Thinking big about a weighty issue

County employees and their families take the Fitness Challenge to get active and adopt a healthier lifestyle.

The county workforce is expanding—and not in a good way.

When Kaiser, the largest provider of health care to Los Angeles County workers, took a comprehensive look at employees’ vital statistics a few years back, it set off a big wakeup call at the Hall of Administration.

“The numbers were staggering to me,” said Lisa Garrett, the county’s director of personnel.

No wonder. Kaiser found that 76.7% of county employees enrolled in its plan were overweight or obese (compared to the national average of 69.2%.) What’s more, 37.3% had borderline or high cholesterol, 12.3% had high blood pressure and 7.9% were diabetic. Alarmingly, they also seemed to be passing the problem on to their kids, with 40% of enrolled employees’ children weighing in as overweight or obese as well.

“We’ve got to get ahead of it,” Garrett thought. And thus—in a partnership between Human Resources and Parks and Recreation—the Countywide Fitness Challenge was born in 2010.

As the 2013 Challenge rolls out starting this month, Garrett is adding a personal—and very public—dimension to the initiative.

At Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, she noted the large percentage of overweight county employees and declared: “I have to admit that I’m in that number. But just wait till after this year’s Countywide Fitness Challenge.”

Garrett’s UCLA cheerleading days may be a thing of the past, but she’s not afraid to get a little rah-rah when it comes to promoting fitness. And if that means going public with her intentions, so be it.

“I am coming out to say, ‘I am going to do it and you keep me honest about it,’ ”Garrett said in an interview afterward.

“I would love to get back to my college weight. I used to be a cheerleader in college. I said I’ll never see that uniform again, but I have it hanging in my closet,” she said, laughing.

Beyond that kind of motivation, there’s another powerful force at work.

“In my own family, obesity is an issue,” Garrett said. “I had a sister who had breast cancer and she passed away. My mother’s had cancer, my sister’s had a stroke. And the common thread with all three is that they were obese. So if I’m going to change that from happening to me, I’ve got to watch my weight.”

She already watches what she eats, so “I know the bottom line is going to be getting more active.”

For Garrett, like many employees, that will mean carving out time in a busy schedule.

“My day starts early and I’m here late,” she said. So she’s trying to schedule “walk and talk” late afternoon meetings that can be conducted while moving through Grand Park.

She’s also a big believer in taking advantage of all the free health testing available at Fitness Challenge events, which are held on weekends in all five supervisorial districts and are for employees, families and even pets. (Kickoff events are scheduled for May 18 at Whittier Narrows Recreation Area and May 21 at Grand Park, with other activities scheduled around the county in coming months.)

“For myself, it was at one of these events that I learned that my cholesterol range was going up,” Garrett said.

Free screenings offered include tests for glucose, blood pressure, body mass index and many others, along with fitness activities ranging from extreme boot camp to yoga, from power walking to hula hooping to Zumba.

Then there are the healthy cooking demonstrations.

“People are amazed at how delicious the food is,” Garrett said, recalling a tasty salad she sampled at one such event in Marina del Rey. “It had watermelon, fennel, mint and red onions, and it was absolutely delicious,” she said. “It has become a staple at our house because it is refreshing and healthy.”

In addition, the year-long Challenge features wellness newsletters, health fairs co-sponsored by county departments and labor groups, and the county’s popular Biggest Loser contest.

Amid all the challenges, there are some positive indicators—including the number of employees completing health assessments, in which they learn and begin tracking measurements like weight, blood pressure and cholesterol. The number of employees completing the assessments has gone from 1,502 in 2010 to 15,267 last year.

That kind of knowledge is power when it comes to preventing disease, she said.

“The bottom line is the Fitness Challenge is not a panacea for what ails us, but it will hopefully put the spotlight on the issue and the need to get more healthy as a county community. We could sit back and do nothing, but that’s not acceptable.”

Lisa Garrett, the county's Director of Personnel, is on a mission to raise employees' fitness awareness.

Posted 5/2/13