Lisa Ginter’s original interest in the Fittest Execs and Fittest Companies Challenge was grounded in her personality: “I’m a very competitive person by nature,” says Ginter, the chief operating officer for CommunityAmerica Credit Union in Lenexa. “I was game for it.”

A regular routine of walking had kept her at what she considered an acceptable fitness level. Then came the reality check, in the form of the detailed pre-competition health assessment conducted by the Center for Health and Human Performance at the Jewish Community Center. A series of tests on the treadmill, leg press and bench press and more yielded a combined fitness score that prompted a self-reappraisal.
The test results, she said, “were very eye-opening for me.”

A proper fitness regimen, she said, “is going to mean more than two days a week; it means a commitment of at least six days, if not seven.”

With attitude adjusted, she heads into the holiday-season heart of the Challenge. When it concludes Jan. 15, she and 135 other competitors will have follow-up assessments to measure biometric improvements. What they learn in the process will be as important to the health of their organizations as it will be to the competitors themselves. The program is grounded in the belief that a fitter work force helps an organization improve its own fiscal health with lower premiums for company-paid health insurance.

Joining Ingram’s Magazine as the Presenting Sponsor is the Metropolitan Medical Society of Greater Kansas City. Other sponsors include the Center for Health and Human Performance as partners for the inaugural Fittest Execs Challenge are Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, Holmes Murphy and Associates and the YMCA of Greater Kansas City.

Along the way, competitors will not only be addressing the physical output that burns calories, but caloric intake, as well. On-line support from both the YMCA and Holmes Murphy will provide information on healthy nutritional choices. The overall goal is to produce fundamental changes in lifestyle, correcting behaviors that have contributed to the current policy debate in Washington over the nation’s health-care costs.

At Hoefer Wysocki Architects, employees so thoroughly embraced the Fittest Execs concept that principal David Wysocki was compelled to enter two teams. The response to his e-mail overture to the staff, he said, was stunning.

“There was overwhelming interest, a real positive reaction of ‘Pick me! Pick me!’” Wysocki said. “We decided to go with two teams because we look at health as being important in terms of the amount of time people take off for being sick and other wellness issues. We thought it was a good investment.”

Wysocki’s said his personal goal was to shed 20 pounds by Jan. 15, which means getting over a mental hurdle.

“The books and experts say it takes repetition of doing something 20 to 30 times before it becomes a habit,” he said, “so my hope is that by getting into this regimen and doing the repetition, it goes well beyond the end of competition.

“It really is a lifestyle change.”

For the Neighbors Construction team, that change sounds a lot like a dinner bell. Nancy Neighbors said they were dining on healthy meals prepared by her daughter, Chef Renee Kelly, who’s restaurant is also fielding a team.

“We’re eating and living healthier, and we’ll lose some weight, lower our cholesterol and blood pressure,” she said.

They’re also hitting the gym and stairstepper at the office, pushing one another to get active, even if it involves nothing more than a walk over lunch. “The main thing,” Neighbors said, “just do something.”

Get involved in the Fittest Execs and Fittest Companies Challenge by calling 816.842.9994 or go online at: http://www.IngramsOnLine.com/FittestExecs.pdf