RADFORD – Radford City Schools employees are shedding pounds and competing to see who can be “The Biggest Loser.”
The competition kicked off this week, Superintendent Robert Graham said Monday, for the sixth year in a row. Graham said the employees have a chance to vie for five free year-long memberships to a local gym and other prizes, and save some money on their insurance premiums in the process.
Graham said the school system has partnered with its insurance provider, BPA Bestlife and others for “The Biggest Loser” competition, named after a television program that ran on NBC from 2004 until 2018.
“Just this year, we moved to a new insurance plan and are really trying emphasize and promote a healthy lifestyle for all faculty and staff members,” Graham said. “A friendly competition of this nature will hopefully encourage participation and emphasize how important wellness is to our staff and this profession.”
Participants are only required to do a weigh-in at the beginning and end of the competition on a scale provided by the school system. The weight-loss competition will be held until Thursday, April 18. School nurse Heather Jarrells had some advice for participants via email this week.
“This week is Week one and the week of April 18 is Week 14,” she said. “A healthy weight loss is typically one to two pounds per week, so don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t come off as quickly as you would like. I encourage goals for a healthier lifestyle that you can maintain. This will result in keeping the weight off and in a healthier you.”
All school employees and school board members can compete. BPA, consultants IIG, and New River Fitness, located in Radford, are all sponsoring the competition. Each participant will receive a Biometric Screening Shirt and one “wellness buck” point for each pound lost. The Wellness Bucks can be put toward an individual’s insurance deductible. The top five weight-loss winners will each receive a year’s membership to New River Fitness.
