In February 2009, over 150 UNTHSC employees began their personal quests to health and fitness when they signed up for the UNTHSC President’s Fitness Challenge. The UNTHSC President’s Fitness Challenge was a 6 month fitness competition in which participants competed for prizes in the categories of Highest Body Weight Percentage lost, Highest Number of Inches lost and Highest Body Fat Percentage lost. Participants’ body fat, body circumference measurements, and body weight were taken and saved for comparison at the end of the program. After 6 long months, the results are finally in.
Congratulations to Sheri Krummel, Lori Saunders, and Shari Pope for your hard work and success during this 6-month program.
The Story of Sheri Krummel:
Winner of Total Body Weight Percentage Lost
Sheri Krummel is a Referral Coordinator for the Department of Internal Medicine and an avid Butt and Gut goer. When asked what motivates her to keep going, Sheri simply says, “Watching the progress that I’ve made and hearing the comments people make to me.” In addition to exercising, Sheri has mastered what may be the most difficult concept to grasp…the healthy diet. “The biggest thing is to eat right and watch your portions. I eat a lot of fresh fruit and fresh veggies all through the day and have my main meal in the evening but using portion control” she says. Sheri’s next goal is to lose an additional 7 pounds . Her plan to make this happen is to continue participating in the Butt and Gut class and maintain her already healthy diet.
The Story of Lori Saunders: Winner of Total Inches Lost
Lori Saunders is the Coordinator of Student Services for the School of Public Health. Lori says that her children are her biggest motivators. “I want to live a healthy lifestyle for them,” she says. “ Working for the School of Public Health, I realize how important preventative care is. I also do it for me. I feel better and that is huge for my self-esteem. My husband likes it, too!!” Lori’s fitness goal has been to trim body fat, while toning her body. “I use the Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred DVD. I get up before work, because of the kids’ schedule, and pop in the DVD. It takes about 30 minutes when you include the warm-up and cool down, and combines strength, cardio and abs into three different circuits.” Lori has made some healthy changes to her diet too. ” I choose whole grain, high fiber breads, brown rice and sweet potatoes for the family. I include a salad or a green vegetable with every lunch and dinner. I also focus on good fats... I also try to drink at least 80 ounces of water a day,” says Lori.
The Story of Shari Pope:
Winner of Total Body Fat Percentage Lost
Shari Pope works at the May Street Clinic and, like most people, is motivated by results. The movement of the scale is a visible reminder of her success and pushes her to keep going. Shari shares some of the same struggles as many men and women out there. “I have tried a million diets before and none have worked for me this well, but I never combined the exercise with the diet.” The results for Shari are, “I feel great and I have been sleeping better. And last but not least, my last blood test at the doctor showed my cholesterol was down significantly and my blood glucose was better than it has ever been. “
Advice from the Winners
These 3 ladies have worked so hard to get where they are today. They did not seek out a magic pill or potion. They invested the sweat and tears and found that the hard work is worth it. They are real women with real lives just like you, and they wholeheartedly believe that you can reach your goals too. Below is their advice to you:
Sheri: “Stick with it! It is hard work but the end result if fabulous and well worth the effort.”
Lori: “You can do it. It took me about six weeks before I noticed a drop in my clothes size. After about a week, my cravings were gone and I could tell I had gained stamina and that my body was changing. Let the way your body feels be how you judge yourself. Lori has great advice for those starting out. I remind myself that it I spent the last 30 (yikes!) living more or less a sedentary lifestyle, and that it was going to take time to get used to this. Now, it is a part of my life and I can't imagine not being active every day.”
Shari: “First, start slow, but not too slow! You have to set “mini” goals. Second, Get a friend to do it with you if possible. My friend Brittany joined the gym with me, so we work out together and encourage each other. We are competitive so I don’t want her to do more than me and vice versa, so I end up doing more than I would if I was there alone. Third, the classes that were offered through the President’s fitness Challenge really got me motivated. Nicki is a great instructor, she made it fun to be there, and showed me stuff that I have never done before, and didn’t even know I could do. Unfortunately since I work at the May St. location it just took too much time to go over there for the class, so I went out on my own and just incorporated the things she had shown us and the results are I am 42 lbs. lighter as of today.”