Forty young women in Anguilla are slimmer and have begun to live healthier lives as a result of a weight loss initiative of the Nutrition and Health Promotion Department of the Health Authority.
The three-month initiative, called the Second Annual 150 pounds Weight Loss Challenge, climaxed with a grand finale and award ceremony at La Vue on Thursday, July 27.
Although much emphasis was placed on individual health and wellness fitness, there were four competing teams, each of which set out to lose the most possible number of pounds within the competitive period.
The teams and their weight loss were as follows – First place: Green Giants with a loss of 96.4 pounds; second: Red Firefighters, 79.2 pounds; third: Cool Blues, 74.6 pounds; and fourth place: Yellow Determinators, 70.2 pounds.
Each member of the winning Green Giants received two months free gym membership at La Severine Fitness Centre. They were Shanelle Browne, Roxanne Tittle, Cleo Fleming, Beverly Harrigan, Deslyn Harrigan, Leroy Hill, Michelle Pradel, Tomasha Connor and Jody Ann Dunn.
Among the individual participants who achieved the highest percentage weight loss were: the first place winner, Valencia Williams, who lost 9.4 percent of her initial bodyweight, equivalent to 26.2 pounds, was awarded three months free gym membership sponsored by Dungeon Gym; second place, Sherine Sasso with 9.4 percent, equivalent to 16.4 pounds; and third place, Shemar Jones with 8.3 percent, the equivalent of 18.4 pounds. They, too, won different prizes including overnight hotel stays, free gym membership and, in one case, a massage.
The weight loss participants were commended by Mrs Vernice Battick, Coordinator of Nutrition and Health. She described the weight loss challenge as having been a prevention strategy aimed at encouraging members of the public to adopt healthy lifestyle practices.
The objective of the weight loss programme is to reduce the incidence of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cancer.
