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The Skinny Clothes Team at Meritus Medical Center is comprised of Hallie Stotler, left, Shannon Gronholm, Nancy Rotz and Leona Vanloan. Meritus is one of 13 organizations in the Washington, D.C., area that is part of a company vs. company weight loss competition that continues through Thursday, Dec. 8. (By Ric Dugan/Staff Photographer) |
There are plenty of reasons why Nancy Rotz has been on a weight-loss mission.
A breast cancer survivor, she has become dedicated to leading a healthier lifestyle.
She wants to have more energy.
And she wants to wear her skinny clothes and stilettos.
But the biggest motivational tool is cold, hard cash.
Financial incentives are the latest wellness craze, inspiring some two-thirds of Americans who are overweight to shed those extra pounds.
In an effort to reduce health care costs, many companies have started tempting employees with vacations, gift cards and monetary rewards for getting in shape.
At Meritus Health, Rotz is among 120 employees participating in a contest offered by HealthyWage — a web-based company that arranges competitions to help individuals lose weight, begin exercise programs and make healthier choices.
The reward? Money.
Meritus is one of 13 organizations in the Washington, D.C., area currently part of a regional matchup — a company vs. company weight loss competition — that began Sept. 15 and continues through Dec. 8.
The team with the highest aggregate weight loss wins cash prizes: first place, $10,000; second place, $5,000; and third place, $3,000.
In addition, said Cynthia Earle, Meritus' community health education coordinator, the participating Meritus team that loses the most weight will win an additional cash prize.
Since the start of the competition, she said, employees have lost a combined total of 1,069.70 pounds.
Meritus has 24 teams each consisting of five employees, Earle said.
Among all the corporations in the matchup, "we have the largest number of participants," she noted.
The rules of the contest are pretty simple, Earle said. Participants have their weight verified at the start and at the end of the competition. During their weight-loss journey, each individual has access to online tools that support them in losing weight, including a social web portal for each team, education, personal progress log and discounted membership rates from local gyms.
"A free healthy weight lifestyle/weight management workshop sponsored by Tri-State Health Partners, as well as health coaching and the ability to join the 10,000 Steps-A-Day Walking Program are also available," she said.
In addition to cash prizes, Earle said there is another incentive for participating in the HealthyWage contest.
"A healthy lifestyle is the best gift one can ever give themselves," she said.
A breast cancer survivor, she has become dedicated to leading a healthier lifestyle.
She wants to have more energy.
And she wants to wear her skinny clothes and stilettos.
But the biggest motivational tool is cold, hard cash.
Financial incentives are the latest wellness craze, inspiring some two-thirds of Americans who are overweight to shed those extra pounds.
In an effort to reduce health care costs, many companies have started tempting employees with vacations, gift cards and monetary rewards for getting in shape.
At Meritus Health, Rotz is among 120 employees participating in a contest offered by HealthyWage — a web-based company that arranges competitions to help individuals lose weight, begin exercise programs and make healthier choices.
The reward? Money.
Meritus is one of 13 organizations in the Washington, D.C., area currently part of a regional matchup — a company vs. company weight loss competition — that began Sept. 15 and continues through Dec. 8.
The team with the highest aggregate weight loss wins cash prizes: first place, $10,000; second place, $5,000; and third place, $3,000.
In addition, said Cynthia Earle, Meritus' community health education coordinator, the participating Meritus team that loses the most weight will win an additional cash prize.
Since the start of the competition, she said, employees have lost a combined total of 1,069.70 pounds.
Meritus has 24 teams each consisting of five employees, Earle said.
Among all the corporations in the matchup, "we have the largest number of participants," she noted.
The rules of the contest are pretty simple, Earle said. Participants have their weight verified at the start and at the end of the competition. During their weight-loss journey, each individual has access to online tools that support them in losing weight, including a social web portal for each team, education, personal progress log and discounted membership rates from local gyms.
"A free healthy weight lifestyle/weight management workshop sponsored by Tri-State Health Partners, as well as health coaching and the ability to join the 10,000 Steps-A-Day Walking Program are also available," she said.
In addition to cash prizes, Earle said there is another incentive for participating in the HealthyWage contest.
"A healthy lifestyle is the best gift one can ever give themselves," she said.
