Focusing on personal health and fitness can have countless benefits for a person's overall well-being. But sometimes there are added bonuses.

Zach Desoto, a log yard worker in St. Regis is enjoying his brand-new Yeti cooler, $200 cash, a smaller waistline, and a new outlook on life.

It was all earned by his hard work and sweat, wholesome food choices, and positive lifestyle changes promoted by a fitness challenge at work.

Idaho Forest Group has several mills in Montana and Idaho. At each of their sites they’ve hosted an event the past few years to inspire their workers to eat better, be active, and improve their health and wellness. Cristi Brooks is the Benefit Manager at Idaho Forest Group.

She stated, “The reason why we hold this event each year is to help our employees focus on their health and wellbeing in a way that is meaningful to them and to engage people in their healthy and unhealthy habits that they may notice throughout the week.”

Officially called the “IFG Summer Olympics” this annual event has been held by the IFG for Life Wellness Committee over the past three years.

This is an employee led committee with volunteers from each of the companies’ locations. Each mill has a competition for first, second and third place. The first-place winners at each site are then ranked based off of total points earned for the company level first, second and third place.

Zach Desoto took second place overall in the company competition for IFG, and first place for his location. The St. Regis Mill had the second highest participation rate in the company, their other winners were Ken Cadieux, second place, and Sam Boyd took third.

Desoto exclaimed, “I won first place for our St. Regis mill and won the silver medal over all the IFG mills in the IFG summer Olympics at work!”

But even more significant than winning was his motivation for participating in the first place.

“June 1, marked the one-year passing of my father. He had diabetes and lost a leg to it, was on dialysis, and a final heart attack was his demise,” he shared. “I had been eating healthier and exercising a lot, this event came up and I was already in a journey to a healthy life and to stay around on this earth as long as I can for my children and the ones I love. I have lost 24 pounds in two months and know my father in heaven is smiling down on me.”

He said, “I find it funny that this Olympic challenge came up as I was going through a lifestyle change.”

Ironic, but fitting.

After his father’s death Desoto devoted himself to getting in shape and eating healthy. He detailed his new fitness routine, “I have been running 2 miles every day, push-ups, sit ups, leg lifts, bench press, and curls.”

His workouts are squeezed in before he heads to work on graveyard shift.

For the IFG Olympics Desoto kicked it up a notch.

“I went above and beyond for my father in heaven by doing all the extra daily challenges,” Desoto said.

He increased his running from two miles each day to 3 1/2. He also increased his vegetable, fruit and water consumption. He also kept track of his steps and aimed for 10,000 daily. The benefits from the fitness challenge are sure to stick with Desoto for years to come. But he did it for more than himself, he shared, “For my dad, myself, my kids, and my life.”