boni encouraged the group to use the foam roller before and after training sessions to help with mobility and soreness.
Liz Rogers and Larry Butka work as partners while doing kettle bell chest presses during their Wednesday training session. The group did kettle bell swings, presses, rows and figure eights as part of their exercise.
Kelly Stanton and Jessica Tennant work on kettle bell chest presses during group training Wednesday as part of the Biggest Winner contest at the wellness center.
Exercise is far more than working your muscles.
In fact, did you ever think that working out may even help you feel happy?
According to statistics compiled by the Wilfred R. Cameron Wellness Center in South Strabane Township, sponsor and host of its fourth “Biggest Winner” competition, regular exercise and proper nutrition can help reduce body fat as well as protect against chronic diseases. Among other benefits cited are weight management, mood improvement, quality of sleep and blood pressure management.
The six members of the Observer-Reporter team in the competition undoubtedly already are feeling aches and pains in places they might not have imagined, as Kendra Boni, fitness manager at the wellness center and personal trainer of the O-R team, began cracking the fitness whip on Monday.
Boni said she intends to push the team hard throughout the competition.
“My goal is to have every individual on that team meet their short-term goal,” added Boni.
The O-R team consists of four women and two men: Larry Butka of Canonsburg, Carole DeAngelo of Canonsburg, Liz Rogers of South Strabane Township, Paul Setto of Canonsburg, Kelly Stanton of North Bethlehem Township and Jessica Tennant of Strabane.
Boni said “boot camp-style” workout routines the O-R team will face over the next five weeks include anything from kettle bells and “a lot of cardio” to sandbags and a strapped contraption known as a TRX, a suspension trainer that uses a person’s own body weight.
Feeling “happy” might be stretching it when it comes to the rigorous workouts.
“Muscle soreness is inevitable,” said Boni. “Week by week it gets better.”
In all, there are 10 teams in the competition, a takeoff on the long-running television reality series, “The Biggest Loser.” Each team has a certified personal trainer assigned to it. Teams are exercising four times a week through Feb. 20, with the O-R’s team starting at 6 a.m. The Biggest Winner will be determined by the greatest decrease in combined total body weight percentage of each team member over the entire program.
A contest within a contest, The Biggest Winner of the O-R team will be determined by the same criteria, and will receive a grand prize of a one-year membership to the center, courtesy of the Observer-Reporter and various businesses partnering with it. Other prizes will be awarded as well.
Boni said camaraderie among teammates and their trainer also can be viewed as one of the rewards of the program.
Each team member in the competition had measurements taken on Monday, the first day of the competition, and will again the last day. The measurements taken are the circumference of the waist, abdomen, hip, biceps and thigh. Team members also are weighed each Monday, in addition to having their blood pressure checked.
According to Boni, the focus for anyone beginning an exercise program never should be weight loss, and pointed to the emphasis on the circumference measurements used in the Biggest Winner. She said the body may gain muscle initially, which will help decrease circumference but not necessarily “make the bathroom scale drop.”
Also important when starting an exercise regime is to engage in activity that puts the least amount of stress on the joints as possible, Boni said. Exercises such as walking, swimming and biking are great ways to see how your body responds to an increase in activity.
Finally, Boni suggests starting gradually. She said as little as 10 consecutive minutes of exercise is proven to increase cardiovascular strength and bone health. She said slowly add time to your routine until you can exercise comfortably for 60 minutes.
As for the health benefits of exercise, consider the following findings, as compiled by the wellness center:
• Exercise lowers the risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis and certain cancers.
• Exercise burns calories and increases lean body mass, which ultimately controls a person’s weight.
• Exercise stimulates chemicals in the brain to make you feel happy and relaxed. It also helps reduce feelings of depression and anxiety.
• Exercise tends to help people fall asleep faster and maintain a deeper level of sleep throughout the night.
• Exercise raises high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, known widely as the “good” cholesterol, and lowers low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol. That combination will decrease the amount of harmful plaques that can build up on artery walls and keep blood flowing smoothly.
And what are Boni’s aspirations for the O-R team?
“I absolutely want them to win, and the other trainers want their teams to win, too, so, it’s on!”