Pastor’s Personal Weight Loss Journey Inspires City-Wide Health and Fitness Challenge

To many, losing weight is one of the hardest battles to fight in life. Dieting, exercising and keeping up it all in check can be extremely challenging. But the rewards that come from losing weight—being able to fit into pants three sizes smaller, ceasing blood pressure medication and running in a 5K race, to name a few—are priceless.

Pastor Cynthia Ringo knows a thing or two about struggling with obesity. For many years, the 63-year-old pastor of Christ Deliverance Ministry (CDM) in St. Louis faced a constant fight with her weight. But when her husband, CDM’s co-pastor Tommie Ringo Sr., was diagnosed with dementia in 2010, Pastor Ringo decided that in order to be a good caretaker for her husband, she needed to be able to take care of herself. She needed to lose weight.

With that goal in mind, Pastor Ringo called members of her congregation to join her on the path to getting healthy. She was introduced to BKM Bootcamp in Florissant by one of her members who encouraged her to join. 

“As I contemplated a way to lose weight, I knew I had to enjoy it and, most of all, be able to stick with it,” she says. “The boot camp accomplished all of those goals.”

Then, utilizing her position as a leader, she encouraged some other women from her church to meet a few times a week for boot camp classes. Sixteen women joined, and it didn’t take long before they started seeing results.

Fast forward to today: Since deciding to take control of her health, Pastor Ringo has dropped 35 lbs., going from a size 12/14 to a size 6 and gaining lean muscle. As a whole, the weight loss group has lost more than 600 lbs. They continue to meet bi-weekly and strive to incorporate new exercises such as spinning into their workout routines.

“I am so excited because these women have continued on in their journey of losing weight and getting healthy again this year,” she says. “The support system has been great, and we thank God for our victories, one at time.”

Feeling inspired, Pastor Ringo wanted to take it a step further and challenge the entire St. Louis community to get healthy. With this goal in mind, she is taking her congregation’s weight loss success to the streets—literally—with CDM Mind and Body, a health and fitness event that is back for its second go-round this year.

This year’s event on May 25 features a 5K run (with a $500 prize to the first place registered finisher), fitness challenge, healthy living seminar, and special appearances by Fredbird and the St. Louis Rams Cheerleaders. The 5K race will kick off at Cardinal Ritter Prep High School and weave throughout the streets of the historic Grand Center.

Pastor Ringo wants to call all St. Louisans to think about instilling lifestyle change. Follow in her footsteps by joining her movement to get St. Louis fit with CDM Mind and Body 2013.

Register for the 5K at www.cdmmindandbody.org.

Challenge St. Louis while celebrating healthy accomplishments with Mind and Body 2013!