Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation is pleased to announce online registration is now open for Lighten Up Wisconsin, a five-month team weight-loss challenge that encourages team members to make small, realistic and permanent changes in their dietary and exercise habits that will last a lifetime.
Lighten Up Wisconsin is in it's fourth year and is gaining momentum and shedding more and more pounds each year with 6,500 participants from across Wisconsin in 2005.
"Lighten-Up Wisconsin can be a great supplement to a company's current health promotions program," says Nicole Vesely, Health Initiatives Director for Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation, "and it can also be a great way to start a health promotions program. Lighten-up's main focus is to combat one of the major problems facing our state and nation in general, that problem is obesity."
The number of obese adults in the U.S. has more then doubled in the last two decades from fifteen percent to thirty-one percent. "Lighten up is a great way to attack this problem in the work place. The cost to the company for running this program can be nothing unless they choose to cover the ten-dollars charge per person on a team. The Lighten Up staff does all of the work that goes into the program," said Vesely.
The Surgeon General reports that the cost of obesity related health issues reaches 117 billion dollars annually. By providing this program to employees, companies can save a lot of money in terms of healthcare. However, that is not the only benefit from the program. With this program companies are in charge of how it is run. In the past, some have created many teams and have an inter-company competition to keep the people motivated. This can create a better atmosphere within the office and can be used as a team building exercise.
The rewards for taking action against obesity can be great. A study done be the National Business Group on Health indicated that fifty-six percent of the companies surveyed show that there was an increase in company morale as a result of their fitness programs. It has also been shown that a healthier work place will result in better productivity and a more confident work force.
For more information and to register for Lighten Up Wisconsin log onto www.lightenupwisconsin.com or call 608.226.4780.
Lighten Up Wisconsin is presented by Ministry Health Care and supported by Charter Communications, Clear Channel, Donna M. Manning, Hydrite Chemical Company, The Princeton Club and event partner UW Health.
Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation is a nonprofit sports management organization that helps develop sports tourism in Wisconsin and promotes positive lifestyles and physical fitness through amateur athletic events and health education programs. WSDC owns the Badger State Games, the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame, the Wisconsin Sports Foundation, Paddle & Portage, Shape Up Wisconsin Kids, Lighten Up Wisconsin and the Fit Kids Challenge. WSDC is also the local host of Ironman Wisconsin.