MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. -- Combat Center personnel may have a hard time maintaining a healthy weight during the holiday season, which is why the
Marine Corps Community Services Semper Fit is hosting a program to help people stay on track.
Participants of the Winter Weight Loss Challenge will have their weight recorded and be able to sign up for one-on-one time with personal trainers at the East Gym and Fitness Center. Competitors will be split up into two brackets, one for males, the other for females.
“We have had a high number of overweight Marines lately,” said Lynda Rummel, the fitness manager and personal trainer at the East Gym. “A lot of these guys don’t make their weight – so we decided to challenge them to lose weight.
“If we turn it into a competition, hopefully they may be more driven to win,” she continued.
Although the program was designed to help Marines and sailors lose weight, Rummel opened the competition to all Combat Center personnel, to include family members.
Every Friday until Feb. 5, competitors will have to be weighed in at either the East Gym or the Community Center by one of the trainers.
“We understand people are going home for the holidays but we really stress the importance of weighing in the Friday they get back so they can continue with the competition,” Rummel said.
Upon request, participants can receive one-on-one classes from a trainer regarding healthy eating habits, serving sizes, emotional eating, food journals, metabolic conditioning and motivation.
Rose Reyes, a recreation assistant at the East Gym, said she is looking forward to the competition and has signed up to participate.
“I am well over my weight and I need to see about getting healthy,” said Reyes, a West Covina, Calif., native. “I saw what Lynda was putting together and thought, ‘Hey, this might be the motivation I need to lose the weight.’”
Reyes said she is glad she has the opportunity to use the Winter Weight Loss Challenge to motivate her since the employees at the gym understand her needs and are willing to work around her knee and hip injuries.
“Participants are welcome to use their own fitness and nutritional programs and still be part of the challenge,” Rummel said. “We have a lot of classes available to those who want to use our facilities – our spin class is a high-calorie burn program.”
The gym provides a wide range of aerobics classes including muscle mania, yoga, Pilates, and Zumba, which is a popular calorie burning Latin dance.
For more information regarding the Winter Weight Loss Program, contact Rummel at 830-6440.