Beaumont Todd has one mission in life and that it is to be the healthiest person he can for the sake of his wife and two children. And he knew that at age 33 and approximately 50 pounds overweight, he wasn't -- so he made application for consideration into the free G-Fit Academy 40 Day Challenge. Forty-year-old Avis Baker is overweight and pops pills for high blood pressure. She experiences shortness of breath so frequently that when she's walking she often has to stop to catch herself. She wanted to be a part of the program to not only lose weight, but so that she could get off her pressure pills. She also wanted to learn to make wiser, healthier choices. Lexia Cartwright tipped the scales at 257 pounds -- It was weight that she blamed on pregnancies, having given birth to seven children.
Now that her youngest is nine-years-old, she came to the realization that she is out of excuses. And then there's 27-year-old Ava Dean who has tried almost every diet out there and lost the battle. Even the offer of $20 for every pound she lost along with the enticing promise of a new wardrobe offered by her father, did not help in Dean's battle with the bulge. Suffice it to say, she has done some crazy things, including using duct tape in a strange way -- to hold her tummy in for that special dress. In her words, she had been there and done it all. These are just three of the compelling stories from applicants hoping to be one of 10 finalists selected for the free G-Fit Academy that started on October 1. The principals in G-Fit sorted through the numerous applicants, narrowed them down to a number of people for one-on-one interviews, and in the end, instead of going with 10 people, they settled on nine people -- eight females and one male who they felt were ready for the program.
That readiness included the applicants also being prepared mentally. Those lucky nine people are being given the opportunity of a lifetime as they are now into the third week of their journey to wellness and a healthier lifestyle. The journey they are on is based on exercise along with nutrition seminars and workshops with health coach Janine Carey, and one-on-one support from G-Fit trainers and founders Charles Johnson, Dr. Dwight Marshall and Jennifer Egli. The participants will be empowered with the tools necessary to continue on the journey after the program ends. "We thought about how we could get help to people out there who really needed it and can't afford it," said Egli, a trainer and coordinator with G-Fit of why the challenge was offered.
"We wanted to catch the people that were really on the verge... and we wanted people who were truly ready, because anyone can tell you that you need to lose weight, and you can want to, but you have to make that switch in your mind." Egli is all too aware of how important it is for that switch to happen mentally. She once walked in the shoes of the 40 Day Challenge participants, having tipped the scale at 200 pounds "I've been in everybody's shoes, and I know mentally what has to click. And if you're not there, it's not going to happen, no matter how much somebody pushes you. If you're not ready on your own terms, it doesn't matter how much help I give you," she said.
The participants get one-hour boot camp sessions four days a week with three personal trainers. And they make a sacrifice as well having to get up for 5 a.m. sessions. They are also provided with free access to Dr. Marshall for the duration of the challenge for free consultations and care packets. And in their nutritional talks, they're encouraged to eat the rainbow and to slowly start changing things in their homes. They've even walked the grocery store as a group and shown how to shop -- how to recognize vegetables and fruits, read labels, and how to tell which rice is the processed rice. It's a challenge that Kristal LaFleur, 40, is up for. She said she needed to lose 69 pounds. Prior to the program, she weighed more than she did when she was nine months pregnant.
She said she was even averse to looking in the mirror. Then there's Danielle Newbold who struggled with her weight for years, and as soon as she got to a number she was comfortable with, found out she was pregnant. She then ate whatever she wanted, and gained 70 pounds. In her application letter she was adamant that she was ready for a change, as she was tired of being overweight. She wanted to be healthy not just for herself, but for her son as well. And there's Candice Simon, a 36-tear-old mother of four who ballooned up to 210 pounds. After her mother passed in February she came to the realization that she needed to make a change and began exercising on her own and made changes in her eating habits. That resulted in a 35-pound weight loss by April. Simon said she knew she has a lot more weight to lose, but that she could not do it on her own. Having heard great things about G-Fit, she applied.
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