Tracy, California, Woman Named U.S. Grand Prize Winner of 2019 IsaBody Challenge, Receiving $25,000

GILBERT, Ariz., Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- During a special segment at the Isagenix New Year Kick Off 2019 event in Phoenix, Arizona, Jennifer Riveira of Tracy, California, was named the U.S. grand prize winner of the 2019 IsaBody Challenge® and received $25,000. The IsaBody Challenge and the annual New Year Kick Off event are both hosted by Isagenix International, a global health and wellness company providing nutrition and lifestyle solutions.

Riveira, 45, was one of 15 IsaBodytm Finalists chosen from tens of thousands of U.S. participants during the most recent Challenge Judging Period. Her personal transformation story, which includes sustaining her 76-pound weight loss for more than a year, was the top choice by a panel of Isagenix judges.

"When I started Isagenix over a year and a half ago, I was overweight. I was unhappy. I hated taking pictures and the way my clothes fit. I weighed the most I have ever weighed," Riveira said as she shared her story onstage with event attendees. "One day, I saw an old high school friend post about her success with weight loss, but I didn't want to reach out. I guess I wasn't ready. Then, about a month later, I saw her post again, and this time I went outside my comfort zone and reached out ? and never once have I looked back.

"I am currently 115 pounds, and I love myself again.* I no longer hide when someone wants to take my picture. I no longer let stress get the best of me. I love my life again. If anyone would have told me when I weighed 190 pounds that I could be healthy again, that I would feel amazing inside and out, that I would feel like I did in my 20s and all I would need to do is start on this lifestyle journey, I would have never believed them. But here I am, living it!"

As the 2019 IsaBody Challenge Grand Prize Winner, Riveira received a $25,000 prize as well as an all-expenses-paid vacation to Costa Rica in honor of her IsaBody Challenge achievements.

At the same New Year Kick Off event, Eric Chen of Akron, Ohio, was named the IsaBody Challenge U.S. Runner-Up and received a $10,000 prize along with a trip to the IsaBody Escape in Costa Rica with the other contest finalists. When Chen, 23, finished his last collegiate swim race after a decade of competitive swimming, he had no idea how different life without swimming would be. Within four months, he gained significant weight and missed the competition and camaraderie he'd had with his former teammates. He joined Isagenix and the IsaBody Challenge to lose the weight he had put on since his last collegiate swim meet and lost 18 pounds during the 16-week Challenge.

"I was also able to gain something that eluded me my whole life, and that was finding a home in society," Chen said onstage. "For the first time in my life, I was able to have a place, a group of people who not only accepted me for me, but also accepted and celebrated my uniqueness, my heritage, my upbringing, and who I was. The Isagenix family has helped me experience acceptance for the first time in my life."

Now, Chen is in better shape than he was as a swimmer and has a community of friends he met through his new active lifestyle.

"We're thrilled Jennifer and Eric are representing Isagenix as this Judging Period's IsaBody Challenge Grand Prize Winner and Runner-Up, respectively," said Travis Ogden, Isagenix chief executive officer. "Jennifer and Eric's enthusiasm, dedication, and hard work make them an inspiration to us all. Isagenix is proud our exceptional nutrition solutions played a role in their incredible transformations."

To learn more about Riveira's and Chen's winning transformations and see their before and after photos, visit the Isagenix blog.

To learn more about Isagenix, visit the Newsroom, like the company on Facebook, and follow @Isagenix on Twitter and Instagram.

*Weight loss, muscle gain, lifestyle, and other results depicted here reflect exceptional individual experiences of Isagenix customers and should not be construed as typical or average. Results vary with individual effort, body composition, eating patterns, time, exercise, and other factors, such as genetic and physiological makeup. A two-phase 2016 study published by researchers at Skidmore College showed an average weight loss of 24 pounds after 12 weeks. The study evaluated the use of Isagenix products in men and women for weight loss followed by weight maintenance. During the weight maintenance phase, the subjects who continued the calorie-controlled program using Isagenix products better maintained their weight loss in comparison to those who transitioned to a traditional diet after 52 weeks.

About the IsaBody Challenge
The IsaBody Challenge is a 16-week contest that rewards participants for their total-body and life transformations. Participants are judged on their before and after photos as well as their personal essays describing their journeys. The contest looks for the most inspirational and motivational stories about how participants have made healthy body and life transformations. The IsaBody Challenge, which is open to anyone over the age of 18, has received more than 300,000 entries by participants in the U.S. and Canada since 2014. For more information, visit the IsaBody Challenge page.

About Isagenix International
Established in 2002, Isagenix provides systems for weight loss, performance, vitality and well-being, personal care and beauty, and financial wellness. With nearly 600,000 customers worldwide and more than 100 life-changing products, packs, and systems globally, the company is committed to producing Solutions to Transform Livestm. Since its inception in 2002, Isagenix has generated $6 billion in cumulative global sales through a network of independent distributors in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Mexico, Singapore, Malaysia, Colombia, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, and South Korea. Isagenix is a privately owned company with headquarters in Gilbert, Arizona. For more information, visit Isagenix.com.

SOURCE Isagenix International, LLC.