Men's health blog

GET YOUR BODY MOVING: SHE FOUND HER MOTIVATION IN CYBERSPACE
Stephanie Caviness wanted to slim down. But the 33-year-old Jersey City, New Jersey, woman had a hard time sticking with an exercise routine. So she turned to her computer for help, and she ended up losing 23 pounds.
For Stephanie, exercise was nothing new. She had tried it several times in the past as a way of getting in shape. “I had been gaining weight ever since I was in college,” she recalls. “I wanted to look better and feel better. But every time I started an exercise program, I’d lose interest. Eventually, I’d abandon my workouts.”
By 1998, Stephanie weighed 173 pounds. “I’m 5 foot 9, so I wasn’t really obese,” she says. “But I was having problems with my heart

FENCING BROKE DOWN HIS FITNESS BARRIER
At the tender age of 21, Dan Collins was so overweight and out of shape that his doctor feared he was killing himself.
“I was 5 foot 10′/2 and weighed 239 pounds,” he says. “I was diagnosed with high blood pressure, and my doctor was concerned enough to put me on medication.”
That was in 1984. Rather than sit back and let medications take control of his life, the young newspaper reporter from Towson, Maryland, embarked on a complete body makeover. He cut the salt in his diet way down, put the brakes on his runaway eating habits, and began walking and stationary cycling regularly.
Two years later, Dan had his blood pressure under control and was down to a lean 182 pounds. He felt and looked great but was afraid that he was entering an exercise slump. “I didn’t mind the walking and other exercises, but I really wanted a different kind of sport that I could really get into,” he says. “I knew that was important if I was going to keep the weight off for good.”
For Dan, that sport was fencing. While not as chic as aerobics a la Jane Fonda was in 1986, fencing really piqued his interest because it is both physically and mentally demanding. Working up a sweat was fun and exciting each time he picked up his foil and donned his mask and protective vest. “People don’t realize that a good fencer needs both aerobic and anaerobic conditioning as well as a sense of strategy and emotional control,” says Dan, who’s the co-founder of the Chesapeake Fencing Club of Baltimore.
While many others have piled up old, trendy sports gear in basements and attics over the years, Dan still fences every week, just like he’s been doing for the last 14 years. He also works out at home using a stationary bike and free weights to enhance his fencing performance. After all these years, it’s safe to say that this lean, mean fencing machine has found the perfect activity to help him keep the weight off.
WINNING ACTION
Go for the unusual and exotic. Learning how to move your body

GET YOUR BODY MOVING: HE DROPPED 200 GETTING LOST IN THOUGHT
Seven years ago, Mitch Lipka tipped the scales at 450 pounds, thanks in large part to a steady diet of high-fat foods. But he never got serious about slimming down until the day he tried to climb a short flight of stairs to his mother’s apartment. The effort left Mitch, who could no longer fit through a turnstile or slide into a restaurant booth, exhausted and gasping for air. On the spot, he resolved to lose weight.
He started by giving up meats and fried foods, then eliminated cheese, ice cream, and other high-fat fare. In their place, he learned to prepare low-fat meals, using a cookbook that his mom gave him. The pounds started coming off almost immediately.
Inspired by his progress, Mitch started plotting his next strategy: exercise. At first, he tried walking around the block. But because his job as a newspaper reporter had him working odd hours, he had to find an activity that better fit into his crazy schedule. So he invested in a stationary bike, which he rode when he got home from work. “I’d set little goals for myself,” he recalls.
“I’d ride for 5 minutes the first five sessions, then 7 minutes the next five sessions, and so on.”
Of course, some nights Mitch could hardly bear to look at his bike, much less ride it. That’s when his diversionary tactic came into play. He’d throw a towel or a T-shirt over the timer, then concentrate on something else. He’d get so lost in thought that before he knew it, his time was up.
After 2 years of his diet-and-exercise regimen, Mitch had lost 200 pounds. Five years later, at age 34, he’s still fit and feeling good about himself.
WINNING ACTION
Let your imagination go. Boredom can put a crimp in even the best-laid exercise plans. If you’re not enjoying what you’re doing, chances are, you won’t stick with it. So find ways to make your workout interesting. Mitch hides the timer and thinks about something else. If you’re using a stationary bike or other fitness equipment, try watching TV, flipping through a magazine, or cranking up some Tina Turner, Madonna, or your favorite uptempo tunes. Personally, as dull as it seems, I’m a fan of nothingness, like Mitch. I like quiet time when I’m on my treadmill. My mind wanders everywhere!
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GET YOUR BODY MOVING: SHE LOST WEIGHT BY ACCIDENT
Having discovered the secret of calorie-burning chores, Kay Black has never had a trimmer figure

GET YOUR BODY MOVING: THIS EARLY BIRD CAUGHT THE POUNDS-OFF PRIZE
At age 42, LaVonnia “Bonnie” Johnson weighed 225 pounds and wore a size-22 dress. Then she started getting up earlier in the morning

GET YOUR BODY MOVING: THEY’RE COMMITTED TO EACH OTHER

GET YOUR BODY MOVING: OPRAH MADE HER MOVE HER MUSCLES
Nica Russell was certain that she’d never get out of the negative mindset that allowed her weight to escalate to 270 pounds. Then she saw a talk show that completely changed her life.
“Television programs and infomercials about weight loss would bring me to tears, but they couldn’t inspire me to get off the sofa and dosomething,” says the 36-year-old Los Angeles resident. “Then I happened to catch an Oprah Winfrey show in which Oprah was crying and talking about her lifelong struggle with her weight. I felt that she was talking directly to me, that she knew exactly how I was feeling. She motivated me to tackle my weight problem.”
The next day, Nica went to the nearest mall and headed straight for the video store. She scanned the rows of aerobic exercise videos and purchased a selection of tapes with workouts ranging from beginner to advanced. Every day for 4 months, in the privacy of her own home, she did a 45-minute video workout. “At first, I could do only about 1 percent of the routines. I felt like I was going to die,” she says. “But every time I thought about giving up, I remembered
Oprah’s words. I found myself going longer without a break and without feeling like passing out. Eventually, I could do my tape routines from beginning to end.” At that point, she felt confident enough to visit a gym.
With guidance from a personal trainer at the gym, Nica started lifting weights. Over time, she became an exercise fanatic, working out for 3 hours a day, 7 days a week. “I was obsessed,” she remembers. “But I had a goal to meet.” To help her get there, she also made some adjustments in her eating habits, giving up fried foods and filling up on fruits and vegetables. Within 7 months, she lost 135 pounds.
Satisfied with her new, slim physique, Nica began having second thoughts about going to the gym. She was tired of paying the high membership fee, fighting traffic to get there, and waiting in line for equipment. So she decided to create a gym at home.
Over a 2-year period, Nina invested in advanced aerobic exercise videos, sets of 5- to 25-pound dumbbells, and weight-training equipment with a stairclimber attachment. “My home gym definitely motivates me to stay fit,” she says. “Without it, I wouldn’t work out as consistendy or maintain my weight.”
Today, Nica works out for an hour, 4 or 5 days a week. She has maintained her weight at a healthy 135 pounds for 4 years.
WINNING ACTION
Build your own gym. If you’re not comfortable going to the gym, invest in some exercise equipment for your home. Start by purchasing aerobic exercise videos or a treadmill for walking or running. Then work your way up to dumbbells and weight-training equipment. You’ll have all the essentials you need to stay fit, without the inconvenience of packing a bag, jumping in your car, and driving to the gym. I invested in a treadmill, and I love it.
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GET YOUR BODY MOVING: SHE FLATTENED HER STOMACH WITHSPINNING
When Mindi Epstein signed up for a Spinning class at a gym near her home in Evanston, Illinois, she had no idea that it would be so hard

GET YOUR BODY MOVING: FROM THE CLOSET TO THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Do you remember what you were doing on November 4,1980? Sharon Turrentine of Monroe, Louisiana, does. It made her the slim, strong woman that she is today
On that particular day Sharon was lying in bed, watching TV and eating candy. At age 36, she was unhappy and feeling sorry for herself. Her son was about to get his driver’s license, and she felt that she wasn’t needed anymore. Then there was her weight: At 5 foot 2 and 132 pounds, she dressed in the closet to avoid looking at her body.
As Sharon nibbled on her candy bar and brooded about her life, the images on the TV screen grabbed her attention. It was the first-ever Ms. Olympia Bodybuilding Competition. As she watched the women show off their strong, shapely physiques, Sharon snapped out of her funk. “I announced to my husband, ‘I’m going to be a bodybuilder,’” she recalls.
The very next day, Sharon

YOUR BODY MOVING: GET EXERCISE TOPS HER TO-DO LIST
As an attorney for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Sarah Yerger’s day is jam-packed with meetings and other appointments. But she always saves her final appointment for herself: She heads for the gym. Scheduling her workout time in this way has enabled her to melt 55 pounds off her 5-foot-4-inch frame.
Like everyone else in her family Sarah had always been over- t weight. “I believed that I was destined to be that way so I didn’t pay much attention to my food choices or exercise as much as I should,” explains the 31 -year-old Elizabefhtown, Pennsylvania, resident. And it showed: Over the years, her weight crept toward 200 pounds. j
Then Sarah’s mother developed health problems because of her excess weight. Shaken by her mom’s poor health, Sarah felt that her own weight might put her at risk for illness in later years. So she decided to do something about it.
Her first step was to join a local gym. But with her hectic work schedule, she had a hard time keeping her promise to go every day. That’s when she came up with the idea of adding her workouts to her appointment calendar.
Keeping those exercise appointments isn’t always easy. “But even on the busiest days, I make every effort to get to the gym,” Sarah says.
Sometimes, special occasions