Summit Athletic Club launches 30-day weight loss challenge, including free month of membership

Gym at the Summit Athletic Club River Road location, St. George, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Summit Athletic Club, St. George News

CONTRIBUTED CONTENT — Offering prizes for the biggest losers, as well as healthy lifestyle guidance for all participants, Summit Athletic Club is bringing back their 30-day “Ultimate Weight Loss Challenge.” 

Outdoor swimming pool at the Summit Athletic Club River Road location, St. George, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Summit Athletic Club, St. George News

“Weight loss and health isn’t ever really a destination,” fitness director Megan Dutson said. “It’s a journey, and the Ultimate Weight Loss Challenge just gives people a place to start.”

The challenge includes a free month of membership at Summit Athletic Club and access to a wide variety of amenities.

Online registration is now open to all Washington County residents. Starting weigh-ins will be held March 16-17, followed by a kickoff party the next evening.

Participants are grouped into three divisions: individuals age 18-59, individuals age 60 and over and teams of five. Cash prizes will be awarded to the first, second and third-place winners in each division. 

For current Summit members, there is no cost to enter. Nonmembers pay a $25 registration fee that will be refunded if the participant succeeds in losing 5% or more of their body weight during the challenge. Summit Zone functional training and virtual training are included, plus a complimentary T-shirt and lanyard.

Mandatory weigh-ins are scheduled for every Wednesday. Winners will be announced and prizes awarded on April 15. 

Gym at the Summit Athletic Club River Road location, St. George, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Summit Athletic Club, St. George News

“Our entire staff looks forward to it,” Dutson said. “Excitement is contagious, and people get excited about moving and feeling good.”

Summit provides the tools to set participants on the path to healthier living. At the kickoff party, personal trainers will be available for questions and to demonstrate how to use the gym equipment. Group fitness classes are a valuable resource to build a sense of community and find motivation. Nutritional guidance is also available. 

“We try to help them plan for success,” general manager Cally Peterson said. “We help them set up their goals and figure out what their ultimate goal is.” 

In the end, Peterson said the challenge is about much more than giving away cash. She hopes participants will find the motivation to step out of their comfort zone and try something new. Many people have the desire to join a gym and lose weight, but they often don’t know where to begin or what they should be doing. 

“Ultimately, we want everyone to be a winner – to start somewhere, to have a plan and be successful with their plan,” she said. “Hopefully, they want to get healthy and stay healthy and keep coming even when the challenge is over.”  

This is the sixth year that Summit has offered the Ultimate Weight Loss Challenge. At the end of the 2019 event, they refunded registration fees to 85% of participants who reached the weight loss goal. 

Peterson said it’s incredibly gratifying to connect with participants from previous challenges who have become Summit members and continued to follow a healthy lifestyle. 

“I see them in here all the time, and they look amazing,” she said. “They just stuck to it, stuck with it and it changed their life.”

Outdoor weightlifting zone at the Summit Athletic Club River Road location, St. George, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Summit Athletic Club, St. George News

People are far more likely to succeed in their fitness journey if they enjoy working out, Dutson said. Summit gives members the opportunity to figure out what keeps them motivated, whether it’s running, lifting weights or grooving at dance fitness classes.

“It’s a great place to come play around and see what you enjoy, pick that up as a habit and make that habit a lifestyle so that you’re feeling good and healthier overall,” she said. “That’s what we try to create for the community.”

Today, that community is more than 15,000 members strong. Summit has three locations – River Road, Bluff Street and Sunset Boulevard – and will soon break ground on a fourth on the west side of St. George. Member services include personal training, tanning, a supplement and smoothie bar, child care, pickleball, tennis, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, hot tubs and more than 180 weekly fitness classes. 

The club offers something for everybody, Peterson said. Whether they’re looking to lose weight, train for a specific fitness goal or simply become more active and meet new people, they’ll find it at Summit. 

“Just come in our doors and see for yourself, and hopefully you’ll want to be part of our Summit family,” she said. 

Written by ALEXA MORGAN for St. George News.

• S P O N S O R E D  C O N T E N T • 

Resources

  • Summit Athletic Club | Website.
  • Locations:
    • River Road | Address: 1532 E. 1450 South, St. George | Telephone: 435-628-5000
    • Bluff Street | Address: 963 S. Bluff St., St. George | Telephone: 435-261-8000
    • Sunset | Address: 1973 W. Sunset Blvd, St. George | Telephone: 435-628-2151

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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