March 25, 2005

Be Fit: Materials Management gets motivated

Joe Panzera of Patient Transport in MGH Materials Management is a motivator. As the team leader of the Materials Management team in the Be Fit program — the 12-week nutrition and fitness pilot program sponsored by MGH Nutrition and Food Services and the Clubs at Charles River Park — Panzera has worked hard to help educate and lead his team to a healthier life. His team is competing with Buildings and Grounds, Environmental Services, Human Resources, Nutrition and Food Services, and a team of MGHers who belong to the Clubs.

Panzera, who has diabetes, was already a part of the MGH Look Ahead program — a 12-year study of diabetics — when he was asked to lead the Materials Management team. The Look Ahead program has given Panzera the knowledge about nutrition and exercise to lead his 15-member team to success. To date, his team has lost approximately four pounds per person.

Each week, Panzera (back row, second from right in team photo, right) gives his team a handout he creates to educate them on topics such as how to overcome negative thoughts, cues that can cause one to eat, understanding the need for exercise and setting reasonable goals.

Panzera's motivation has caught on throughout the department, and many of his team members now are taking the stairs and walking outside to get extra exercise. His enthusiasm also has reached outside the MGH as his team members have managed to get family members and friends involved.

"Some of us are looking for that magic bullet that will help us to lose weight and keep it off," says Panzera. "The Be Fit program has given people the right information about how to start living a healthy life. There is no magic bullet. If I want to lead a healthy life, it is up to me to put in the effort necessary to do it."

At the midpoint of the program, all six teams have lost a total of 519 pounds.