Articles filed under Fittest Loser

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  A physical ‘train wreck' tries to get on track
  Feb 20, 2012 12:00 AM I started working out at Push Fitness last fall, twice a week. Just moving was an improvement I could live with, for the most part. Cutting out pasta? That was painful. When I started to see improvement, in ways I never expected, I volunteered to chronicle my journey alongside the Fittest Loser contestants, ramping up my workouts to match theirs.
  

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  Fittest Loser trainers ready for the challenge
  Feb 20, 2012 12:00 AM Meet the trainers from Push Fitness who will be working with this year's Fittest Loser contestants to get them in shape. “The most rewarding part is the changes each contestant makes physically and emotionally,” personal trainer Steve Amsden says. “The camaraderie between the contestants and the trainers makes the experience so much fun.”
  

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  Six readers ready for Fittest Loser challenge
  Feb 20, 2012 12:00 AM It's a new year — and for six out-of-shape Daily Herald readers. The Daily Herald's 2012 Fittest Loser competition kicked off in February, and this year's contestants — who range in age from 25 to 64 and in pounds from 266 to 372 — are tackling what could be the toughest challenge they've ever faced.
  

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  New body, new life for Fittest Loser contestants
  Dec 5, 2011 12:00 AM Bob Pearson of Hampshire lost 78 pounds to be named the 2011 Fittest Loser by the Daily Herald and Push Fitness in Schaumburg. Now, we're seeking five more contestants for the 2012 Fittest Loser, with a 12-week workout and dieting program beginning Jan. 30.
  

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  More need for older personal trainers
  Sep 6, 2011 12:00 AM When they hired a fitness coach, Ventura, Calif., baby boomers Lisa and Ron Greenwood wanted an older trainer who had walked a mile in their sneakers. They are not alone. The demand for older personal trainers is on the rise, according to the IDEA Health & Fitness Association.
  

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  Vegetables simply good for you
  Sep 5, 2011 12:00 AM Eating a variety of fresh foods is the first step in ensuring your body is getting sufficient nutrients from your diet. This is especially true with vegetables. If vegetables are neglected, your body will be missing out on many valuable nutrients.
  

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  Treadmill desk a workstation ‘walkstation’
  Jul 4, 2011 12:00 AM Do you feel like you are working on a treadmill? Jay Buster does — and he lost 16 pounds in the first four months because of it. Buster, a trader in futures and derivatives, who works out of his garage in Boulder, Colo., installed a treadmill desk after reading about James Levine at the Mayo Clinic in Minneapolis who came up with the idea.
  

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  Exercises can help strengthen your core
  Jun 13, 2011 12:00 AM Here is a strength-training workout designed to challenge your body’s core and joint stability. By improving your overall stability, you’ll increase strength and natural balance, improve posture, decrease your chance for injury and just have a better awareness of your physical capabilities.
  

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  Competitor loses weight, gains an education
  May 31, 2011 12:00 AM It’s the nights that are going to be different for Jayne Nothnagel. Nothnagel, a 52-year-old customer service representative from Bloomingdale, lost 42 pounds over three months as a contestant in the Fittest Loser Challenge, held by the Daily Herald and sponsored by Push Fitness of Schaumburg. While losing the weight, she gained an education on what to eat and what not to eat, as she continues her quest to lose weight.
  

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  Maintaining weight loss a challenge
  May 30, 2011 12:00 AM So after months of hard work, the extra weight is finally off — now what? Maintaining your weight loss will no doubt take focus, but the hardest part is definitely behind you. Now it comes down to permanently taking control of your health so you’ll never again gain back that extra weight.
  

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  Assistant principal graduates to new body, routine
  May 25, 2011 12:00 AM John Novak did not only have to lose weight in front of friends, neighbors and family. He had to do it in front of an entire high school student body.
  

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  Supportive emails strengthen this tight group
  May 25, 2011 12:00 AM Fittest Loser contestants build camaraderie and support each other throughout the contest using social media.
  

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  Our journey had a happy Hollywood ending
  May 25, 2011 12:00 AM Well, Dorothy we’re not in Kansas anymore! How do I know that? A glance in the mirror proves I’ve traded in my meaty Midwestern frame for a figure I once thought could only exist in an imaginary place like Oz.
  

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  Pearson’s persistence wins Fittest Loser Challenge
  May 25, 2011 12:00 AM Bob Pearson was a house painter with a problem: he hated doing baseboards. It wasn’t the painting that was the issue. It was getting down on the floor. At 5-foot-8, Pearson’s 296 pounds were too much to carry. So Pearson applied to be a part of the Daily Herald’s Fittest Loser Challenge in an attempt to get his body back in order.
  

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  Nutritionist shares great results
  May 25, 2011 12:00 AM Dr. Paul Mikulski offers nutrional support to Fittest Loser contestants.
  

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  Kessinger runs into a newfound confidence
  May 25, 2011 12:00 AM On April 22, Kristen Kessinger ran a 5K with her best friend. The key word is “ran.”Kessinger, a 28-year-old public relations professional from Volo, participated in the Daily Herald’s Fittest Loser competition, a three-month contest complete with working with trainers from Push Fitness, boot camp workouts on Saturdays, and a brand-new, intense diet.
  

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  Nurse works through the pain of training
  May 25, 2011 12:00 AM Age was never an excuse for Dee Levine. It was more like a motivating factor. At the age of 59, childbirth nurse Dee Levine of Hoffman Estates entered the Daily Herald’s Fittest Loser competition, intent on dropping some of the 247 pounds she had to deal with on a daily basis.
  

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  Competition drives Bob Pearson to Fittest Loser title
  May 16, 2011 12:00 AM Three months ago, 296-pound Bob Pearson began the pursuit of a very large goal to become a much smaller man. Pearson, a 38-year-old painter from Hampshire, is now the champion of the 2011 Fittest Loser Challenge. His 26.4 percent weight loss gave him the title over four other competitors.
  

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  Here's the skinny — it was all worth it
  May 16, 2011 12:00 AM 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 37 pounds. My body age went from an astounding 60 to an amazing 42. Or, as my husband put it, “From menopause to trophy wife in just 12 weeks.”
  

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  Trainers confident Fittest Losers will stay in shape
  May 9, 2011 12:00 AM Motivation is the key to weight loss, and the Daily Herald's Fittest Losers had motivation in triplicate. The five Daily Herald readers who participated in the Fittest Loser competition for three months were motivated by the competitive nature of the event, knowing they had the opportunity to win prizes for the greatest weight loss by percentage among all contestants.