Take the money and run.That’s the battle cry for the Athletic Club’s Thinner Winner Contest, which will award the winning team $2,000 at the end of the six-week challenge that will begin this week.

Now in its 4th year, the annual contest will kick off on Saturday to nudge the community towards better health after the success of their former programmes, a fat-blasting boot camp and corporate fit challenge.

Kym Herron Scott, owner of The Athletic Club, said: “We started doing fat-blasting boot camps, which are ten days. Anybody can be good for ten days.

“We did weigh-ins and measurements, modified eating guidelines with a different workout every day, a class session.

“It was really popular. After that we developed a corporate fit challenge within companies.

“Six weeks we found was a really great fitness and nutrition overhaul.”

Through that, Thinner Winner was born — The “only big difference,” she said is this is a community event and is offered once a year only.

“It’s done in September, which for us is the new January,” Mrs Scott said.

“The kids are back in school, everybody’s back in a routine, they maybe ate a little too much, drank a little too much over the summer, so this our way to help them reel it in.”

“Our healthcare costs are ridiculously high here in Bermuda. Eighty per cent of your healthcare costs are based on your lifestyle choices — dollars being spent on diseases that are almost entirely preventable by diet and exercise alone,” she added.

“We thought this was a really great way to help people understand that by making a few lifestyle choices they can completely change their life.”

And life-changing it is. A 2015 participant was urged to lose weight in order to be eligible for a kidney transplant, and was successful.

With 74.6 per cent of our country’s men and women being overweight or obese, she said the club aimed to promote wellness in the community.

“I love this event. I’ve seen it completely change people’s lives,” she said.

“This is why I do this. Some people just need someone to show them the way, and we have all that knowledge.”

Mrs Scott has owned the business for 15 years, after she became managing director of the club 29 years ago. The Canadian-Bermudian ran a modelling agency before coming to Bermuda as a dental hygienist.

“I was always a great fitness enthusiast. I was always athletic. I love what I do. I love changing people’s lives, one person at a time. That gives me excitement.”

She teaches spinning, yoga, Zumba, among others The community, team-based, fitness and nutrition overhaul assists participants in losing 8-12 pounds and inches over the course of six weeks, helping the community of Bermuda lose a collective 1,000lbs. Last year the programme sold out, at 150 participants who lost 781 pounds and 1,044 inches.

Thinner Winner “keeps fitness fun”. By having people team up in groups of four to six, with a personal coach, they will motivate and keep each other accountable.

Special workouts will take place on Thursday evenings at 6pm in Victoria Park and will include cases such as Chisl’d, MetaHIIT, Strong by Zumba and Turbo Kick. Not strictly for Thinner Winner participants, these sessions are open to the community.

Participants will have complete access to The Athletic Club fitness centre, classes and spa during the programme. As an extra to the food guides provided, nutritional express sessions will be held weekly, including group discussions on nutrition, menus and improved eating plans. At the end of the six weeks, the team that loses the greatest percentage of weight and inches will win $2,000.

“We are honoured to help shape up Bermuda,” Mrs Scott said.

“It’s a win-win situation. The challenge helps reduce healthcare costs, improves work productivity and creates happier, healthier Bermudians.”

“We give you the best of what we have during that six-week option.

“We’ve really been able to bring the costs down to rock-bottom because of our sponsors.”

“We also find that if people do this 15 minutes of homework a day, their metabolism goes through the roof. The challenge is getting people to quicken their metabolism to get their bodies running like fine machines. New this year is the Ask Albert session — “for people who want to learn how to lift weights properly and effectively to reshape the body.”

“Albert Woolridge is a very seasoned body builder – he’s been doing this for 30-something years,” Mrs Scott said.

“We try to find something for everyone. We know not everyone wants to lift weights, and some people feel intimidated by certain classes, so we give them everything so they can find what it is that they enjoy doing. “If you enjoy something then you’ll stick with it. We handhold them over the six-week period and really help them reach their goals.”

Deadline for registration is 9pm on Wednesday.

• To secure a space for your team or as an individual, call 295-6140 or e-mail Jinna@tac.bm by 9pm on Wednesday, September 14. Visit them on Facebook at TAC Bermuda to download your registration form. Kickoff is Saturday, September 17 with the finale party on Saturday, October 29, Victoria Park. Visit www.tac.bm