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ISSUE 9 | May 2017
5
Maintain, Don’t Gain
Challenge
From Cathi Mansbridge, HR Manager at Clayton Metals:
Let’s face it: dieting is hard enough most days of the year.
But coping with stress and the holidays makes it especially
difficult to avoid unwanted pounds. I wanted to bring back
Reliance’s
Maintain, Don’t Gain Challenge
from 2014! The
seven-week weight management challenge was designed
to encourage healthy choices and physical activity during
the holiday season. The goal was to maintain weight
within two pounds of the initial weigh-in. In previous
years, Clayton Metals did the Biggest Loser contest, but
we switched it up to the
Maintain, Don’t Gain Challenge
,
to give all employees the opportunity to participate.
Twenty employees signed up and an initial weigh-in and
weigh-out were mandatory. With a scale in the Human
Resources office, participants could weigh in any time to
see how they were doing. HR also maintained a chart for
participants to see how they were progressing. Seventeen
of the 20 completed the challenge, losing 35.2 pounds
total!
Truck driver, Tom Guindon, and Traffic Manager, Lee
Lasky, tied for first place. Both were given four hours to
add to their vacation accrual. Tom said, “The challenge
was a fair and friendly competition for all employees. I
needed a push to try and lose some weight. You have to
make up your own mind to try.” Lee is continuing to try to
lose more weight, and he would participate again if the
challenge is offered.
Other employees spoke about their experience: Stainless
Steel Product Manager, Rob Jaskula, said, “Having the
Challenge made me more aware of my eating habits
during the holidays.”
Debbie Malpede, Shipping/Receiving, who has been
with Clayton for over 25 years, stated, “I find that as I
am getting older, it is harder to lose weight. That’s why
this challenge is good for everyone who wants to stay on
track.” She added, “If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t
change you. You can’t finish if you don’t start.”
Outside Salesman, Mike Lipinski, participated in the
challenge because he realized how easy it is to gain
unexpected weight during the holidays and thought it
would be a good way to maintain. He ended up losing a
few pounds! He said he would recommend the challenge
and plans on participating again.
As HR Manager, I am always looking to keep our
employees engaged and earn their Wellness Credits. The
Maintain, Don’t Gain Challenge
was a success at Clayton
Metals and is a great addition to our wellness activities. I
plan to continue it in future holiday seasons!
Northern Illinois Steel Steps Up!
From Katie Worek, Controller at Northern Illinois Steel:
NIS put together a team to participate in the
Hustle Up
the Hancock
Stair Climb on February 26, 2017, for the
Respiratory Health Association. Our nine-member team,
the “NI Steel Beam Climbers,” all completed the 94-story
climb. It was a great day for a great cause!
This was our first time as a group doing this event for
the Respiratory Health Association. Our President, Mike
Ruth, got involved in the event a few years ago after his
mother passed away from lung cancer. He mentioned that
it would be a great team activity for the company.
Our inspiration and motivation for the event were Mike
Ruth’s mother and Jim Norman, an NIS employee with
Wellness Stories
over 25 years of service and a lung cancer survivor. Jim
was declared cancer-free and officially in remission in
December 2016. His wife and children participated in the
climb in his honor.
For most climbers, the reaction once reaching the top
was “That it was harder than I expected it to be.”
Casey Piper, Outside Sales, said that he “enjoyed the
camaraderie and team spirit.”
Brian Mostyn, Safety Analyst, added, “As challenging
as it was, participating in
Hustle Up The Hancock
was
an unforgettable experience. The
Hustle
is a wonderful
fundraiser for lung disease research, which has either
directly or indirectly impacted
each member of our team.
Struggling up those stairs
together was an amazing
teambuilding experience, and
we all felt a little closer on that
94th floor.”
We’re already working on
getting a bigger group to
participate in next year’s climb!
Have a Wellness or
Community story?
Email CorpComm@
rsac.comto let
us know and be
featured in a future
newsletter!