Losers are winners

News-Press 
August 23, 2011
by Francesca Donlan
Originally posted at news-press.com

The goal was to inspire some regular people - teachers, managers, sisters - to take a free eight-week fitness challenge and transform them from couch potato to hot potato.

It worked.

Mary Ann Bucceroni. 55, lost 38 pounds.

Sharon Baughman, 59, dropped her cholesterol 50 points.

Mike Cannington, 53, purchased new pants - three sizes smaller.

Almost a dozen people from Fort Myers took the Omni's 8 Week Fitness Challenge starting in February.

They committed to going to the gym six days a week for an hour and cleaning up their diets. They had access to a personal trainer and weighed in every week. They knew how much fat they were losing and muscle they were building.

The group did so well that Bill Davey, operating partner of The Omni Club, extended their challenge another 16 weeks.

The group wrapped up its six-month fitness challenge last week and every member achieved tremendous health benefits.

Robyn Gurule, 47, a teacher at Heights Elementary School, hated every single workout in the beginning.

"I really didn't like to sweat," she said.

After watching the pounds drop, she began to appreciate the sweat it took to lose 36 pounds. Now she's hooked.

"I can't believe that I can run up the steps without being winded," she said. "I never, ever dreamed I would enjoy exercise and I do. I feel really good."

The challenge works because people have a start and finish time, Davey said.

Many people see such positive benefits that they extend their challenge for another eight weeks, he said.

Gina Birch, a DJ at 96.9 WINK-FM, joined the group's fitness challenge for the past 13 weeks. She has always enjoyed exercise but realized that her fitness habits weren't helping her lose weight.

"I needed to switch it up and now I feel like my old self," she said. "I've noticed I can see my muscles."

Stacey and Mike Cannington, the only couple to participate, lost three parents in one year. They wanted to get in shape to ward off future health issues.

"I saw them get old," Stacey Cannington said. "I want to be strong physically if anything happens."

She also realized that after trying a variety of fad diets, she needed to make a consistent lifestyle change.

She's lost 15 pounds and 6 percent body fat and is committed to working out regularly.

Mike Cannington had played sports throughout school and didn't like what he saw in the mirror. Now he does.

"I lost 30 pounds and put on 8 pounds of lean muscle mass," he said.

Manny Romero, 56, suffered the most stress during the challenge. He lost his job at Big Brothers Big Sisters after it folded and his house was robbed.

He found relief in exercise instead of food and lost almost 70 pounds.

"No more blood pressure medicine, no more cholesterol medicine," he said. "Medically it's like I lost 20 years."

He appreciated the support and encouragement from the group and trainers, he said.

"I feel better than I've felt all my life," he said.