Page 112 - HCPVitalityChronicles

Vitality Champ Oscar Perez Climbs Mt. Whitney in 20 Hours

Oscar Perez, MA Supervisor, slightly. He started back little by lit-
Carson, has always enjoyed tle, with jogging and other light ex-
being active. Starting in sixth ercise.
grade, he developed a love
for running. “Running over- With his younger brother and
powers all other activities for three friends, on September 22,
me,” he said. “I can go any- Oscar enjoyed an incredible hike to
where and run. I can see the top of Mt. Whitney. “We
scenery, be with people or started at 1:30 a.m., two of us
by myself, reflect or enjoy made it to the summit at 2:15
time with a group, challenge p.m., and we hiked back down by
and push myself.” about 10:30 p.m.,” he recalled. It
was 20 degrees during the hike,
Over the years, he has and he was prepared with three
added other exercise to his layers on his legs, five layers on
regimen, including hiking top, two hoodies, a beanie, double
and bike riding. As a champ gloves, and waterproof boots.
for the Vitality program,
Oscar organizes hikes Now he is back to local hikes, and
throughout Southern Califor- he is considering participating in an
nia for teammates to partici- event called the Endeavor Chal-
pate in. And in June, he lenge, a three-day wilderness sur-
participated in the Tour de vival challenge, with a small group.
Cure bike ride to raise funds Oscar, who has been with the or-
for the American Diabetes ganization for nine years, has been
Association. with the Vitality wellness program
and serving as a champ for eight
Unfortunately, during this bike ride, he sustained an in- years. “I took over when another champ went on leave. I
jury—he broke his shoulder blade and clavicle, which put enjoy getting to meet people and helping others to get
him out of commission for exercising for a month. During motivated about better health,” he said.
this time, his triglycerides and A1C started to increase

All information in the Vitality program is HIPAA protected. Members have chosen to share their personal health accomplishments.
For more information about Vitality, visit www.powerofvitality.com. Contact Janet Galli for further program information.