Are you up to the challenge? Better eat your Wheaties and get signed up for the activities to come.

By Elizabeth Sheeran

The days are getting longer, the weather’s getting warmer, and swimsuit season is just around the corner. Now Mayor Joseph Curtatone is challenging his fellow Somerville residents to join him in coming out of hibernation to slim down and shape up.

The third annual Mayor’s Fitness Challenge kicks off this Saturday at Somerville High School and runs through the end of May. Over the next seven weeks, participants will push themselves and each other to reach personal fitness goals. And they will compete for prizes as individuals and in teams of 10, earning points for losing weight, improving their body mass index (based on their ratio of weight to height) and participating in healthy community events.

Mayor Curtatone said the Fitness Challenge is just one more way the city practices what it preaches when it comes to the Shape Up Somerville mantra of “Eat Smart, Move More.”

“We want to get everybody out there moving, playing hard, being smarter about what they eat, and having a good time along the way,” said Mayor Curtatone. “We’re going to rock it out over the next couple of months. It’s a great community exercise.”

He said his personal goals for this year’s challenge are to lose 10-15 pounds, to get back into running shape after some recent injuries, and to improve his athleticism and agility for participating in high intensity martial arts. But above all, he wants to have some fun.

Mayor Curtatone will also lead two of his own teams of 10 participants each, including residents who responded to an open call for people wanting to be on the mayor’s personal team.  The mayor said his teams will reflect a range of ages and fitness levels, but his teammates can expect to work hard. His team came in second place last year, and this year he’s in it to win it.

“This year we’re going for the brass ring,” said Curtatone, a long-time assistant football coach at Somerville High School. “I need team members who are motivated and willing to participate to the best of their ability. This will be work, but I promise that it will also be a lot of fun.”

The mayor’s going to face competition from last year’s winner Orazio Deluca, who swept top honors in the 2011 Fitness Challenge as both the individual winner and the leader of the winning team. Deluca lost over 20 pounds in less than 2 months during last year’s challenge, and he’s upping the ante this year by targeting to lose at least 30.

The best part of winning last year? “Honestly? Beating the mayor’s team,” joked Deluca. “But seriously, it was really good to have everybody know what you did and recognize your accomplishment.”

But while winning is a plus, this is actually one of those times where every participant can come out a winner.

Emily Perrone said last year’s challenge was the kick-start she needed to lose weight for her wedding last September.  She may not have been on the winning team, but she developed habits that she kept up long after the final weigh-in, and she credited the team-based approach. “It was a great experience being on a team with people that really encouraged each other to achieve their goals, and I can’t wait to do it again this year,” said Perrone.

Participants who don’t have their own team can call City Hall at 311 to get matched with other teammates. Or they can sign up to compete in the Challenge as individuals. And residents don’t need to formally sign up to participate in order to take advantage of the special events and programs the city is offering throughout April and May, to get Somerville eating smarter and moving more.

Freebies include walking clubs on Mondays and Wednesdays, and free morning boot camps at Dilboy Field on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Locals who participate in the Shape Up Somerville Road Race on April 14, or the April 28 Spring Clean Up, will earn Fitness Bucks that give them discounts at local businesses offering healthy food and gear for an active lifestyle. And the city will provide all kinds of resources, from exercise videos to healthy recipes.

The 2012 Mayor’s Fitness Challenge Kick Off event will take place on Saturday, March 31, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Somerville High Gymnasium. The day will feature complimentary fitness bags, exercise demonstrations, healthy snacks and other family-friendly activities and exhibits by Somerville-based organizations promoting a healthy lifestyle. And, of course, it’s a day for Fitness Challenge participants to weigh in and get revved up to win.

“It’s good clean fun,” said Deluca, the reigning Fitness Challenge champ. “And it’s always good to be healthier, to lose weight and maintain a healthier lifestyle.”

More information about the Mayor’s Fitness Challenge can be found on the City of Somerville website, at www.somervillema.gov, or on Facebook at City of Somerville – Mayor’s Fitness Challenge.