University Times

Five women who work on the 8th floor of the Cathedral of Learning have joined forces on a weight race team.

Provost’s office staff members Susan Borowski, Mary Anne Davis, Tonya LaRue Holloman and team captain Kit Ayars, as well as Joyce McDonald of the Center for Philosophy of Science, are meeting weekly to encourage each other and offer support and ideas.

“We believe we can help our colleagues as well as ourselves if we take a team approach. We are doing this for a broad range of reasons,” Ayars said. “Some are doing this primarily to remove some pounds, to learn to eat healthier and to be more active.”

Other motivations include trying to increase energy levels and a sense of well-being while balancing busy and sometimes complicated lives. Some members of Team POWER (Provost’s Office Women, Energized and Ready) also want to support the Pitt/UPMC Health Plan initiative, Ayars said.

“And one member of the team — she’ll remain nameless — noted, she’s doing it ‘for the money!’” Ayars joked.

As for team strategies, Ayars said, “We’re all wearing pedometers and getting a baseline for our activity levels this first week, with a goal of increasing those steps next week.” McDonald is organizing the team’s lunchtime walks.

Davis is encouraging each member of the group to keep a food journal to record both what she is eating and why. For example: Is she eating because of normal hunger? Stress? Or just to be sociable?

Other team strategies, Ayars said, include:

• Thinking about each other. “We’re all noticing that it’s easier to make the right choices about what we eat and whether we walk or drive because we feel responsible to the team. We want to help everyone on the team and we don’t want to let each other down.”

• Checking in with a co-worker or two every morning to ask how the previous evening went and if goals for the day were achieved. Borowski commented, “It’s like having a personal food counselor on hand all day long.”

• Combining walking with other activities. For example, Borowski, who is a musician, walks around the basement while practicing, and Davis is dancing with her husband every night for at least 20 minutes.

“So we’ve got Mary Ann dancing every night and Sue walking with her instruments every night, so the rest of us need to figure out our ‘musical strategy’ for moving more!” Ayars said.

Borowski said, “Before I entered the weight race I had already made up my mind that 2008 is going to be a special year that focuses intensely on good health and fitness.”

The timing of the weight race was ideal, Borowski said. “I thought this would be a perfect way to achieve better results because I would be part of a team. I have tried many other ways to reach fitness goals but they failed due to lack of inspiration. I feel our POWER team has the inspiration I need to keep me focused and on track these next few months. I especially liked the name POWER because it is a very strong and energetic word. That is exactly what it’s going to take for me personally to achieve my goal for this weight race.”

Ayars said, “Check back with us later to hear more — we don’t want to share all our secrets.

“This is a competition, after all!”

—Peter Hart