This week we kicked off our eight-week Health2Fit (H2F) Challenge.
Four Arizona contestants will work with a staff of trainers, a nutritionist and registered dietitian in their quest for a healthier life.
We we will update a different contestant’s progress every Thursday.
But you don’t have to wait until Thursday to see how they’re doing. You can follow along by reading their blogs. Feel like participating? Why not start your own challenge at home with family and friends?
“I’ve been overweight my entire life,” said Amanda Freeman, H2F challenger.
Freeman hasn’t let that stop her from trying to lose those extra pounds.
“I lost about 50 pounds of that on my own,” she said.
But over the years, the 31-year-old’s weight has fluctuated.
“I feel like I’m always watching what I’m eating, like I’m never just letting myself do whatever I want,” Freeman said.
From watching what she eats to hiring a personal trainer, Freeman is not about to throw in the towel.
“When I saw the ad on Facebook for the [H2F] challenge, I felt like it would be good to get me out of my comfort zone, by working out with a new trainer and working out with Al [her current personal trainer] and working with a nutritionist,” Freeman said.
“Just like many other people, she has been on a program before and has tried losing weight and has done that quite successfully, but hits a plateau,” said Scott Keppel with Scott’s Training Systems in Chandler.
Keppel will be overseeing the exercise part of the challenge.
The first thing contestants had to do this week was get some body measurements and then do a few fit tests.
“They’re going to have to complete a mile run, push-up, crunches and body weight squats,” Keppel said. “And at the end, the challenges that they’re going to do [at the H2F Challenge finale], are going to be a little more complex because by eight weeks, hopefully, they’ve progressed to where they can handle a little more.
“I think what makes this [H2F Challenge] different than a lot of others out there is, again, it’ not just about weight-loss percentage,” Keppel continued.
It’s about creating a healthy lifestyle to last long term.
“I want to do a lifestyle transformation with them,” said Brad Myers, nutritionist and life coach, with L.I.F.E. with Brad in Chandler. “I don’t want them to feel like they’re on a short fix it.”
Myers along with Patti Milligan, registered dietitian at Tignum Sustainable High Performance Institute, will be helping the crew come up with individual plans to put them back on a healthy eating track.
“I gathered their information on their history of dieting, thoughts on dieting, support and who is around them,” Myers said.
In Freeman’s case, she just found out she has a hard time digesting foods including wheat and dairy.
“When she cleans up here diet and pulls out the things her body doesn’t want, she is miraculously going to have a rebound situation,” Myers said.
Freeman knows there will be obstacles she has to overcome along the way, but she’s ready for the challenge.
“You have to find a way to win, even if it’s not fair,” Freeman said.
While the contestants will be learning tools to last a lifetime, they also plan to show off what they’ve learned in a grand finale challenge on Saturday, April 20.
The public is invited to check it out and we will provide more details soon.
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