VAB's YourHealth Fitness Challenge: Part 1. Sponsored by Life Time Fitness and Del Mar Workout by Nathan Johnson Expert solutions for your New Year's resolutions print article      send to a friend

have you ever set a fitness-related New Year's resolution only to find yourself, six months later, fat and depressed, wolfing

down another bag of nacho cheese olestra chips on the couch?

If this description sounds like you, or even ifyou've simply failed to stick to your fitness routine more than once, tune in. For the next six months, VAB's YourHealth will track five well-intentioned couch potatoes on a serious quest for health.  Pick the one that most closely resembles you and follow along; their experience could translate into some real-life changes for you as well!

The Fitness Guru

To aid our participants in their health quest, we have enlisted the help of fitness VIP Lee Goldsmith. Originally from Chicago, former National Greco Roman wrestling champion Lee Goldsmith has been a highly respected personal trainer in San Diego for 25 years. He currently supervises a team of 15 personal trainers at Del Mar Workout in Del Mar, California and holds courses for other trainers in the areas of nutrition, cardiovascular fitness, and flexibility. He has helped personalities such as motivational speaker Tony Robbins, hypnotist Marshall Silver, and popular San Diego morning DJs Jeff and Jerr. He owns 4 health clubs-Del Mar Workout, San Diego Workout, and two St. Louis Workout locations in St. Louis, Missouri.

Sage Advice

Lee's goal is for our participants tosucceed in melding their regimens and his advice to create a successful, lifelong program. Our fitness sage is a positive motivator, and believes that his knowledge will allow our participants to get the lasting results they are looking for. He does not believe in "fad" programs, which he considers "only temporary."

"Once our participants learn how to get themselves on a consistent program where they are eating properly and exercising regularly, they'll feel better about themselves-will gain self-confidence and self-esteem and they'll be a lot more successful in their lives. Good fitness training can be taught to children all the way up to senior citizens. It doesn't matter," says Lee.

Who they are: 5 would-be fitness champions

Name & hometown	Profession	Age	Goal
Tory Minneapolis, MN	Sales & Marketing	31	Reduce body fat, live a healthier lifestyle
Manny Morristown, NJ	Career Advisor	22	"Get more ripped up"
Jeff S. Del Mar, CA	Cosmetic Surgeon	53	Get in good shape, run a mini-triathlon
Dean Birmingham, AL	Publisher	43	Lose 20-25 pounds
Jeff L. Minneapolis, MN	Student	22	Put on lean mass tissue

VAB's YourHealth, along with our Life Time Fitness and Del Mar Work Out sponsors, looked across the country for the right contestants for our Fitness Challenge, from the balmy winter shores of San Diego to the frigid icicle-strewn cottages of Minnesota. Some factors we were looking for: people who really wanted to get in shape, but whose goals we considered to be attainable. In other words, just average to reasonably fit individuals with some solid yet heretofore illusive fitness goals.  The contestants were told to come up with their own rough plan to attain their goals.  Without further ado, here's our line-up!

Tory Hughes -   "Not lookingto become a bodybuilder"

Tory, who has dabbled in a variety of physical activities over the years, including organized sports and strength training, has never really been consistent with his workouts.  This is something he is looking to change, but with certain conditions. "I probably won't change my diet," he says.  "I'd like to make up for the unhealthy food I eat with exercise."

Tory's main goals are to reduce his body fat and achieve better cardiovascular condition. "I'm not looking to become a bodybuilder," he explains, rather "just looking to be healthier and stronger." To accomplish this, Tory plans on pursuing a program of consistent, full circuit weight-training 3 or 4 times a week.

Manny Alvarez - "Genes, I think, play a big part in it"

Unlike Tory, Manny is indeed attempting to become a bodybuilder! He would especially like to bulk up his legs. "I have very good genes from the waist up," he explains, but my legs are skinny. While working out at the gym a couple years back, two body builders mentioned that he had "good genes" (read: pecs predisposed to getting pumped up) and suggested he get into body building.  Since then, he's competed in two amateur competitions.

Now just 6 months out of college, the 9 to 5 life is catching up with him. With work and "the more stressful atmosphere" that comes along with it, he hasn't been able to schedule the solid workouts that he was accustomed to. Add to that what Manny describes as unfortunate physiological changes that have come with age, and he's got a full plate to work on. 

Jeff Schafer, MD - "I felt like the Michelintire man"

"I've never been any type of jock," our third Fitness Challenge participant says in summing up his fitness background. "But I've been blessed with a body that's pretty healthy."

Dr. Schafer's moment of truth came when the backups to his backup clothes no longer fit. "I've got skinny clothes, normal clothes and fat clothes," he explains. "When I got to the point where the fat clothes no longer fit, I knew I had to do something."

Dr. Schafer has never had great definition. That is now his goal, and he'd like to run a mini-triathlon to boot.  Morning gym classes and hours of walking make up the majority of Dr. Schafer's planned regimen. But even if he doesn't win the local triathlon anytime soon, he has a more modest goal. "I'd like to be able to take my shirt off and see a nice physique."

Jeff Lupient (& Life Time Fitness trainer Steve Hawley) - "One cheat day to satisfy the emotions"

At 6'3", 220 pounds, Jeff Lupient is a mountain of a man. But he'd like to be a lean mountain of a man. A student of Pepperdine University in image-conscious Malibu, California, Jeff is looking to put on some size and muscle. His ultimate goal is to put on lean mass.

Dean Celia - "weight gain and lethargy" drove him to the Challenge

Simply put, Dean Celia is a busy man. By day (and often by night) he is executive editor and publisher of a multimedia health care publishing company based in Birmingham, Alabama. At night he returns home to his wife and two daughters.

Dean is 6'1" and weighs 242 pounds, but would like to shed a few in the latter category. Make that 20-25 pounds. In 1996 he began exercising regularly and eventually started biking long distances, which got him in decent shape. His relocation to Birmingham in 1998 proved a fatal blow to his exercise regimen. Eventually this led to him gaining 24 pounds and, ultimately, lethargy. 

Dean's planned regimen includes 30 minutes of aerobic exercise per day, along with a reduction in his fat intake.

Next Issue!

In the next issue, Lee Goldsmith pulls up his sleeves and cracks the whip.  Will Tory overcome his age? Can Dr. Schafer once again don his skinny clothes? Can Manny become the next Schwartzenegger? This and other tantalizing insight in the next issue.

Please visit our voting booth and tell us who you think will win! You may win a free customized Web site!

Vab's YourHealth would like to thank Del Mar Workout and Life Time Fitness (www.lifetimefitness.com) for sponsoring the Fitness Challenge.

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