Knowland’s third annual Fitness Challenge kicked off to a great start on April 26, 2012 in the Salisbury office. More than 100 employees participated this year – that’s over 75% of the entire company! During the launch, each Knowland participant weighed in to record their beginning weight and body fat measurement. Our company Trainer, Dave, was on site in Salisbury to provide tips, motivation and guidance for the upcoming challenge. When everyone took part in their final weigh-in on September 27th, each Knowland participant was told how much weight they lost. Two weeks after the final weigh-in, Trainer Dave came back to Salisbury and announced the winners of the 2012 Fitness Challenge. As a company, Knowland lost a total of 320.6 pounds!
Knowland is pleased to announce that Jamie Lee Decher from the Salisbury Office has won 1st place in the 2012 Fitness Challenge for the highest percentage of body weight lost and total percentage of body fat lost. Knowland provided Jamie a complimentary trip for two for a two-night stay at any of Knowland’s client hotels within 600 miles; she picked New Orleans as her prize destination. Jamie also received $500 for spending cash and three days of PTO.
Jamie decided that she wanted to get serious about losing weight in 2012; her goal was to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle. When she signed up to participate in Knowland’s Fitness Challenge, she was unconvinced that she would win, but rather, her focus was to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle.
Jamie’s path to success began with creating a diet plan, consisting of lean proteins, fresh poultry, fruits, whole grains, veggies, grilled foods, and other healthy alternatives. She portioned out her meals into smaller servings and tracked how many calories she ate each day with an iPhone app. Her goal was to eat roughly 1200 calories a day. She worked out at home four to five times a week in the evening with her best friend after her three year-old son would go to bed. She used Jillian Michael’s “Ripped in 30 Days” workout DVD to help stay on track and meet her fitness goals.
Jamie’s path to losing weight was not always easy. The first night when she began her new workout routine she got sick, but that did not stop her. She stuck to her diet and workout plan.
By the end of the Fitness Challenge, Jamie had lost more than 70 pounds!!!
“It was AWESOME! People noticed I was losing weight and they began complimenting me; it felt great,” said Jamie. “I loved losing the weight and I’m still working on it. I have so much more energy since I lost the weight and it feels great. My mother was so inspired by the weight that I lost that she began a similar weight loss plan and has since lost nearly 30 pounds”
Jamie chose to travel to New Orleans for her complimentary trip. She took her best friend and they stayed at the Hotel Mazarin in New Orleans(Target Net client). “I have always wanted to go to New Orleans because it seemed like it would be a really fun time”, said Jamie. “Everything was great. There was incredible food everywhere; I loved exploring and wandering around the city. I am planning another trip to go back during Mardi Gras.”
Jamie plans to do a Fitness Challenge each year and she continues to live a healthy lifestyle.
Congratulations, Jamie, on your incredible journey! We hope that Jamie’s story inspires others to lose weight and stay fit. We look forward to the 2013 Knowland Fitness Challenge!
