On-the-Job Weight Loss

Taking advantage of a lunch break.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Shai Garner knows that a healthy and happy staff makes for a healthy and happy clientele in her line of work. So, when she kept hearing her co-workers talk about how they needed to lose weight, she decided to do something about it.
Last month, the Willowbrook-based Staten Island Developmental Disabilities Services Office (SIDDSO) kicked off its first “The Biggest Loser” style contest. Four teams of up to 15 employees are competing to take home the title and lose as much weight as possible in three months. “I was thinking about how we can boost the morale of the staff and the individuals we service,” said Ms. Garner, a senior recreation therapist. “It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while. I was trying to pull together different activities to get the staff motivated.”