Seymour native, Jason McDonald, is taking part in the national Mr. Health and Fitness competition for a chance to win $20,000 and be featured in Muscle and Fitness magazine.

The competition is heavily determined by votes and he is currently in the Top 15 overall and third in his group.

McDonald, who has been living in Linton for the past three years, said he has had a passion for fitness for many years. It began with a love of the “Rocky” movie and the “Dragonball Z” TV series as a kid. Over the years, his passion turned into helping people use movement as medicine and he became a personal trainer with NASM.

“I truly believe each of our bodies is a temple and we need to treat them with respect accordingly,” McDonald said. “Regular exercise and fitness is the closest thing to a fountain of youth we have.”

He enjoys many ways of staying active which include jogging in the local park, practicing martial arts such as Tae Kwon Do and recreational sports with friends or on his own. However, his first love will always be hitting the weights/resistance training.

“No matter what is going on for me, my day is always better after starting it in the weight room,” McDonald said. “Whether it’s by working through a program or a new goal, pushing myself when I need to, or relieving stress and building self confidence along the way.”

He said if he won the $20,000 the money would be used in several ways. He just started a new job this month as a producer at Fox59 News in Indianapolis, so part of the funds would help cushion expenses with his new apartment. He would like to build a healthy emergency savings account, too.

“I would also put the winnings towards a gym membership at a local YMCA in Indianapolis, where I would take part in group exercise and other extra amenities I couldn’t previously afford,” McDonald explained. “I also would donate $1,000 to my current gym, Ultimate Fitness, in Linton and $1,000 to Linton Assembly of God Church.”

There is a daily opportunity for the public to vote, which can be done a couple different ways. Free voting can be done by going online to https://mrhealthandfit.com/2024/jason-mcdonald, where votes can be verified through Facebook or a credit card. Anyone interested in voting can find out more information by going to Jason McDonald’s Facebook page or his mother, Lori-Blaker McDonald’s, Facebook page, for a voting link.

There is also an option to support the B+ Foundation, which provides financial assistance to families, funds childhood cancer research, and brings awareness to the fight against childhood cancer.

The contest will continue for the next few weeks with the next cut-off being 10 p.m. May 30, when the Top 10 contestants will continue on in the competition.