Temecula Valley’s Newest Weight Loss Challege
After years of practice as a personal fitness trainer, Temecula’s Lindi Ince has learned that helping her clients establish healthy eating habits and a commitment to their fitness program are the key ingredients to success. She defines wellness as optimum weight through healthy eating and exercise. “Because we abuse our bodies, we have created all these health conditions that could have been avoided otherwise,” she told me. “Poor health can be prevented; it comes down to having the discipline,” she remarked.
Lindi recently discovered perhaps her best tool yet to help people achieve wellness. Her new weight loss challenge offers people a no-obligation opportunity to compete for cash prizes in a supportive, educational group setting. I talked with Lindi about how it works.
HT: What is the weight loss challenge and how does it work?
Lindi: I was lucky to stumble upon the weight loss challenge because this is exactly what I love to do. A recent study by Kaiser found that weight loss is more effective in a group setting, so this format is wonderful. It’s a 12-week program that educates the participants about proper nutrition and eating habits, which will result in greater fitness and weight loss. You get an educational component for one hour each week and you get a personal weight loss coach to guide you toward your weight loss goals.
The most exciting part is that out of each group, three winners receive cash prizes for accomplishing their goals.
HT: So, they come to the group every week for twelve weeks and it lasts for an hour. What do you do in the first group?
Lindi: First, you do measurements and set goals. Then, each week we talk about a different topic. We teach about protein, carbohydrates, essential nutrients, how to eat out and how to lose the weight and keep it off.
HT: It’s like an educational support group?
Lindi: Well, it’s a challenge. It’s $39.00 for people to enroll. We donate $10.00 of that to Fit Kids, which is a nationwide, non-profit organization to help prevent childhood obesity. Unless something changes, this is going to be the first generation where children may die before their parents due to childhood obesity. It’s a wake-up call for the nation. Something has to change. The numbers are alarming!
The remaining $29.00 of the enrollment fee goes into a pot and at the end of the challenge, the money gets divided among the top three participants who have lost the most weight. Results are calculated by the percentage of body weight lost, so anybody can win. It doesn’t matter if you have five pounds to lose or 100 pounds. That’s where the competition comes in. When we have a little bit of a challenge going on, we work harder for it.
HT: So, the amount of money in the pot depends on the size of the group?
Lindi: Yes. And everybody loves a little bit of friendly competition. The competition creates commitment and the people provide a supportive group where everybody is going to be motivated and it ensures solid results.
HT: Do people have to purchase anything during the 12 weeks?
Lindi: No. And we work with every kind of weight loss program out there. We will talk about supplements you can take because there are awesome weight loss products available that really get people results, but we don't require any purchase.
HT: And you are not making a profit from the $39.00, right?
Lindi: Right. That is all volunteer work. And we will support any weight loss program such as Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers, as long as it’s healthy. If you are already part of another program, you can still join our challenge.
HT: Why is this important to you?
Well, it is part of my mission and what I want to contribute to the community. More than thirty-four percent of Americans are very overweight. More than a third of the population over twenty years old is obese and that has doubled since 1980. It’s getting out of control.
I think twenty percent of children are obese at this point. Eventually, I want to start groups at schools, since the solution is all about the education. My mission is to get the awareness out there and get people to wake up and realize what’s going on. The people who come to my group are all going to get to their goal.
Challenges are starting in October and are filling up fast. For more information call Lindi at 760-622-6848.
