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Who's the biggest loser?

Jordan Glass, 21, and her mom, Nadine, weren't sure if they could muster the motivation to get out of bed and workout at 5:30 a.m.

Still, the Sugar Grove women wearily joined the Fox Valley Adventure Boot Camp and, eight weeks later, they have no regrets.

"Not only am I going through boot camp, but I've been eating healthier and I have muscle on my arm, which I never did before," says Jordan Glass.

Today, Glass is 35 pounds lighter, and her mom has lost several inches off her waistline. The women, who both work at a salon in St. Charles, are happy with the results alone. But this month, other women joining the boot camp could gain not only better health, but $5,000 in cash and prizes, too.

The Biggest Loser Bootcamp Challenge, which is run in Geneva by Fox Valley Adventure Boot Camp and is not affiliated with the NBC-TV show, will split women into 30 teams of two to compete for goods and money provided by local sponsors. The woman who loses the most body fat wins.

Merlin Hahn, a certified personal trainer who runs the boot camp, says he's happy to offer incentives if that's what motivates people to improve their health.

"This is about everybody getting to their goals," says Hahn, who has been training for 15 years. "If we have to pay them to be successful, then that's what it's going to take."

Women who join this boot camp (or Hahn's regular boot camp at Cantigny Park in Wheaton) can expect a challenging workout. But they shouldn't worry about Hahn barking orders or trying to motivate them by yelling or singling them out. That's not his style, he says. Instead, he prefers to modify exercises for each woman's ability, so that they won't get discouraged and quit.

"My friends ask if he yells at you like he's like a drill sergeant and I tell them it's not like that," says Glass. "He will push you, but not so much that it makes you want to leave."

To win the $5,000 prize, boot campers will have to work hard both in camp and outside of class. Glass said incorporating healthy eating habits were key to helping her shed the pounds. And Hahn gives his students "homework," too, which helps keep them in the groove on days when boot camp isn't in session.

The ultimate goal of this combination, he says, isn't really about just helping someone win $5,000.

"I'm really giving them a game plan on exercise that really can transform a body no matter where you're at," Hahn says.

Biggest Loser Boot Camp Challenge

Offered by Fox Valley Adventure Boot Camp

When: 9 to 10 a.m. weekdays June 16 to Sept. 5

Where: Good Templar Park, 528 East Side Drive, Geneva

Cost: $799; payment plan available

Web: fvbootcamp.com

Phone: (630) 640-0467

Although it's a contest, organizers of the Biggest Loser Boot Camp Challenge say the class is for all fitness levels. Courtesy of Adventure Boot Camp
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