Agin
http://sedaliademocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_KC-Agin-1.jpg
Agin
Asbury
http://sedaliademocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_Mari-Asbury-1.jpg
Asbury
Burch
http://sedaliademocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_Wendi-Burch-1.jpg
Burch
Caton
http://sedaliademocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_Ashley-Caton-1.jpg
Caton
Croka
http://sedaliademocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_Amber-Croka-1.jpg
Croka
Houston
http://sedaliademocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_Bobby-Houston-1.jpg
Houston
Jones
http://sedaliademocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_Wyatt-Jones-1.jpg
Jones
McNeeley
http://sedaliademocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_Dawn-McNeeley-1.jpg
McNeeley
Moore
http://sedaliademocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_Sean-Moore-1.jpg
Moore
Nichols
http://sedaliademocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_Delilah-Nichols-1.jpg
Nichols
Thomas
http://sedaliademocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_Taylor-Thomas-1.jpg
Thomas
Wilson
http://sedaliademocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_Patrick-Wilson-1.jpg
Wilson
http://sedaliademocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_HealthyULogo.jpg
From left, Wendi Burch, KC Agin and Dawn McNeeley try to complete as many sit-ups as they can in one minute during their Healthy U fitness evaluations at the Bothwell Education Center on Jan. 16. The 12 students were split into four groups of three and rotated through four stations during orientation.
http://sedaliademocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TSD012316HealthyU.jpg
From left, Wendi Burch, KC Agin and Dawn McNeeley try to complete as many sit-ups as they can in one minute during their Healthy U fitness evaluations at the Bothwell Education Center on Jan. 16. The 12 students were split into four groups of three and rotated through four stations during orientation.
From left, Wyatt Jones, Sean Moore and Patrick Wilson finish up the last of their push-ups in one minute during their Healthy U fitness evaluations at the Bothwell Education Center on Jan. 16. Fitness evaluations also included sit-ups in one minute and a timed half mile run on a treadmill.
http://sedaliademocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TSD012316HealthyU2.jpg
From left, Wyatt Jones, Sean Moore and Patrick Wilson finish up the last of their push-ups in one minute during their Healthy U fitness evaluations at the Bothwell Education Center on Jan. 16. Fitness evaluations also included sit-ups in one minute and a timed half mile run on a treadmill.
Healthy U volunteer Melissa Boeschen takes one of several measurements on Class of 2016 student Patrick Wilson. Students took a nutrition test while they waited their turn at the measurement station.
http://sedaliademocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TSD012316HealthyU3.jpg
Healthy U volunteer Melissa Boeschen takes one of several measurements on Class of 2016 student Patrick Wilson. Students took a nutrition test while they waited their turn at the measurement station.
Healthy U volunteer Melissa Boeschen takes one of several measurements on Class of 2016 student Sean Moore.
http://sedaliademocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TSD012316HealthyU4.jpg
Healthy U volunteer Melissa Boeschen takes one of several measurements on Class of 2016 student Sean Moore.
KC Agin
Age: 44
Hometown: Sedalia
Starting weight: 306.6
Why? “I knew April from last year and she was a big motivator.”
Goals: “Be able to keep up with my grandkid. Just be a healthier me, a better me.”
What are you looking forward to? “Making 12 new best friends.”
Mari Asbury
Age: 51
Hometown: Sedalia
Starting weight: 227.4
Why? “I want to get healthy, learn to eat healthy foods, not fast food. Cook good stuff.”
Goals: “It’s been a long time since I’ve worked out, I want to be able to do that. My big thing is to ride horses with my grandson; he’s 4. And to be healthy for once.”
What are you looking forward to? “I look forward to meeting with this group, this group is amazing already. Just the little bit that we’ve met, our personalities, the laughter, I’m sure there’s going to be tears. I look forward to the work and the learning process.”
Wendi Burch
Age: 44
Hometown: Sedalia
Starting weight: 288.8
Why? “I needed to get healthy for my kids.”
Goals: “My big goal is I want a 1 as my first number. I don’t care if it’s a 199.9, it’s a 1. I want to be able to run with my kids and not be tired. And my big, big goal is I want to run the Tough Mudder.”
What are you looking forward to? “A good butt-kicking.”
Ashley Caton
Age: 32
Hometown: Sedalia
Starting weight: 250.4
Why? “I’m at the biggest weight that I’ve ever been and I knew I needed a drastic change.”
Goals: “I want to be physically stronger and I want a healthy lifestyle change.”
What are you looking forward to? “Hitting my goals and inspiring others to do the same, to keep pushing on to hit their goals as well.”
Amber Croka
Age: 31
Hometown: Sedalia
Starting weight: 312.4
Why? “I saw a picture of myself and it motivated me to make a change. Then I started noticing I had health problems.”
Goals: “I want to get stronger. Of course I want to lose weight, but I also want to gain some self-esteem and run, in general.”
What are you looking forward to? “I’m looking forward to the community Healthy U provides. It seems everyone is a tight knit group and having that support will really help build me up, as well as all of us as a group.”
Bobby Houston
Age: 26
Hometown: Sedalia
Starting weight: 204.6
Why? “To feel better about myself. Have more energy, all those things.”
Goals: “I want to do one pull-up. Being able to run and not even long distances, but being able to run and not get so worn out so quick. Have more energy to play with my kids.”
What are you looking forward to? “Just the change, the huge life change; how much better I’m going to be all around.”
Wyatt Jones
Age: 32
Hometown: Sedalia
Starting weight: 269.2
Why? “I was doing my own weight loss thing and I hit a plateau, and it was one of those things where I was doing it and I didn’t really know what I was doing, I was just kind of winging it. My neighbor told me about this program and I signed up for it.”
Goals: “I want to lose weight and I want to get my energy back and get into hiking, trails. I’ve never been a super athletic guy but I want to get into that kind of stuff.”
What are you looking forward to? “The entire thing really — the camaraderie, the knowledge, the ability to move forward and inspire people. And the change, changing everything.”
Dawn McNeeley
Age: 42
Hometown: Smithton
Starting weight: 275.2
Why? “To change my lifestyle not only myself but for my family as well, to incorporate a healthier lifestyle for all of us.
Goals: “To try to incorporate all of these healthy lifestyle changes not only with my family but also with everybody I come in contact with.”
What are you looking forward to? “Just the camaraderie and the support I know I’ll get with my classmates and with my coaches.”
Sean Moore
Age: 32
Hometown: Sedalia
Starting weight: 271
Why? “I anted to do it because I had tried for awhile to do it on my own. I’ve done it on my own in the past and then gone back up in weight; I’ve done a lot of yo-yo diets. … I’ve done everything except what I probably should have done, so in talking with people at church and friends of mine who had seen what I was doing, and (former student) Jamie talked to me about it. … It really got me going when I turned in the application and I could finally figure it all out the right way and not just continue to be a yo-yo dieter.”
Goals: “I want to beat my personal best 10K time; I want to run a 10K in 57 minutes or less — that’s my biggest goal. Ultimately I want to be able to play with my kids and not get winded running up and down the stairs and I want to get some of that energy back.”
What are you looking forward to? “I’m looking forward to the whole process. In talking with former members of Healthy U, just the camaraderie and meeting new people, taking different people’s experiences and learning from those as we go through this thing together. I’m excited it is a year so it’s a long-term thing, not a quick fix.”
Delilah Nichols
Age: 54
Hometown: Sedalia
Starting weight: 230.6
Why? “This was the last resort — I have not been motivated on my own and I attended a conference in Kansas City in October on the Plaza and we had to walk a great distance and climb this hill and I thought I was going to die; I was just so out of shape and I thought, ‘I’ve got to do something.’”
Goals: “To reach a comfortable and maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle.”
What are you looking forward to? “To take control of my life.”
Taylor Thomas
Age: 30
Hometown: Sedalia
Starting weight: 204.4
Why? “To become healthier so I can play with my kids more and do more things with them.”
Goals: “Some of mine are fitness, like I want to be able to pull my twins down the trail while riding my bike with my son for an extended period of time. I just signed up for the Tough Mudder in October so I’m excited to get ready for that.”
What are you looking forward to? “Getting back into exercise and to really learn about the nutrition side — how to make better food choices and how to make healthy food taste good.”
Patrick Wilson
Age: 22
Hometown: Sedalia
Starting weight: 233.8
Why? “I have a couple colleagues that I taught with at the (Sedalia) Middle School that did it and I saw the change that it made in them and I wasn’t sure if I would get selected or not but I figured it was worth a shot.”
Goals: “I’d like to be able to run a half marathon and I don’t really care about the number as much. I want to look good again and I want to feel good. I want to compete in a couple CrossFit competitions.
What are you looking forward to? “I’m excited to learn more about my body and how it works and what it can take and what it can’t take. Learning the science behind everything and getting ready for a lifestyle change.”
Starting weight is from Jan. 16. Information compiled by Nicole Cooke.