How to apply for Fittest Loser

This is the 10th year of the Fittest Loser and we are celebrating!

If you have an upcoming milestone in your life - a big birthday, special anniversary, family wedding, retirement - and you would like to improve your health and look your best, consider applying to our 2018 Fittest Loser Challenge.

It is also the sixth year of the At Work Challenge, which gives individuals the opportunity to work together on a team of co-workers to get fit. The challenge is sponsored by Amita Health and is open to teams of five from any type of company or workplace.

The Daily Herald is accepting applications for both the Fittest Loser Challenge and the Fittest Loser At Work Challenge through Jan. 19.

For the individual competition, the Daily Herald will select five contestants, who will receive 12 weeks of free instruction from a personal trainer from Push Fitness and a nutritionist. The program pairs each contestant with an individual trainer for one-on-one workouts, as well as group "boot camp" sessions.

Contestants will work out three days a week at Push Fitness in Schaumburg.

Participants will also be featured in before and after photos, plus stories highlighting their progress.

The Fittest Loser winner will be chosen based on percentage of weight lost.

In the At Work Challenge, teams compete against other teams in the friendly, 12-week competition that runs parallel to the Fittest Loser Challenge from February to May.

The winning team will receive a donation to the charity of its choice, as well as individual prizes.

Since the scores are reported only as a team, a sense of accountability to your teammates helps keep motivation high. The team scoring also offers a bit of privacy - no individual weights are ever published.

To apply for either of the Fittest Loser programs, go to events.dailyherald.com/fittest-loser/. Applications will be accepted through Monday, Jan. 19.