Organizations compete to lose weight

Aiken Regional Medical Centers believes its employees can lose more weight than employees at Kimberly-Clark Corp. and Owens Corning.

Aiken Regional and the two companies will compete for the next 12 weeks in a corporate Team Lean Challenge to see whose employees can shed the most pounds. Team members were given passes to the Aiken County Family YMCA and will be weighed in every week.

Halfway through the competition, at the six-week mark, the teams will come together for group weigh-in, and prizes will be awarded to the team that has made the most progress. The most coveted prize, a trophy, will be awarded to the team that has lost the most weight at the end of the 12 weeks.

The Team Lean Challenge kicked off Monday. The competition engages and encourages members of the community, businesses and their employees to slim down and improve their lives.

"This is us kind of having fun while reaching out to the community," said Brittni Everhardt, communication specialist at Aiken Regional. "I know they're doing it for healthy reasons and to better their lifestyles."

In addition to the corporate Team Lean Challenge, the hospital has issued an internal challenge. Team Blue Bunnies, Team Red and Team Green are also competing against the others.

For the next several months, Aiken Regional will offer classes at its facility that are "geared toward eating and how to pick healthy foods," Everhardt said.

All classes are free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to bring a lunch. Each class will take place from noon until 1 p.m.

On Jan. 20, the class is Shape of Healthy You in Classroom B. On Feb. 3, the class is What To Put on Your Plate, to be held in Dining Room B. On March 17, the class is Supermarket to Suppertime to be in Dining Room A.

For more information on the classes, call 641-5926.