The Race to Personal Victory
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Randy Carr
2012 Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon
Biggest Winner Weight Loss Challenge
CHAMPION |
“I was always so self-conscious and always felt like the fat kid standing on the sidelines on the playground,” says Randy Carr of Knoxville, “Too afraid to jump in, and not feeling like I belonged.”
Carr has been named the 2012 Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon Team’s Biggest Winner, not just for living healthy, but for his efforts encouraging others to do the same. It’s something he says he would have had trouble with not too long ago. A weight loss surgery patient, Carr became discouraged when pounds began to pile back on, particularly after a back injury stopped his exercise regimen. On the marathon team, Carr found the support and encouragement he had always needed to stick with a diet and exercise plan that worked. He made fast friends with like-minded team members who were on the same journey and received the support of experts at Covenant Health.
“Having their motivation and, at times, emotional support made this journey very special,” Carr says. When he’s energetic and enthusiastic, it’s not just a show now. It’s real and radiating from the inside out.
The Covenant Health Biggest Winner Weight Loss Challenge has impacted him so greatly he credits the experience with giving him the courage to pursue and obtain certification as a personal trainer. Carr hopes to work with other people who are obese and make a difference in their lives, the way his teammates and team leaders have made a difference in his.
"I want to share the best practices I have learned from this journey,” says Carr, “and continue to encourage others to work toward their weight loss and overall health improvement goals.”
A Strong Finish and a New Beginning
In November of 2011, a group of people met for the first time to compete against each other for a title. Today, they can say they are all Big Winners.
The Covenant Health Biggest Winner Weight Loss Challenge is a friendly competition that encourages East Tennesseans to get off the couch and get moving for a fit and healthy lifestyle. Team members train together for five months, with a goal of crossing the finish line in events at the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon. Race day caps off this program with team members crossing the finish line in Neyland Stadium. It's a true victory and a happy ending for the team, while at the same time being just the first step on an exciting path to the future.
“The goal of the Biggest Winner Weight Loss Challenge isn’t to see who can crash off the most pounds,” says Coach Missy Kane, “or to see who can cross the finish line first. It’s a springboard meant to help East Tennesseans improve their health and start a journey that will change their lives forever.”
That journey is fueled with information. Each team member is given an opportunity to learn from experts at Covenant Health, busting myths about diet and exercise and breaking through mental barriers to success in health and fitness.
“While the program is set up as a competition, the real goal is to make every team member a winner in the end,” says Kane. Kane reports team members say they have experienced benefits like lower cholesterol, reduction in medication, less joint pain, and a better attitude toward life. “They also say they simply feel better, now that they’ve ditched the junk food and gotten active.”
During this five-month, intensive program, team members were given access to Covenant Health resources including a registered dietitian, exercise physiologists, physical therapists at Covenant Therapy Center, a personal trainer/life coach at Fort Sanders Health and Fitness Center, and guidance from Kane, Covenant Health’s resident fitness expert. Team members were also provided with a pair of shoes from New Balance Knoxville to literally start their training on the right foot.
To learn more about Covenant Health’s tools for health, fitness, and weight loss, visit covenanthealth.com or call (865) 541-4500.
Check out notes from the Coach's Training Log
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