- October 29, 2024
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It's official: the 10-week Get Fit Port Orange Health and Fitness Challenge is coming back to the city for the fifth year in a row.
Similar to a mayor's fitness challenge in other cities, the event, running from Sunday, March 25, to Thursday, May 31, brings together up to 150 participants who meet for group workouts at various locations.
According to Teresa Wiggins, special events supervisor for Parks and Recreation, while many people join the challenge to lose weight, it has also become a way for residents to be introduced to local partners and businesses in the city. Five community sponsors will be hosting the various exercise events.
"The city determined that part of our reason for having this is to improve the quality of life in our residents," Wiggins said. "Healthy residents are usually happier residents."
This year, the city is adding new sessions, including paddle boarding and a running workshop, in addition to incorporating elements that are geared toward healthy eating.
Wiggins said that on average there is a weight loss of 10.5 pounds for people who weigh in at the end. A total of 2,722 pounds have been lost throughout the four years.
Wiggins said that while participants are learning as they go through the program, a large part of the event is also about creating a group atmosphere where people can make new friends who will keep them on track with their fitness goals. Wiggins said that one group of people who met in the program still meets up to go to the same gym at 5:30 a.m. together.
Joining the challenge
Resident Terry Cain will be participating in the challenge for the first time this year. Cain, who calls herself "a very competitive person," said that last year she decided that she needed a challenge.
Cain challenged herself to lose weight and set a goal with milestones, eventually dropping below 200 pounds. She exceeded her goal by dropping 56 pounds in spite of sciatica for nearly five months.
The city's challenge is her next goal to reach. Cain, who is now 67, said one of the challenges of this will be staying healthy without a reoccurrence of the sciatica.
Cain said she is also looking forward to making new friends who push themselves and don't put others down.
"This challenge is my next step," Cain said. "I'll soon be 67. If not now, when?"
For more information visit port-orange.org/561/Get-Fit-Port-Orange.
