The Rocky Fitness Challenge

Source: By Lisa Ryckman, Health & Fitness Editor, Rocky Mountain News
July 19, 2005

They've sweated through the streets, pushed up till they pooped out and accomplished things they never thought they could do.

After six weeks, our seven Rocky Fitness Challenge pairs - coworkers Scott Hutchings and Denise Perez; sisters Maria Watts and Jennifer Kelley; moms-daughters Joyce and Heather Deese, and Mouy Sanchez and Justina Chao; best friends Karen Thorne and Lydia Marshall-Mack; and spouses Ron and Pauleta Oehoerking and Charles and Michelle West - have gotten past the shock of intense exercise and counting calories and are starting to see results.

"When I started the program, I could barely do 10 push-ups. Now I can fire off almost 30," Scott says. "The difference in my cardio has been huge. I wear a heart-rate monitor when I am in class or when I jog or bike on my own, and my heart rate is staying much lower. I'm in my zone for longer periods of time."

The Challenge pairs have been working out with personal trainers Denise Tryner and Malena Marquez and have been pounding the pavement of downtown Denver with Bootcamp360's Drill Sgt. Mandy Seiverts.

"She's laid back and takes all of the jabs Charles, Ron and I give her during class," Scott says.

"For example, 'Mandy, this exercise was not designed for men!' or 'You want us to do what?' We're pretty rowdy, but she keeps us in line."

Scott's workout partner, Denise, has kicked up her weights from 5 to 8 pounds, and she's begun to love the workouts that felt so painful in the early weeks.

"Denise and Mandy are the best trainers we could ever have hoped for," she says. "What's great is that they don't stand on the sidelines. They're right alongside of us working out just as hard, whether it's sweating 30 push-ups, moaning through 25 crunches or running."

Tryner has nothing but praise for the Challenge pairs she works with - Mouy and Justina, Scott and Denise, and Heather and Joyce.

"They motivate and support each other, never wanting to let each other or themselves down," she says. "I constantly tell them that I want them to look back on this experience and know that they gave it their all and never have any regrets. I want them to give it 150 percent all of the time, and I believe they truly are."

Some of the Challengers are disappointed that their hard work hasn't meant big weight losses, but Jennifer isn't one of them.

"At our 30-day mark, I had lost 5 1/2 pounds, a total of 5 1/2 inches and 1.2 percent body fat - how great is that?" she says. "The workouts are very tough, but with these results, they're well worth it!"

As hard as boot camp has been for her, changing her eating habits has been harder still.

"The biggest change for me has been no fast food," says Jennifer, who also has managed to nearly kick her diet-cola habit - down from 60-plus ounces a day to 12 ounces a week.

"I've replaced it with water," she says. "I feel so much better."

Food has proved the biggest challenge for Jennifer's sister, too.

"I personally have this thing in my mind that if I'm working out regularly, I don't have to watch so closely what I eat - which is so not true," Maria says. "I still need to conquer the late-night snacks."

Maria's pushing herself to keep a daily food journal along with her feelings about the day, a strategy that is highly recommended by weight-loss experts.

Another strategy: eat less, exercise more. Heather's got the exercise part in gear. Now for the eating part.

"It feels like ever since I started this program, cake is everywhere!" she says. "I never cared about calories and fat, and now I read the back of everything. I know that if I just think before I eat, I'll get much further in this Challenge."

Michelle can see new definition in her arms and legs, but she had hoped that exercising six days a week would yield a greater weight loss than the 5 pounds she's shed so far.

"Of course, I realize that the pounds didn't just get there overnight and that I shouldn't expect them to drop off overnight," Michelle says.

She also realizes that she's building muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat. That's why she's been able to fit into smaller clothes sizes without losing a lot of weight.

Michelle and husband Charles have been alternating between Bootcamp360 workouts and personal training sessions with Malena at Body Mecca Concepts.

"Malena has introduced us to core exercises on the fitball and bosu ball, which emphasize developing chest, back, abdominal and leg muscles, upper and lower body strength, balance and stability," Michelle says. "She also makes workouts challenging yet fun and has a great sense of humor that keeps us giggling during our sessions. Imagine laughing during the toughest parts of your workouts - like going up and down stairs at Red Rocks!"

Charles has been enjoying the exercise and newfound definition.

"With each workout there seems to be a new challenge - balance, endurance or stretching - but each one leads to the other in progression and becoming more fit," he says. "The toughest part for me has been the stretching. Also I get a little winded, but after about the fifth week, it has become a lot easier."

For Ron, it's deja vu all over again in the exercise department. "I was in the Marine Corps, and this boot camp is not a whole lot different than the one I did 45 years ago."

Over the July 4 weekend, Ron, Pauleta and four family members did a 5-mile run/walk from Winter Park to Fraser. The results: Pauleta finished fourth in her age group, a grandson came in second in his group and their son-in-law finished 34th overall.

And where was Ron?

"Let's just say I didn't come in first, but I was far from last," he says. "It was the first time we had ever done something like that."

In June, the couple spent two weeks as volunteer "grandparents" at a camp for abused kids, something they do every year. But this year was a bit different for Pauleta.

"I climbed a tree to get to a rope to get to a platform to ride a zip line," she says. "The best thing about it was that before and forever, I couldn't get above the second rung of a ladder.

"Four little boys and their counselors told me I could do it - and I did."