Wellness contest changes accountant’s lifestyle

The legendary Czechoslovakian distance runner Emil Zatopek, winner of three gold medals in the 1952 Olympic Games, was said to have improvised his own resistance training by running on dirty laundry in his bathtub.

As a boy, NBA hall-of-famer Pete Maravich used to hang out of the car window and dribble as his father drove him to school.

Boxer Manny Pacquiao prepared for the ring by letting his coaches and assistants beat him with heavy sticks.

So, yes, the fiercest competitors often follow strange avenues to greatness. How else to explain the spectacle of 31-year-old accountant Cindy Ucol risking Facebook Live notoriety by Hula-Hooping in the middle of Walmart?

In truth, Ucol’s unconventional training was directly relevant to her arena of competition. As for her training facility, call it a matter of practicality.

“I don’t own a Hula-­Hoop,” Ucol said, “but I knew Walmart had them in their toy department.”

And why buy when you can, um, borrow for a few minutes?

Say what you will about Ucol’s methods, but keep in mind that the Czech Locomotive, Pistol Pete and Pacman never participated in anything like the Wellness Jam Fitness Competition.

The competition was the culmination of a rigorous, five-month Wellness Boot Camp for employees of Island Holdings and its subsidiary insurance companies.

From May to August, boot camp participants took up a series of challenges designed to promote physical fitness, healthy habits and community involvement. Over that span, Ucol and her fellow boot-campers carved out time to go on fitness walks, made positive changes to their diet and participated in events like the American Heart Association Heart and Stroke Walk. They also donated a thousand pounds of food to benefit the Hawaii Foodbank.

Before the boot camp, Ucol was caught in a Groundhog Day-like cycle of going to work, eating lunch at her desk, shuttling her children to their after-­school activities and going home.

With the incentive of supporting her Island Insurance team, Ucol made it a point to leave the office and take walks around the downtown area and to replace her go-to snacks of chips and candy with healthier fare. As the program continued, Ucol found herself making new friends and joining in group workouts with boot camp participants outside her department.

“I felt dramatically different,” Ucol said. “It was a fun thing to do, and it got me to focus on things outside of accounting. I felt so much happier on a daily basis.”

Ucol said the benefits of healthier living were evident away from work, as well. She used to drop off her children for practices at the park and sit in her car until they were done. Now she uses the time to get in some exercise of her own. She also tries to prepare healthier meals for her family at home.

The Wellness Jam Fitness Competition featured a field of 13 five-person teams representing Island Insurance, Atlas Insurance, IC International, Pacxa, Tradewind Capital and Hawaiian Properties. Each team member was responsible for competing in one of five events: pushups, situps, burpees, plank and Hula-Hoop.

With Victorious Secret teammates Stephen Parker, Grant Gurtiza, Renee Neill and James Bautista cheering her on — and with that Walmart training session under her belt — Ucol took third place in the Hula-Hoop competition, gyrating through a series of challenges for five minutes.

The boot camp now complete, Ucol said she’s motivated to continue her new lifestyle and take up new activities, including yoga.

Walmart sells yoga mats, too.

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@staradvertiser.com.