MARIA HOWARDFitness Ruth Michaud and Brent Look, work friends at CJW Medical Center, are influencing each other and their colleagues in positive ways these days.

They're exercising regularly and eating better foods. That's because they're part of a six-month challenge among employees of the HCA Richmond Health System.

One week, Michaud brought a healthy lunch dish that she'd made over the weekend to share. The next week, Look did the same.

"We get the people around us thinking about it," Michaud said, "because we're talking about it during lunch and during work."

Look, who's married and has four children, has lost more than 10 pounds. "I've been getting a lot of encouragement from Ruth," he said.

"My habits aren't always the best," he added with a laugh.

But his changes are rubbing off on others. "I've encouraged my wife to start walking. . . . We're really trying to take a look at how we eat and why we exercise."

Michaud has always been active. She didn't need to lose weight but wanted to participate in the program to learn more about nutrition choices and to encourage her fellow teammates to stay on track.

The challenge began April 15 and ends Oct. 25. At the beginning, participants were checked for weight, cholesterol, blood pressure and other key measurements. The same measurements will be taken again at the end.

The team showing the most improvement will receive the Lifestyle Change Award at the American Heart Association's Heart Walk on Oct. 25 at Innsbrook.

The six-month challenge is a pilot program of the local American Heart Association. The HCA hospitals that have teams participating are CJW, Henrico Doctors' Hospital and Retreat Hospital.

Next year, the heart association hopes to include corporate teams from across central Virginia in the Start! Challenge. The six-month competition is an extension of the Start! Walking Day that the American Heart Association sponsors every April.

The heart association is constantly encouraging people to walk more to improve their health.

Patrick Farrell, president of HCA Richmond and a big supporter of heart association programs, said: "Walking is the single most effective way for many Americans to establish and stick with a physical activity program to improve their health."

With that in mind, the heart association recommended that the challenge participants walk at least 30 minutes a day five days a week during this six-month period. They also were encouraged to do strength training at least twice a week and eat healthy foods.

Nutrition tips - and even a "No-Fad Diet" cookbook - have been offered along the way.

Karen Hall, a team member at Retreat Hospital, was already doing Weight Watchers and had lost 35 pounds when she started the challenge. Since then, she's lost five more. She's shooting to lose 20 more pounds before the deadline in October.

Hall, a business office manager, has plenty of incentives. She has a family history of heart disease and diabetes. Plus, her husband suffered a heart attack two years ago.

"I wanted to be a role model for him," she said.

A bad knee keeps her from walking as much as the American Heart Association program prescribes. So she looks for other ways to get exercise.

"Since the pool opened, I've been trying to swim a half-hour every night," she said.

She'd be happy to get her weight down to a healthy level and feel more fit. "At 54, I'm not looking for a model's body," she said with a chuckle.