Age and size crept up on Kevin Avery.

After years of inactivity, the 37-year-old radio personality watched his pants size exceed his age.

Kevin Avery (ENLARGE)

Kevin Avery 'before' he cleaned up his diet and started exercising.

Kevin Avery (ENLARGE)

Avery 'after' the weight loss ran in the San Francisco marathon.

"You wake up one day and you have to buy a size 40 pants," said the morning co-host on WFSH, 104.7, known as the Fish. "I was shocked how out of shape I was."

Instead of adjusting his waistband, Avery adjusted his lifestyle.

He started exercising beginning with 20 minutes of walking on the treadmill before moving up to slow, one-mile runs in his neighborhood. He also changed his eating habits by incorporating more vegetables and snacks throughout the day.

Avery's 38-inch waist dropped to a 30 and his frame of nearly 200 pounds shrank to 155 pounds.

"I got back on the horse pretty quickly," said Avery, 41, who set and accomplished his goal of running a marathon before his 40th birthday.

Avery also got his 250,000 radio listeners involved by launching the "Get Fit With the Fish" campaign last year to promote health and fitness. Each morning during January, Avery walked 6.2 miles on a treadmill before going on the air and challenged listeners to get moving. He also provided helpful health, fitness and nutrition tips on the air and online. This year, he rode his indoor cycling trainer each morning and extended the campaign beyond January with weekly fitness segments featuring diet and exercise professionals.

"He just inspired me to want to do better for myself," said Kelly Hopkins, a listener whose weight kept her from doing outdoor activities with her son, Tyler. The Alpharetta mother and truck driver began running two or three days a week until she was up to three to four miles five days a week. She has lost 45 pounds since January and plans to lose an additional 70 pounds by the end of the year. Now she can participate in activities she previously missed out on with her son.

"He is a constant source of inspiration," said co-host Taylor Scott, an exercise enthusiast who Avery encouraged (and registered) to run the recent ING Atlanta marathon.

Bursting with energy and more focus in life, Avery said he devotes time each day to exercise, such as running, resistance and strength training, and crunches and sit-ups while he watches television. Several times a week, he rides his bike into the Buckhead radio station from his Powder Springs home, a 45-mile round trip.

Everyone wants to be healthy and fit, he said, but they should not wait until they are completely out of shape and then try to play catch-up.

It's better to stay in shape and stay fit, then you don't have to work so hard to get it back, he said.

"Some people you can lead to the water and they [will or] won't drink," Avery said. "Some you have to throw in."

WHO DESERVES A CARROT?

Fortune 500 companies are not the only ones bringing people together to promote health and fitness. Neighborhood groups, offices, schools and churches are also finding ways to get people moving and to encourage a healthier lifestyle. In this regular feature, Better Health recognizes those organized efforts, large and small, that might inspire other groups to initiate their own programs. And we want to hear about them. Submit your Golden Carrot nominations to betterhealth@ajc.com.

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