April 15, 2005

Be Fit program energizes Environmental Services team

Without the right support and motivation, it can often be hard to stay on track with exercising and eating right. The MGH Environmental Services Be Fit team has not run into this problem because of the advice and support they have received from their personal trainer, Robert Chalukian of the Clubs at Charles River Park, and their nutritionist, Mary-Jon Ludy, MS, RD, of MGH Nutrition and Food Services. The Be Fit program is a 12-week nutrition and fitness pilot program sponsored by Nutrition and Food Services and the Clubs that includes six teams competing with each other for total weight loss.

The Environmental Services team (below) — led by Allan Dolinski and Tom Scalese — is divided into two groups to accommodate the day and evening shifts. The 19 team members have very active personal lives — with 42 children and three grandchildren. Many felt they did not have time to go to a gym to workout. But Chalukian helped change that perception by offering two or three workout sessions each week for group members to attend. He uses a variety of methods such as machines, free weights, medicine/stability balls and other functional apparatus to keep everyone interested and make the program fun. "The group workout sessions are a great way to keep the team motivated and have fun while doing something good for their bodies," says Chalukian.

Ludy has been thoroughly impressed with the progress the team is making in changing their eating habits. Her weekly sessions focus on a different nutrition topic and include demonstrations on reading labels properly and keeping portions under control. Ludy also has noticed that many of her team members are keeping food diaries and reviewing them in meetings to see what they can improve upon. "It's great to see how the team has picked up healthy eating habits," says Ludy. "But it's even better to hear how the team members' families and friends are getting on board."

With only two weeks left in the program, all six teams have lost a total of 617.5 pounds, have worked out at the gym 2,082 times and eaten 683 Nutralert meals.