Annie finds strength inside and out

Looking back on the last six weeks of the Fittest Loser Competition, I can honestly say it has breezed by much faster than I originally anticipated.

In mid-February it seemed almost a herculean task to revamp my eating habits amid a full week's schedule of intense physical training, all within a three-month time frame.

Truth was, I had hit a stubborn weight loss and fitness plateau that lingered for most of last year. So, when the opportunity arose to join the five Fittest Loser contestants, the timing felt right to take on this challenge.

Now halfway through the contest, I have surprised myself with how quickly we put that plateau in the rear view mirror.

When I first met Josh Steckler, Push Fitness owner and my trainer, he had a wry smile that just barely covered his doubts about training a food columnist and pastry chef. After all, I went to culinary school to learn about packing the pounds deliciously on, and he works hard to help folks peel them off.

From the start I instinctively understood that my commitment to the program needed to be front and center at every workout, both at Push Fitness and home.

I have learned from Josh that the secret to my success for pushing past that plateau is to keep striving forward. That means never letting failure or setbacks become roadblocks to your goals.

With that in mind, one major challenge for me lied in what I brought to the fitness studio: a woman in her late 50s. Before everyone gets concerned about ageism, this isn't about what you can't do, rather what you can do with what you have. The delineation is perspective and it makes all the difference in your world.

Yes, on day one at Push Fitness I was the 155-pound weakling barely able to lift weights over my head or hold a plank position without crashing into the mat.

My Irish humor couldn't help but find this a tad bit funny, but that just stoked my determination to keep moving forward.

As I told Josh, while desperately trying to catch my breath, “This redhead isn't giving up!”

Focusing upon good fitness form during the exercises I could accomplish helped develop my strength and stamina to start tackling those moves thought to be on the mission impossible list.

One gem from Josh has been interval walking and running on the treadmill. This eased my mind on knee damage and created a steady stream of stamina to fuel those days of intense workouts.

What Josh originally thought would be my Achilles' heel, (and maybe I had reservations about also), my culinary background, actually revealed itself to be an enormous asset.

In the Push Fitness program the partner of exercise is food, and while I have spent oodles of time on the sweet side of kitchens, this experience and training helped me adapt to the new food requirements.

Once I pushed beyond my chocoholic habit and cleared the culinary decks, I focused attention on weaving smart food choices into a lifestyle change.

Six weeks into the program and I have reset my taste buds from consistently looking for sweetness, to enjoying savory and natural flavors. Bananas for my protein shake no longer top the wish list of ingredients.

At the halfway point of the Fittest Loser Challenge, the question I asked myself is, “What do I know now, that I didn't know then?”

Putting one foot in front of the other not only keeps you moving forward, but helps build momentum and strength to reach goals once considered unobtainable.

Now that I've blown past that old plateau, the finish line has taken on a positive and attainable perspective.