Thursday, March 17, 2011

Val Imery Essay

Why do I deserve to win
I don’t know why I deserve to win; I actually think everybody deserves to win. All of us put
a lot of effort in each class every week, some or all of us made some adjustments in our eating
habits, but with one thing in mind; “hope this week goes by fast”.
I know we are used to having a winner and a looser; at least that’s what life teaches us. But I
don’t think it’s always like that.
I wouldn’t like to be in the position of choosing “A” winner, for me we are all winners as of the
moment we made the commitment of living a healthier life.
I just want to congratulate (it’s over!!) everyone that participated and went thru
weighting our selves, knowing how much FAT we have in different places of our body, (as if we
didn’t know) and painful exercises.
To Jodi and Chris, thank you for making me actually enjoy every class, (with or without pain)
That not only helped me lose weight, stay fit and be healthier.
I know I’ll see all of you, because there is no way that we can quit such an addicting pain.


Love
Val.

SC Essay

Hi there. I wanted to take a moment of your time to introduce you to The New Me. She isn’t perfect, but she’s a lot better than The Old Me. The transformation has begun over the last 7 weeks or so, and progress is being made. The New Me looks better, feels better, and has a much better attitude about fitness and health than The Old Me.

In terms of fitness, The New Me has been making it to bootcamp much more often (3-plus times a week for 6 of the 7 weeks of the contest). Unlike The Old Me, she gets on the treadmill on days when she’s not at bootcamp and swings kettlebells in her basement, even when no one is looking. She feels stronger and healthier in every aspect of herself.

In terms of lifestyle, The New Me has changed her eating habits completely. Only in the more rare occasion will she have sweets (she had one tiny bite of wedding cake at a recent friend’s wedding; you’ll forgive her). She’s switched to a high protein, low carb diet and feels so much better for it. While The Old Me would go to work dinners a few nights a week and drink beers, eat fried appetizers and pasta entrees, The New Me has a glass of red wine, lightly dressed salad and a healthy protein for an entrĂ©e. What a difference that makes!

Overall, The New Me is making progress. She has started on a journey and has finally mentally grasped that the goal of physical fitness IS attainable. She plans to continue making these strides and will not turn back. You will not be seeing The Old Me again! In fact, The New Me feels so rewarded with her journey already, that if she wins the contest she would like Jodi and Chris to donate her winnings to a charity close to her heart. That will make this contest doubly gratifying.

SC

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Jane Seyer Essay

Me Transformed


I turned into a slug. A couch sitting, Oreo eating, beer drinking slug. It started just after Halloween. My exercise routine was boring. Rather than change my routine, I used the “Holidays are too busy” excuse and quit exercising. I wish I could say the Oreos and beer were a new addition to my diet. However, I must admit they are very old friends.

Being a slug was very easy. It was not fun or rewarding or healthy. It was just easy.

In mid-January, I checked out my backside in the mirror. When I saw my mother’s lumpy a*s in my pants, I knew something had to change. So, I had a little chat with myself.

“Jane,” I said, “you are a slug. Your clothes no longer fit. You eat half a box of Oreos and drink at least one beer a day. You are not sleeping well. And, you feel like crap. Get off the couch and back to the gym. Now!”

“Fine!” I said, “On two conditions. One, I am not doing the same boring exercise routine. And two, I am not giving up my Oreos and beer.”

So, I started the Boot Camp Transformation along with my friend, Val. At first, the change was very painful. Every muscle hurt and my body screamed at me to reclaim my position on the couch. But, each week, it got a little easier, a little less painful, and it was never boring.

Now, at the end of the six weeks, my clothes fit better, I sleep better, I am stronger, and I feel much better. Most surprising of all, I have stopped craving Oreos. Not only have I stopped craving them, I actually feel a little sick when I eat them. As for the beer. . . let’s just say recycling day is much less embarrassing.

My slug days are over.

Jane Seyer

Talia Fedorowich Essay

While sitting in a bar having a beer and eating a pizza with my husband, I
bumped into an old friend. Out of nowhere, she suggested that I consider
joining her in the Transformation Contest at Physically Fit. Well maybe it
wasn't out of nowhere, considering I was eating pizza and drinking beer - she
probably thought she was rescuing me! 7 Weeks later and looking back, truth is,
I think she was.



Long time ago, I was a Division One college athlete in the best health and shape
anyone could ask for. I loved the energy I had, the way I felt inside and out
and the way I looked, what woman doesn’t like to be happy with the way she
looks, right? It didn’t come easy, training, exercise, and good nutrition takes
work, but it was a commitment I made to myself and my team.


Somewhere along the road, I lost some of that. Everyone is busy, everyone has
competing priorities and I am just like everyone else in that sense, but I lost
the commitment and the motivation to feel good about my body. With my 5 year
wedding anniversary approaching this spring, my husband and I booked a trip to
the Caribbean, the first big trip we will be taking since our honeymoon.
Completely elated to be getting away, but the shock set in – I will need to be
seen by others in a bikini!



So my journey to become physically fit began, thanks to my friend Samira and
that night in the bar. Although I was so sore I could not walk for nearly a
week when I started, my commitment never faltered; my motivation to get myself
back to the place of feeling good inside and out was always in sight. While the
seven weeks are over and behind me, the road in front of me is clearly marked.
I am so happy to have found this program at Physically Fit and that Chris and
Jodi have welcomed me in. I can feel my strength, I can see my toned arms and
legs, and I am wearing my clothes (and soon, that bikini!) more proudly; I see
none other than this feeling continuing.

Talia Fedorowich

Jamie Ambrose Essay

Since I have joined bootcamp I have never felt better about myself. Bootcamp has definitely made my arms have definition and has increased my endurance. Before bootcamp my arms looked long and lanky, now I actually have some definition which has boosted my self esteem. I am also able to run under 10 minute miles which I am super proud of. I am not looking to lose any weight for the transformation contest but looking to gain muscle, become leaner and have more endurance.



Since the transformation contest ended I can only hope that I have increased muscle mass and also have become a little leaner. I believe that I have become stronger due to my increase in dumbbell and kettle bell weights and have been practicing my straight leg pushups at home to get stronger. I am also determined to get stronger and have more endurance for the Tough Mudder that is coming up.



I don’t really deserve anything from this contest but a pat on the back for the commitment I have made to myself. I come to bootcamp 4 to 5 times a week which shows how dedicated I am to myself to get in better shape.



Coming to bootcamp and seeing how fit everyone is and is getting has kept me motivated, not to mention the awesome trainer’s good music and ever changing workouts! Bootcamp is by far the best way to get and stay in shape!



Thank You Jodi and Chris.



Jamie Ambrose

Alicia Feller Essay

“I hope some day I can do straight leg push-ups,” I used to think on a regular basis. Then I entered the transformation contest for boot camp. And discovered I can do straight leg push-ups. 18 of them before going to my knees to finish out the minute test. Who knew?

The transformation contest started out for me as motivation to lose weight, sculpt my body and become a pseudo-supermodel in 6 weeks. An “outside” transformation. It’s so much more. The internal transformation I’ve under gone is just as important as the external. I used to think I couldn’t fit more than 2 workouts in a week. I’ve been doing 3, usually 4 and discovered it’s easy when it’s a priority. I’ve upgraded to the purple band, heavier weights, adding advanced moves when I used to think, “I can’t.” That’s not an option for me anymore. I’ve developed a positive, can-do attitude and try to share it with others.
It’s the end of the 6 weeks. I’m not the pseudo-supermodel I imagined…yet. The transformation doesn’t stop here for me. I will continue. My clothes are looser, several people told me they see weight loss, and my boyfriend sees definition in my shoulders and abs. I’m stronger. My body can do anything I put my mind to! There’s been transformation externally, and equally so, internally. All of those things, plus the confidence I’ve developed and knowledge of what my body can, and will do, make me the winner of the transformation contest. See you all on the pseudo-supermodel runway!

Alica Feller

Monday, March 14, 2011

Karen Garrett Essay

March 11, 2011

The six or seven weeks are up and while I don’t look how I had envisioned myself to look in that timeframe, I have to say that I feel a lot better about myself and the way I look than I did at the beginning of this contest. I feel myself getting stronger each week and I know I’m on my way to achieving my fitness goals. Physically Fit and the bootcamp transformation contest have helped motivate me to get back into a workout routine and to make time in my busy schedule for myself and my health. While I’m not sure if I’m the most deserving to win this contest, I do know that I am not going to stop my new routine just because the contest has ended.

Karen Garrett

Mary Cavaleri Essay

Transformation Essay

Before joining Bootcamp, I ate a low-fat diet, and exercised five days a week. But my exercise regimen meant going to the gym, getting on a bike, and reading. I had been sidelined by a series of surgeries, and believed I wasn’t capable of much more than sitting on a bike to nowhere in a dank gym, inhaling high-powered antiseptic cleaner fumes.

Over the summer, a friend recommended I try Bootcamp. I said I didn’t have the time-I already exercised, after all. But I gave it a try one day a week. When I started, I couldn’t do two full push ups, and skipped the knees-to-chin exercises all together because I had no core strength.

When the transformation contest started, I reasoned if someone was going to win, why couldn’t it be me? However, I was doubtful I would be able to meet the minimum attendance requirements. Yet not only did I consistently attend four times a week, I weathered many obstacles, including sick babysitters, dental surgery and lock jaw, and navigated severe snow and ice in a car with only rear wheel drive. I also have a two-hour commute to work each way, yet got up at 5:00 AM to get to Bootcamp and then start my journey into the city.

Am I the strongest or fittest person at Bootcamp? No. But I believe I embody the spirit of the transformation contest-I have transformed how I see myself. My physical limitations from the surgeries have become an afterthought, and no longer define who I am or what I am capable of. I truly have Bootcamp to thank for that. And for pushing me to now be able to do 25 full pushups (on a good day) and 1-minute knees to chin exercises.

-Mary A Cavaleri

Mo DeMott Essay

I don’t feel that I deserve any award for transformation because I feel as though the last 7 weeks have only been the beginning of a commitment to transforming into a new me.

This August I will be turning 40 and it’s a big deal for obvious reasons but for me there’s a bigger significance. When I was 25 my sister died suddenly from an asthma attack at the age of 39. She left behind a great husband and three beautiful girls. Lisa was 14 years older than me and I looked up to her my whole life and wanted to be just like her……a beautiful person, and what made Lisa beautiful was her kindness, her gentle loving approach to her children, her charismatic spirit, her willingness to help anyone in need. Her smile would light up a room when she entered and she turned heads wherever she would go, not because of her outer beauty (she was gorgeous) but because you could feel her warmth and grace and wanted to be around her.

For the past 14 years I’ve thought about my sister everyday and have tried to live my life in a way that would honor her but to be honest I’ve gotten knocked down a few times and sometimes it was easy to get up and brush it off but other times I stayed down longer than I wanted to and got up slower than I wished. So I made a promise to myself that when I turned 40 it would be a new beginning for me to be the best person I could be and to really live and embrace LIFE!

I want to be a better wife and a better mom to my two boys, one of which is on the Autism Spectrum. The only way I know how to do this is to first become a better me, and the way to do that is to be healthier and stronger. I know that my physical appearance is just that…..but when I exercise regularly I feel better, physically and spiritually and let’s face it fitting into my favorite jeans is an added bonus that puts an extra bounce in my step! So transforming is an evolution and not something I expect to achieve in 7 weeks.

On my 40th birthday I will be raising my glass high and I know my sister will be there in spirit to celebrate my life and in turn I will be celebrating her, she made everyday count and lived life to the fullest and given the chance to live a long and happy life is a gift that I will not take for granted. I intend to cherish my husband and children and make it COUNT!

Mo DeMott

Terri O'Connor Essay

Physically Fit Transformation Contest
March 9, 2011

I entered the transformation contest because I was in need of a challenge. Luckily I don’t have much weight to loose, but I could always be stronger and leaner. I entered the contest to test my ability to get stronger in a limited period of time. I have been working hard by attending as many classes as my schedule would allow, most weeks I attended three classes, a few weeks four classes. At each class I have been pushing myself, doing the hardest versions of the exercises, straight leg dips, jumping slams, trying not to resort to my knees for the endless push-up sessions Jodi and Chris have been giving us, etc. After every class, no matter how hard the class, I have been doing one minute of push-ups and a minute of those horrible squats. I have gotten much stronger. I started with 30 straight legged push-ups and the other day I did 50! Who would have thunk? I can do many more squats now but I have a hard time counting them as I keep checking my watch to see when it is going to be over.

In the end I hope I don’t win, I hope some people who entered the contest have kicked butt, lost their desired amount of weight and have gotten stronger, leaner and in better shape. In the event no one out there lost a lot of weight, then consider me for the winner hopefully based on the measurements and the testing.

Thanks,

Terri O’Connor

Eamon O'Connor Essay

Transformation Contest Essay - Physically Fit Bootcamp

March 11, 2011

I entered the transformation contest with the desire to participate in a "fun" event held by Jodi and Chris. I didn't know what to expect, but figured a physical challenge is always worthwhile. I knew that I could lose some weight, but would the amount be big enough? As weight isn't the only measure, it made the event more interesting.

The initial testing stage set the bar for me. I usually take class three days a week. After class, regardless of intensity, I push myself to do 30 straight leg push-ups. I was surpassed by a number of people in the push-ups in the initial testing phase, which put my competitive mode in gear.

Since the initial testing I've pushed to get stronger. I raised the after class push-ups to 40, 45, then 50 and am still trying to go higher. Then do one minute of squats and usually get 50 in. This gets done no matter what intensity class is. I know my competitive nature has kicked in and am pushing myself to do better. I am using heavier weights and trying to do all exercises at the highest level. I definitely feel in better shape than before the contest began!

My daughters say I should win the contest "because I do push-ups and squats after each class." I don't think that I will win on the weight loss, but I am hopeful that based on measurements and push-ups and squats that I will be pushing to the top.

Thanks,

Eamon O'Connor