Local educator sheds pounds in challenge

Gary Tomak, a member of the Desert Sands Unified School District Board of Education, said he lost 55 pounds and lowered his blood pressure since starting an ongoing health initiative coordinated by .

Coachella Valley residents are invited to join in the Coachella Valley Health Collaborative's Healthy Lifestyle Challenge, which hundreds of participants have already begun.

To participate, residents track their physical activity on the health initiative's website, according to university spokesman Mike Singer.

Tomak took up biking, swimming and walking, and said he was motivated to lower his blood pressure for his son's upcoming wedding.

"This challenge was pure numbers -- steps, distance, time expanded and calories burned,'' Tomak said.

Tomak said the online challenges, such as "The Great Wall of China,'' helped him learn.

He said the Healthy Lifestyle Challenge helped him lose 10 belt sizes, reduce his blood pressure by almost 30 points and "bragging rights for the Desert Sands Unified School District and 200 team members who joined the challenge.''

City News Service contributed to this report.