Dump the Plump

Pounding feet, dozens of sneakers, sweat, conversation, and a buzz in the air! This is what I witnessed while teaching a class at an insurance company. During lunchtime I saw men and women walk past me, and then a few minutes later I saw the same people walk right by me again. I said to my host, “What is going on?” She said, “Those are individuals who are participating in the company ‘Dump Your Plump’ employee wellness competition.”

What is Dump Your Plump? It’s a 10-week team competition designed to help employees set and achieve a daily, 30-minute exercise goal and a personal weight-loss goal of up to 20 pounds. Teams whose members each document their daily exercise and meet their preset personal weight-loss goal can win prizes at the end of the competition. Is that cool or what?

I know there is a wellness movement afoot in America and what better way to enlist people to get proactively involved in their health than to partner with another colleague? That’s how to release brilliance.

I noticed that the real key to the program was peer support. Employees were not doing it by themselves. They had another person walking with them, talking to them, and supporting them. This reminds me of the experiment by psychologists to see how long a person could stand barefoot in a bucket of ice water. They discovered that those who lasted the longest were cheered on and supported by team members who said, “You can do it…yes, you can!”

If you are ready to dump your plump, then find a friend and make it happen.