Though she didn’t come away with the top prize, the Peninsula’s Green Fighter, Jamie Leggatt, said taking part in the healthy-eating competition over the past several months has been a “great experience.”
With an overall fat loss of more than nine pounds, plus an appreciation for eating fresh, natural foods, Leggatt said she plans to carry on with her healthy, active lifestyle now that the 13-week competition is complete.
“The biggest thing I’ve taken away from this is how important it is to eat real food,” the mother of two said. “Whole foods, foods that are in their natural states – not packaged foods.”
Leggatt was particularly proud that she was able to maintain her healthy eating and fitness goals despite changing jobs in the midst of the competition; she left her post as a communications co-ordinator for the City of White Rock in May and is now working as communications officer for the City of Chilliwack.
“It was definitely easier before when I didn’t have to commute,” she admitted, noting she’s on the road for more than two hours a day.
“I found a gym out here, and I try to go on my lunch break a few days a week. And I definitely have to make my lunches at night.”
Leggatt is also enjoying the physical perks of her new-found healthy lifestyle – she recently took part in a women’s mountain-biking event in Mission and has signed up for a five-kilomtre mud run in Chilliwack in the fall.
She said her healthy habits have even been picked up by her youngest daughter, who she said has always been a notoriously picky eater.
“She has opened up to trying new foods, like smoothies, which is a great way to get fruit into her,” she said.
The Kin’s Green Fighter Challenge kicked off March 1 and pitted 13 participants from around the Lower Mainland against one another, competing in a variety of health-related contests.
Kristen Macgregor, the Vancouver competitor, took home the top prize in the contest – which includes a free cruise – after losing 26.2 pounds of fat.