Lifestyle

Pandemic forces 2020 Fittest Loser teams to switch gears

Posted March 22, 2020 7:24 am

By Kat Polomsky kpolomsky@dailyherald.com

From left to right, Andrea Granias, Suzanne Thorson, George Sullivan, and Sheryl Donovan are using sanitizer and paper rolls as hand weights.

With the spread of the coronavirus, Fittest Loser Team Challenge sponsors have taken the necessary precautions to protect participants and the public.

Most activities have been put on hold because of the outbreak, but fortunately sponsors are taking action to provide online video activities for participants and the public.

Many teams are in the transitional stages of working from home and are doing their best to stay motivated and focused on the challenge.

In addition to setting up home offices, individuals are seeking ways to stay active.

George Sullivan, captain of "Hanover Net Loss" of the Hanover Park Finance Department, says his team members "have moved their exercise programs from the clubs to the living rooms and are working hard to reach the goal of 20 in 2020!"

Teams are exploring their home workout options, which include online videos, walking or running outdoors and dusting off old weights and equipment.

Kathy Muellner, captain for Mount Prospect Park District's "Just Results for MPPD," says she has shared some streaming workouts available on Amazon Prime, YouTube and Planet Fitness' "United We Move," which features trainers and celebrity guests for daily 20-minute workouts that can be viewed online at Facebook.com/planetfitness.

Other challenge sponsors are preparing content that can be viewed online, including the John B. Norris Recreation Center, which will provide workout videos that can be viewed at Facebook.com/NorrisRecCenter.

It's a difficult time for everyone, but it is vital to stay strong and work together to overcome these obstacles.

We encourage everyone to take this time to find daily routines that promote a healthy living through diet and exercise.

Set alarms every couple hours to move around or stretch. Try sitting down to relax with some meditation. Get creative and see what makes a good weight.

And remember: wash your hands, sanitize your equipment and don't stress eat!

• The Fittest Loser Team Challenge will honor top teams and individuals as determined by weight loss and participation in challenge activities. Those awards, as well as a team captain champion, will be announced at the Fittest Loser Finale on Tuesday, May 12, at Chandler's Banquets in Schaumburg. Participants and the general public are invited and can register at events.dailyherald.com. Follow the teams' progress and join the discussion on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheFittestLoserDH.

Several teams made it out to an evening 30-Minute Express Circuit at Planet Fitness in Schaumburg to sweat out a long day of work.

Danielle Valentin, Lisa McQueen, and Joanna Wildhart from the Arlington Heights team "Transformers" tried out some TRX workouts during a boot camp at Push Fitness in Schaumburg.

Eric Wahl, Michelle Sprainis, and Elizabeth Olcese are taking a break during a yoga class hosted at Athleta at Deer Park Town Center.

Fittest Loser teams gathered to get an inside look into Ed Poczatek's health journey at Dick Pond Athletics in Hoffman Estates.

Stacy Johnson, left, and Karlin Soelberg of Schaumburg Park District's "Schaumburg Shredders" enjoying a girls night event at Dick Pond Athletics.

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