Jan 10, 2015 5 min read

Committing to a healthy lifestyle is a win-win proposal.

You may want to up your game by jogging instead of walking around a picturesque lake near home; play freeze tag with your grandchildren in the backyard without getting winded; handle stress at the office better, or simply boost your self-esteem. All would be considered wins.

And for a fourth year, the Wilfred R. Cameron Wellness Center in South Strabane Township, part of the Washington Health System, is making the pursuit of good health more fun with a competitive twist through its “Biggest Winner” contest. The Biggest Winner is an aggressive program that combines group fitness training and nutrition to maximize weight loss.

”Some people make New Year’s resolutions, so what a great program to be part of,” said Debbie Roytas, the center’s executive director.

Diane Heins, the center’s marketing coordinator, said the competition for the Biggest Winner title will run for six weeks, from Monday to Feb. 20. Members of the wellness center were able to choose from 10 teams, according to their preferred trainers and times. Teams will include nonmembers as well. There is a cost to participate.

Observer-Reporter will get into the fitness fray – a takeoff on the long-running “Biggest Loser” reality television show.

Observer-Reporter is proud to partner with the Wilfred R. Cameron Wellness Center of the Washington Health System and various other sponsors to bring our readers the Biggest Winner,” said Matt Miller, director of sales and marketing with the Observer Publishing Co. “Our plan is to chronicle the lives of six contestants as they turn their New Year’s resolution into a personal revolution.”

Members of the O-R team are Larry Butka of Canonsburg, Paul Setto of Canonsburg, Kelly Stanton of North Bethlehem Township and Jessica Tennant of Strabane. The two other contestants are O-R employees: Liz Rogers of South Strabane Township, editor, and Carole DeAngelo of Canonsburg, event marketing manager.

In detailing the program, Kendra Boni, fitness manager at the center, wrote that participants will exercise with their team four times a week for six weeks. Initial screenings of each participant include weight, circumference measurements and a resting blood pressure check. Age, height, activity level and measurements will be considered for each participant to determine total caloric allotment for each week. Participants are expected to keep a record of all food consumed each day. Every following week, participants will weigh in and have their food logs from the previous week reviewed.

Each team will be assigned a certified personal trainer, degreed exercise physiologists who will determine their routine each week.

”So there’s even some level of competition between the trainers,” Roytas said with a laugh.

Workout routines may include kettle bells, cardiovascular equipment, sand bags and TRXs, a suspension trainer that uses a person’s own body weight.

Exercise is only a part of the fitness equation.

A registered dietitian will attend group training sessions once a week for a half-hour to discuss a nutrition topic while exercising with the group. The dietitian will issue participants a nutrition challenge of some kind, for instance challenging them to drink a certain amount of water each day.

Observer-Reporter team, or two others on the staff will conduct them.

So, what will determine who reigns as the Biggest Winner?

The winning team will be based on the combined total body percentage weight over the entire program. Not only will each member of the winning team receive a coupon for 15 percent off a personal training package at the wellness center, but also “bragging rights,” Roytas said.

Team Kenny, comprised of four women and two men, was last year’s Biggest Winner, with a total weight loss of 104.6 pounds and total body percentage weight loss of 8.17.

Yet, there’s more to the Biggest Winner than losing weight or being victorious in a contest.

”The Biggest Winner is about more than just weight loss. It’s about committing to a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise and proper nutrition,” Miller added. “So many things we do in our daily lives – from going out to dinner to shopping at the grocery story to taking care of our teeth – have an impact on our overall well-being. We will uncover resources available right here in our community to help our readers make lasting changes to positively impact the health of their families.”

While it remains to be seen who will be the Biggest Winner this year, everyone completing the program will be winners as they test their inner selves.