As participants weigh in this week for the 2013 Hamilton County Health Challenge, they’ll be given a new online tool to help them reach their goals.
A user-friendly program, offered courtesy of a Kansas City-based health company, Cerner Corporation, will help them track their own personal progress, as well as that of their two-person team.
It will show how each team is doing compared to the rest of the field, in terms of percentage weight loss.
It will provide a tool to receive recipes, exercises, as well as timely tips on how to stay motivated or get back on your game.
And it may even stir the competitive juices with a little trash talk among health-conscience friends. Thirty two-person teams weighed in on Monday, with one more day to step on the scales set for Thursday.

“One of the challenges we’ve had with previous health challenges is people getting really excited toward the beginning, and then losing engagement as they continue on,” explained Dane Sutherland, co-owner of the Aurora Fitness Center in Aurora, and an employee with the Cerner Corporation in Kansas City, Mo. “This is a tool that lets you visualize how well your team is doing. You never have to enter any information if you don’t want to, but it’s fun when those who do enter can see how they rank. We would recommend that people enter their weight frequently to see how you rank against the other teams.”
Sutherland, who bought the business in Aurora recently with his wife, Sara, noted that Cerner’s mission is to contribute to the systematic improvement of health care delivery and the health of communities.
The company used this online weight loss challenge tool with its own associates recently, along with several other communities throughout the United States. To date, 19,400 participants have lost a combined 69,802 pounds.
“Because we’re involved in Aurora, we really felt it lined up with Aurora’s community goals,” Sutherland said of the Cerner program. “Improving the health of this community is truly a personal mission for my wife and I.
“There is just a culture here that is special,” he added. “And, because we have family here, it’s personal. I’m just delighted to be able to provide another avenue to help people improve their own health.”
Participants weighing in for this year’s challenge will be asked to complete a two-minute registration process. There is no cost, and they will learn in a brief demonstration that the program lets them share as much or as little information as they desire. Please note that people of all ages can participate in the challenge, though you must be 18 or over to register with Cerner’s online program.
“If you don’t want to show your weight, you don’t have to,” Sutherland said. “This just creates a tool for players to maintain their level of engagement throughout the entire competition and they can do so in the comfort of their own home or on a mobile device.”
Communication can make a big difference, Sutherland noted, in providing the motivation it takes to complete the 100-day competition.
“People will be able to put a note out if they want to start a walking group or they can have fun and give each other a hard time, which increases the level of competitiveness,” he said. “When you make it easy for people to stay in touch, they tend to stay motivated. When you see how your competitors are doing, it brings out a healthy spirit.”
Weigh-ins are from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday (today) and Thursday, March 14 at the MCHI Physical Therapy Clinic on 5th and O streets. Teams are asked to weigh in at the same time. The entry fee is $5 per person.
Final weigh-ins are scheduled for June 17 and 20, with winners to be announced June 22 at the A’ROR’N Days Fun Run.
Prizes this year are $500 for the team with the highest percentage of weight loss, with $300 going for second and $200 for third. Another $100 will be awarded to the team with the most creative name.
In addition, drawings will be held shortly after weigh-in for two-month memberships to Jazzercise and the Aurora Fitness Center.
The 2013 Health Challenge sponsors include MCHI, the Aurora News-Register, Jazzercise, the Aurora Fitness Center, Aurora Mall, Jim’s U-Save Pharmacy and Pinnacle Bank.
For more information the health challenge’s online program, go to www.cernerhealthwins.com