Page 34 - HCPVitalityChronicles

Kari Ikemoto Ups Her Fitness Challenges for 2013 and Beyond

Completing her first trail marathon in Northern California mile bike ride and 2-mile run. She and her boyfriend trained
last October sparked Kari Ikemoto’s interest in setting more together for the event for one month prior.
fitness challenges for herself. A member of Vitality since
March of this year, Ikemoto has always been Having fun with fitness has always been
active and strongly believes in the power of Ikemoto’s way, since she started playing
physical fitness. soccer at the age of 6. Now, in her Kids
Food Camps, she does all of the activi-
She remembered the impact the trail ties—from soccer to yoga to relay
marathon had in her life. “I had worked at a races—with the children. “If we want
summer camp in Northern California, and I our patients to make a change, we have
had had life changing moments there,” said to do it ourselves,” said Ikemoto, a Plat-
Ikemoto, Health Educator, Long Beach Plaza. inum Vitality member since July. In the
“I did the trail marathon in the small town of six-week kids’ fitness and nutrition
Susanville. It sort of brought me full circle.” classes she teaches, she tries to incor-
porate a cooking class, noting that the
On St. Patrick’s Day, she did the Los Angeles kids are more open to learning to eat
Marathon, and her completion time de- healthy when they cook themselves.
creased by 30 minutes. “This was a com-
pletely different experience,” Ikemoto Kari Ikemoto at the Redondo Beach In her own day-to-day life, she does a
Sprint Triathlon in June.
noted, explaining that there were 500 run- lot of Cross Fit and hopes to decrease
ners in the Northern California marathon compared to 7,000 her marathon time as well as be able to do unassisted pull-
in Los Angeles. “It was a really good experience, and I felt ups. Her next goals: the Boston Marathon and an Olympic
much more confident this time around. A marathon is a distance triathlon.
mental race. This time by mile 20, I thought, ‘This is noth-
ing—I’ve got this!’” The Vitality program allows her to reap the benefits of the
healthy lifestyle she leads. “There are such great benefits,”
She had always thought about doing a triathlon, so at the en- Ikemoto said. “You can get vouchers and all of these great
couragement of her boyfriend, she participated in the Re- things. It’s awesome; the company is rewarding us for being
dondo Beach Sprint Triathlon in June, placing 11th out of 29 healthy.”
in her division. The event consisted of an 800-meter swim, 6-

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.