Frontiersman Editorial

It’s not often we can tout how exciting it is that we’re seeing less of each other around the Mat-Su Valley.

That collective sigh you heard last week was the final weigh-in for the first Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman Trim to Win community weight loss challenge. What started as an idea for a community service promotion last fall quickly snowballed into a full-fledged health and fitness frenzy. Overall, 740 residents signed up for Trim to Win in January and the 179 who completed the challenge and weighed in last week lost an inspiring 2,835 pounds, an average of more than 15.8 pounds per person. Some lost more, like the winner, who lost an impressive 60.3 pounds or 21.03% (featured on today’s front page), some less, but the result is that after three months of Trim to Winning the Valley is lighter and healthier.

We’re also pleased and proud of the reduction in our staff here at the Frontiersman. Although not eligible for Trim to Win, the seven employees here who participated in an internal contest lost nearly 9 percent of their combined body weight — 171.3 pounds. The most successful slimmed down by more than 55 pounds, while on average the newspaper staffers lost 24.5 pounds each.

While the $3,000 grand prize and other cash prizes for second- and third-place winners were certainly strong motivation for folks to give Trim to Win a try in the first place, the truth is we all win by adopting healthier lifestyles. We were pleasantly surprised at how well received Trim to Win has been. The 740 who weighed in to start the challenge were more than we could have imagined and the 24 percent who finished Trim to Win is a better turnout than many local elections. It shows that in Alaska and the Mat-Su Valley, good health is a priority.

One reason Trim to Win was such a success is the cooperative and encouraging atmosphere created by participants. A Trim to Win page on the Frontiersman’s Web site, www.frontiersman.com, has been popular. Blogging, sharing healthy recipes and giving encouragement to each other made losing weight and adopting healthier lifestyles an enjoyable event with a shared camaraderie. The support of our other sponsors, Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, Mat-Su Health Foundation and the AT&T Sports Center, was also instrumental. All went above and beyond, from hosting weigh-ins to informative workshops on nutrition and exercise, and providing free glucose and lipid panel screening to detect possible and current health risks.

We hope Trim to Win has been as rewarding for Frontiersman readers and Valley residents as it has been for us to host the event and offer our congratulations to all the “losers” in this contest. Please, continue to live healthy and happy in the Mat-Su Valley and remember, you don’t need to be in a contest to Trim to Win.