RIPPLE/Lindsay Craven
WXII weatherman Austin Caviness and morning anchor Mary Beth Brown pulled individuals aside for on-air interviews about their experiences with Transformation Nation. Those who attended the broadcasted workout did a grueling hour and 45 minute workout before being a part of Caviness and Brown’s final weigh-in.
RIPPLE/Lindsay Craven
The ladies of Transformation Nation get a chance to join Mary Beth Brown as she broadcasts her “Girl Talk” segment live from the Yadkin YMCA. Brown talked to the group about skinny jeans. One gentleman crashed the party so Brown asked how he felt about skinny jeans. He replied “I can’t get in them.”
RIPPLE/Lindsay Craven
A Transformation Nation member performs a crunch with weights during the broadcasted workout. The Yadkin Transformation Nation team was made up of six groups consisting of about 20 people per group. The groups performed one workout a week with a trainer and were given exercise schedules and a nutrition guide to help them through the rest of the week.
In February a group of 180 people joined together with a common goal: to lose as much collective weight as possible.
Fourteen weeks later they gathered together at the Yadkin County YMCA, along with WXII morning weatherman Austin Caviness and Girl Talk news anchor Mary Beth Brown, to put in a grueling workout and the last weigh in all in the name of a healthier lifestyle and a chance to be on daytime television.
After 14 weeks of steady workouts and healthier eating and lifestyles the group’s final weigh-in equated to 1,727.5 pounds amongst six groups. The final weigh in will take place on May 30 at the WXII studios.
YMCAs across the triad teamed up with local news station WXII to create Transformation Nation. Caviness and Brown led up the competition by creating a friendly on-air weight loss competition.
The idea came after Dr. Oz, a popular daytime television physician, created the same type of competition on national level.
The triad program was adjusted to be a group competition amongst local YMCAs. Participants were provided with a free 15-week weight loss program for anyone wishing to lose 10 or more pounds, weekly group workouts, weekly weigh-ins, personal trainers and wellness coaches, daily exercise schedules, nutritional advice and health resources provided by Novant Health, free childcare during workout times and a free t-shirt.
Anyone wishing to participate in the program without a YMCA membership enjoyed a waived joining fee. Nonmembers were also provided with a 19-visit card that allowed them to attend all weekly workout sessions and additional sessions for personal workouts.
The 180 participants were split into six groups of 30 people per group. Each group weighed in once a week for 15 weeks.
By the end of the 15-week session approximately 15 people dropped out. On May 23, 38 of the 165 Transformation Nation members gathered at 5 a.m. to put in another intensive workout and support Caviness and Brown in their final weigh-ins. One member even showed up at 3:45 a.m. to make sure that she would be included in the broadcasted workout.
The group spent an hour and a half of alternating jogging exercises and weights and calisthenics. Between workouts various team members were pulled aside to talk about their experiences with Transformation Nation with Caviness and Brown.
Brown even held her Girl Talk segment with the ladies in attendance and one male. Her segment was dedicated to women’s affinity for skinny jeans.
After an hour and 45 minutes of build up Caviness and Brown were ready to have their final weigh-in. The duo lost a total of 169 pounds.
Overall the Transformation Nation program led to about 16,000 pounds being shed across the triad. Clips of the Yadkin County YMCA teams were also featured on Dr. Oz and an evening special presented by WXII.
Reach Lindsay Craven at 679-2341 or at lcraven@heartlandpublications.com.
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