Christine Larsen’s lunchtime routine includes group fitness classes or attending Weight Watchers meetings, and she does all of this without ever leaving the confines of her workplace. The routine has helped the 39-year-old shed more than 70 pounds over the past two years.

Larsen, a claims reviewer at Principal Financial Group Inc., is one of seven Central Iowans who recently received a Light of Wellness Award from the Wellness Council of Iowa for making positive lifestyle changes as a result of participation in company-sponsored wellness programs. The winners for the second-annual program were selected from nominations submitted by the Wellness Council of Iowa’s member organizations.

As a busy working mom, fitness goals were not a part of Larsen’s life until May 2005, when she heard that a friend of her best friend had died suddenly from a heart attack. This hit home with Larsen, because the woman was about her age and left behind a young child. Larsen, a mother of two, joined “Weight Watchers at Work” at Principal two weeks later. She started taking classes at the company’s fitness center last summer and is now a self-described “exercise fanatic.” Not only does she work out over lunchtime, but she also does Tae Bo at home five days a week.

“My whole outlook on life has changed,” Larsen said. “I realized that I need to take time for myself to clear my head so that I can be a better mom, a better wife and a better employee.”

Larsen has made good friends through her company’s Weight Watchers program, and support from co-workers and fitness center leaders helps her stay on track with her goals. She also tries to motivate others to be more active. In her department of about 125 people, she has partnered with a co-worker to organize an informal fitness challenge.

“I have a much more positive attitude and I have also seen the benefits of being more productive in work and having more confidence for new challenges,” she said.

Bruce Ritchie, a speech therapist at Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines, also received a Light of Wellness Award. Ritchie, 57, was an avid runner and cyclist who exercised every morning when he started working at Mercy in 1988. But over the course   of caring for his wife, who passed away last year from multiple sclerosis, he let his health slide and ate a lot of fast food. As his blood pressure reached new highs and he found himself 100 pounds heavier than he wanted to be, he committed to taking control of his health.

Ritchie is an active participant in Mercy’s “Wow 4U” employee wellness program, which has taught him a lot about proper nutrition and hydration. He also credits Weight Watchers for helping him shed unwanted pounds. He lost 76 pounds and has maintained his weight since September 2004.

Although Ritchie’s life gets busy at times with his work, family responsibilities and participation in the Iowa National Guard, he makes exercise and good eating habits a top priority. If he starts to slack off, he looks to role models within his workplace.

“Our CEO, Dave Vellinga, exercises a ton,” Ritchie said. “That is good   motivation. If a leader of a big organization like this can find time to exercise, then someone with far less responsibilities, like myself, can find the time too.”

Andrew Namanny, who manages the frozen food and dairy departments at Hy-Vee Inc.’s Ankeny store, has lost a remarkable 190 pounds since the beginning of 2006.

“I was only 27 years old and I was already on medications for blood pressure and cholesterol,” Namanny said. “My doctor told me that if I wanted to watch my young son grow up, I had to make changes.”

Namanny made drastic changes to his lifestyle last year when his company was organizing teams for its annual Lighten Up Hy-Vee competition, a spinoff of Lighten Up Iowa. He combined his increased physical activity with participation in Weight Watchers, which has helped him gain control of his eating habits.

“I’m a big believer in having people around you working toward the same goals,” Namanny said. “If you can help others and they can support you, it helps a lot.”

Ruta Seskis, a senior program analyst for Drake University, secretly likes taking the fitness classes offered at the college because it reminds her that she is in as good, if not better, shape than some of the 20-year-olds taking the classes.

Seskis is 64 years old and one of Drake’s best advocates for its campus wellness program.

Instead of slowing down as she gets older, Seskis exercises up to   three times a day, with lunchtime workouts on campus, walking her dogs 2.5 miles after work and sometimes pedaling on her stationary bicycle or lifting free weights while watching TV in the evenings. Seskis said she is motivated by fending off the effects of “gravity.”

“The older you get, the more crucial it is to exercise,” Seskis said. “It helps you maintain muscle tone and be more stable on your feet. I work with a lot of elderly people through my church who have a hard time getting around, and I don’t want that to be me.”

Seskis lost 10 pounds this year and lowered her blood pressure through a campus wellness program called “Resolution Solutions.” She credits exercise for getting her blood pressure under control, lowering her blood sugar to help her Type II diabetes and curing her plantar fasciitis. She is a “cheerleader” for her co-workers to take advantage of the campus wellness programs.

The other Light of Wellness Award winners were Kristy Oswald, a   neonatal transport nurse from Iowa Health – Des Moines; Sylvia   Paglia, an accounting specialist at   Principal Financial Group Inc.; and Luther Lehman, a facilities operations manager for Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc.

As part of the awards dinner on April 23, four local business leaders also were recognized for supporting a healthy work environment: Doug Reichardt, chairman and CEO of Holmes Murphy & Associates; Linda Shoop, compensation and benefits officer for Bankers Trust Co.; Tina Newbury, a paralegal with Hubbell Realty Co.; and Lisa Kazmerzak, health promotions coordinator for Pella Corp