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The Rocky Fitness Challenge
Source:
By Lisa Ryckman, Health & Fitness Editor, Rocky Mountain News March 29,
2005
Let's let the
numbers tell this success story:
Six months.
Nine women. A total of 124 pounds of fat lost. Another 59 years
of life gained.
Our Rocky
Fitness Challenge moms came, they committed and they kicked their
own butts
- hard.
Chosen last
fall from a field of more than 700 volunteers, these brave women
agreed to
spend the next six months trying to become the healthiest people
they could
be, even though that meant having their personal statistics
trotted out
on a regular basis for all the world to see.
Well, take
a gander at our svelte and sexy Challenge ladies now (wolf
whistles,
please)!
La Shon Vincent
dropped 27 pounds, and Judy Lutkin shed 22. Diane Vollmer's
size 10 pants
are starting to get loose. Kevala Kenna's flexibility and
aerobic fitness
have gone from poor to excellent, and she's considering a
career in
personal training and sports fitness and nutrition.
Heather Fielder,
nearly 20 pounds lighter, has two little boys who now ask
for fruit
instead of candy. Patty Foxx has added six years to her life, and
Maria Gonzalez
has added seven. Barb Richardson has bought a new bikini.
Lisa Lowe
plans to be doing somersaults when she's 80.
With the enthusiastic
help of expert Drill Sgt. Denise Tryner at
Bootcamp360,
the Challenge moms ran, jumped, lunged, squatted, kickboxed,
pushed-up
and got down. They worked out together weekly, kept track of what
they ate and
e-mailed each other constantly for support.
They checked
in with Wellness Director Debbie Reiman and colleague Carol
Brown at the
Denver Athletic Club for complete physical assessments and
advice at
the beginning, middle and end of the Challenge.
The results
are stunning - and not just on the outside.
The moms started
the Challenge with cardiovascular fitness all over the map,
from very
poor to superior. All improved how efficiently their bodies use
oxygen, with
five now considered excellent and three superior.
The road to
better health isn't paved with Twinkies and Barcaloungers, so it
wasn't always
easy, particularly for the older moms.
"We've had
to really work on finding a balance between pushing ourselves
enough to
make progress and not feel wimpy, but not push ourselves too much
and sustain
another setback," Lisa says. "It's a fine line sometimes."
Both Diane
and Patty felt a bit discouraged by their slow progress, but
Diane was
heartened by improvements in her blood sugar and her total
cholesterol,
which fell by 20 points. And they both have learned that while
slow and steady
might not win the weight-loss race, it can keep the pounds
from piling
back on once they're gone.
"I understand
it's good to lose weight slowly, which I've done at a
half-pound
a week and 1 percent body fat per month," Diane says.
Diane's need
to exercise keeps her in step with her four athletic daughters,
but nutrition's
another story.
"I hear, 'There's
nothing to eat!' a lot now," she says. "Carrots, hummus,
fresh fruit
and fat-free pudding have replaced sausage, ice cream, giant
muffins and
blocks of cheese. I'll never buy white tortillas again."
The moms say
they've become lifelong friends, and it's no wonder. I picked
them because
of their enthusiasm, optimism, determination and sense of
humor, so
they had all those wonderful traits in common. The mix worked like
magic.
"We e-mailed
each other every day - what we ate, what our workout was, and
if we were
having trouble staying out of the Christmas candy," Lisa says.
"We didn't
criticize, just supported."
They plan
to get together for workouts from time to time and run a 5K as a
team. And
while this part of the Challenge is over, a new chapter is just
beginning.
"The challenge
now is with me and my family," Judy says. "My new life and
new body are
here to stay." |
