Tag Archives: progress

Wanting Fitness Benefits, Hating Fitness Effort

If you want to change your life, you have to change yourself. Or, at least part of yourself.

From Joe:  We’ve talked about it before: Converting lifestyle changes into permanent improvements is a major potential stumbling block for everyone who wants to develop better health and fitness practices. That’s why I’m always harping on the importance of framing the issue as one where you change your life by changing your self. Or at least a part of yourself. In the final analysis, that’s the only thing over which you might truly have control.

And the winner is …

Gerry gives all the credit for her weight loss to her trainer, Tony.

 

 From Gerry:  Me!

I didn’t actually win the 2011 Fittest Loser Challenge, but I’m doing a victory dance all the same.

In 12 weeks, I lost 36 pounds. My body age went from an astounding get-your-papers-in-order-to-sign-up-for-Social-Security 60 years to an amazing 42 years of age.

Or, as my husband put it, “From menopause to trophy wife in just 12 weeks.”

Final Fittest Loser weigh-in numbers!

From Eileen:  For those of you who can’t wait for Monday’s paper to read the final results of this year’s Fittest Loser contest, here you go. Congratulations to all the participants!

Bob Pearson, 38, of Hampshire

Trainer: Josh Steckler

Starting weight: 296

Final weight: 218

Pounds lost: 78

Percent lost: 26.4

 

John Novak, 46, of Mount Prospect

Trainer: Wade Merrill

Starting weight: 324

Final weight: 247

Pounds lost: 77

Percent lost: 23.8

 

Jayne Nothnagel, 52, of Bloomingdale

Trainer: Mark Trapp

Conquering the stairs

From Kristen:  I did it! I mastered the 10 flights of stairs at work without breaking a sweat. One year ago, I tried to do this and stopped at floor 5, convinced I was going to pass out or my heart was going to beat out of my chest. It took me about 10 minutes to recover enough to go back into the office.

Today, except for a 10-second rest on floor 8, I was able to walk all the way up to 10 in no time and carry on a conversation right afterward. This is so needed because the scale didn’t show much progress this week. Good thing the non-scale victories are just as sweet.

“It’s Only a Number”

From Dee: I look back at the last 10 weeks and I am very thankful to The Daily Herald and Push Fitness. Last Monday’s column in the Daily Herald dealt with us thanking special people. Let me introduce you to someone that wasn’t listed in  the newspaper: Angeline Pearson, Encore Dept. Manager at Nordstrom at Woodfield. I went to Nordstrom’s looking for a dress for my stepdaughter’s wedding. At 30 pounds thinner, I thought that  had made THE transition from womens to the misses section. I hadn’t been in the misses section in over 20 years and so eagerly looked forward to shopping “in the normal size” area of the store. When I discovered that the largest size in the misses section was a 14 that I couldn’t get into, I slowly went up the escalator with tears in my eyes. When I arrived at the womens section, I was met by Angeline,  Angie as everyone calls her,  looked at my eyes and said “what’s wrong”   I explained that I was in a contest, had lost 30 pounds and thought for sure that I would be shopping in the misses section. She so patiently listened to my story and said “it’s only a number, be so proud of the weight that you have lost. The number sizing in the garment industry has changed dramatically, so be proud, it’s only a number.” She made me aware of the progress that I have achieved, how healthy I have become and most of all, when it comes to sizing, it’s only a number!!!! Thank you Angie, for teaching me the true beauty of this contest.