Col. Douglas Pearson has not only developed a fitness program for his JROTC students, but for the entire Fayette County School district.
TYRONE, Ga. -- Col. Douglas Pearson isn't satisfied with simply staying healthy. He's become a guru for living healthy for the entire Fayette County School District.
They're getting help from book he wrote, "The 10-20-30 Life Wellness Plan."
"The plan is set up as a total wellness plan that you can follow every day of your life for the rest of your life," Pearson said. "This isn't a fad or a quick fix thing."
"I started Weight Watchers because nothing else would work, but it didn't have a fitness element to it. So, when we started this program with Col. Pearson, it got me motivated," said Allyson Merrill, a secretary at Sandy Creek High School in Tyrone. "And, I've lost a little over 50 pounds."
She and others at Sandy Creek High School credit Pearson with giving them a plan and showing them discipline.
He knows discipline. You'd expect no less from a retired colonel.
"I did 28 years in the Air Force, and I was a meteorologist my entire time," Pearson said.
Ten years ago, after a stint with the National Weather service, he started the first JROTC program in Fayette County at Sandy Creek High School.
As part of the JROTC program, he developed a fitness program for students.
"I put this plan together based on something that worked for me, and I got it approved by the Air Force headquarters," Pearson said.
Later, he adapted it for adults and started a program for teachers and staff at the school called, "Sandy Creek On The Move."
"I said, 'This is what I need just to incorporate exercise'," said paraprofessional Nancy Neves.
"This isn't a fad or a quick fix thing," Pearson said. "Fayette County school system has adopted this plan for every person in the county, as a wellness plan. Different plans work for different people. I just wanted to get my plan out there and hopefully it will help some of the kids and maybe some other people need to tighten this with video over it."
Col. Pearson's book, "The 10-20-30 Life Wellness Plan" is available on Amazon.com.