Marching for workplace weight loss
Gary Marino became famous six years ago with his 'million calorie march' from Florida to Boston. The formerly 400-pound, now 250-pound, man is the founder of weight-loss non-profit Generation Excel, as well as a motivational speaker, who says he knows he's not skinny, but knows too that he's much more healthy. He wants people struggling with weight to hear about it from other people who know the problem, and have been through the process. His organization's newest plan is a 'Million Employee March' from Cape Cod to western Mass., to highlight issues of obesity in the workplace. The event is intended to encourage employers to provide on-site gyms or workout facilities, and implement lunch hours of sufficient length for a little exercise. Marino says that finance worries and a stressful work environment contribute to the obesity epidemic as well as fast food. He hopes to have the walk underway by the end of 2010, and has already lined up stops at a dozen or so companies along the way.
See "Marching for workplace weight loss", Darren Garnick, Boston Herald, February 2, 2010