Strive for Five kicks off today

Alabama may be the third fattest state in America, but some UA employees said they hope they won't be contributing to those rankings.

Today marks the beginning of the "Strive for Five" program, a health improvement program created by the Office of Health Promotion and Wellness designed to encourage University staff and faculty members to adopt healthy lifestyles.

Teams of three to five employees will be encouraged to participate in two of five categories: move for five days per week for at least 30 minutes, drink five cups of water per day, lose 5 percent of the team's body weight or maintain their weight, eat five fruits and vegetables per day and think five positive health messages per week.

Employees from DCH Regional Medical Center, the City of Tuscaloosa, Nucor Steel, Inc. and the American Heart Association will also participate in the new program.

Rebecca Kelly, director of the Office of Health and Wellness Promotions, said she came up with the program because she saw a need to promote healthy habits and increase activity on campus.

"We hope to provide a vehicle to help individuals change their lifestyles with group support and a fun program," she said.

A study released last month by the Trust for America's Health ranked the state third in adult obesity and fifth for physical inactivity. The study found 29.4 percent of adults are obese and 29.5 percent don't exercise.

The registration numbers for the University's program, however, show UA employees are more than up to the challenge of keeping fit and healthy. Kelly said more than 500 UA participants, who make up about 150 teams, had registered as of Tuesday, and more are expected to join the program.

Twelve hundred community employees are estimated to register as well.

The program is not a competition but a health improvement challenge, and Kelly emphasized the goal is not quick weight loss but instead to make healthy choices to improve and maintain health in the long run.

Participants will check in weekly for the duration of the program, which ends Nov. 7.

While all team members are expected to participate in two categories of "Strive For Five," they are encouraged to do as many as possible. Kelly said the program was first tested on employees in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. The 24 participants lost a total of 61 pounds in 60 days but said striving for all five changes was too much.

"We learned very quickly that asking people to do too much only results in people not wanting to participate because it becomes so overwhelming," Kelly said. "We encourage participation in all [of the categories], but we realize making one or two changes at a time is more realistic and therefore they'll be more successful."

Kelly said the goal for next year is to have students participate as well.

"This will serve as a pilot for us for next year when we'll roll out a much larger campaign," she said.