Deciding on one 1st-place winner in this year's GHF Fitness Challenge was very difficult! Four very impressive finalists really stood out from the rest, and it seemed impossible to decide among them for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places, let alone who should be given 4th place and no prize.

So, we decided to award all four of them with an 8-day vacation! Receiving vacations for two to beautiful Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, are Eve Shay, Guy Reid, Trina Merrell, and Richard Burton. We will be celebrating with these four contest champions in February 2002 and posting photos from this fun trip just as soon as we return.

"I'm a mother of four very active sons, ages 14, 12, 7, and 3½. Prior to joining Global Health and Fitness, I weighed 153 pounds and I was so embarrassed of how much I weighed that I knew I had to do something. My body had so many aches and pains. I slept fitfully, my ankles would swell up, and I would get headaches daily.

At one point, I "bit the bullet" and joined a local fitness center. I soon lost several pounds, but I was doing the same thing every other day and not seeing any real results in terms of my muscle tone. I was at a loss about what to do to change my body composition. I felt I had reached a plateau.

Then I decided to surf the web for information on exercise and weight management and I came across Global Health and Fitness. At first I was very skeptical about the whole thing and decided to try out the Beginner, Phase I workout. I was hooked! I continued for 2 months and was so excited about seeing results that I signed up with Global Health and Fitness. I soon received my newsletter with all the Fit Tips and I downloaded the Protrack software, which has kept my eating in line. I was interested in knowing more about weightlifting and I just loved all the compliments I was getting. I decided to enter the fitness challenge.

Before I started the Global Health and Fitness program, I would yo-yo diet and just regain the weight I had lost plus extra pounds. Lack of exercise and extra pounds were depressing me and that made my family life uncomfortable. Global Health and Fitness has helped me see that exercise and healthier eating habits are a permanent lifestyle change.

I hadn't really challenged myself since I was in high school and I was determined to follow through with this. I was always active in sports when I was a teen and felt that I could find that person somewhere inside of me again. When I didn't understand how to do an exercise correctly, I would just log in to GHF and snap! I could look at the video demonstration of how the exercise should be executed. If I had a problem with a lagging muscle, I would simply email for help and I would quickly get a response to my question. GHF has provided me with updated workout plans when I reach a plateau.

This was better than I ever hoped for! Global Health and Fitness was making it easy for me to stick to my routine and change it when I needed to. I received information on how to lose my body fat without losing the muscle I had worked so hard for. This was a boon and a wonderful supplement to all the other information that I was receiving from GHF.

I could never have guessed at all the good information I have received about nutrition and how it all works in order to lose body fat. I found I had no idea how to prepare "healthy" meals for my family. I now use the recipes from Global Health and Fitness for my family—my husband and sons can't believe that it can be so good! GHF has become my one-stop source for eating right and healthful tips.

I love it that I now have the energy to play soccer with my sons and not beg off that I'm too tired. I can actually cross my legs now, and bending over to give my small sons a bath doesn't hurt my lower back anymore. I'm proud to say that I don't get those depressing comments anymore, "So when are you expecting?" and my knowing all the time that I was just overweight. I'm an actual participant in my family's outings to go camping and trail blazing, something I couldn't do before joining GH F. I'm 5'1" and 118 pounds and all muscle. I feel like the real me is living now.

Thank you, Chad, Dani, and all the Global Health and Fitness staff for your quick responses and helpful information to all my questions. I love my new physique and I now have a positive self-image of myself and feel more confident when I walk into a room full of people. I couldn't have done it without all the extra effort of Global Health and Fitness."

Eve Shay
Owasso, OK
weshay@telocity.com

"At 45 (age and girth), married with 4 children, a sedentary job, and grossly overweight, discovering global-fitness.com was an amazing turning point in my life. Having tried many approaches over the years to lose weight, any temporary success was always followed by even more weight going back on.

Two years ago I thought running would help, so I purchased a treadmill. My fitness level improved, but soon the weight crept back and my ankles and calves began to ache continually. Then, increasing my speed in a vain attempt to bring down my weight, I damaged my Achilles tendon. Believe me it's painful! A 2-month layoff fixed it but my weight expanded to 205 and stayed there.

Then I discovered GHF, joined, and became an avid reader. And it works! The total package works miracles. Not only did my body change for the better, but my thinking changed as well. The self-destructive, "all or nothing" attitude is gone. I have finally beaten that cycle of losing and then gaining weight back through a better understanding of what real health is. I have found proper motivation and common sense health and fitness strategies, thanks to GHF.

I couldn't wait to give you a progress report after my first 12 weeks on your program, as I'm achieving excellent results. I've lost 30 lbs. total, which equates to 40-lbs. of fat lost and 10-lbs. lean muscle weight gained! I also lost 10 inches from my midriff and 5 inches off my buttocks. In addition, I've gone up 40 pounds on the bench press and 90 pounds on the squats exercise!

I can now run comfortably for 45 minutes at a heartrate of 130-140 bpm and feel strong and energized after I'm done. Eating is now way more controlled, and I have lost my cravings for sugary and fatty foods. I'm pleased to report that I really love the benefits of lifting and feel "pumped" after a session of 30-60 minutes. Weightlifting has definitely been the missing element in my past training attempts, and the motivation and inspiration provided by GHF has made the difference.

I am now 170 lbs. and haven't been this light since I was a kid. I initially thought running would be the key, but I now understand that it's a combination of cardio, weightlifting, and good nutrition that produces the very best results. Thanks for everything so far—I really love my membership in GHF and am so appreciative of everything you've done for me."

Guy Reid
Pago Pago, Samoa
guy_reid@yahoo.com

"For me, it all started just over two years ago when I realized I was not the "thin" woman that I used to be nor was I the thin woman I thought of myself as being. I had changed jobs from a very active physical one to one where I sat in front of the computer 8 hours a day. My doctor had put me on a medication for some female problems, with one side effect being weight gain. I had just passed my 31st birthday, and I had crept up to 145 lbs and 30% body fat before I realized it.

My first mission was weight loss. I started by going to the gym where I had paid dues for several years but had only been a handful of times. For the past two years I had been doing strength-training with sporadic cardio workouts, and I was feeling pretty good about myself, as I was down to 135lbs and 25.79% body fat. But I still had that last little hump that I needed to get over. I continually struggled with my cardio workout as it was always the first thing that I cut from my day and the last thing I wanted to get out of bed for.

But then I found global-fitness.com, joined their online fitness program, and hooked up with one of their wonderful experts, Dani Myers. I was never so glad to "meet" someone in my whole life. What a godsend!

I never realized how ignorant I was about nutrition until I joined GHF. I learned so much! And the workouts were designed to very easy to do on my own...and extremely effective! There is just so much knowledge on the GHF website, and I love all the personal support and guidance. The GHF site is by far the easiest to get around, and most of the programs, resources, and experts at your fingertips, 24 hours a day.

So my new mission was to enter GHF's 12-week fitness contest and get between 16-18% body fat. With the Dani's help via GHF, I planned my strategy. I would continue with my 3 day/week strength-training, do a regular cardio workout 3 hrs/week, and modify my diet. I took my before pictures and I forged ahead. I noticed changes in my body very quickly and at the 6-week mark, I had dropped to 122 lbs and 20.16 % body fat—13 lbs and 5% in 6 weeks! It was just mind-boggling to me that I could make these kind of changes so quickly. I couldn't wait to see what the next 6 weeks would hold.

I was actually getting these little lines in my stomach (a dream come true). I checked my body fat and weight weekly to make sure that my lean muscle mass was not dropping and that it was just fat that was decreasing. At the end of 12 weeks, I had achieved my goal: 17.3% body fat and 115 lbs. I lost a total of 20lbs & 8.5% of fat. I have never felt this fit or healthy in my life, ever. People in my office building keep stopping me and asking me how I made these dramatic changes and I'm always happy to tell my story. I had two people in one week refer to me as an athlete (I had always thought of myself as an indoor girl) - what a compliment!

I am going to keep my hard-earned body and I'm happy and confident that GHF is there to help me do it. Thank you, GHF, for everything, I really appreciate your wonderful web site and all the wonderful programs, knowledge and support! And a very special thanks to GHF's Exercise Expert, Dani Myers, who helped me be the best me I can be."

Trina Merrell
Oregon City, OR
TrinaM@biinc.com

"I remember getting out of bed three months ago with the usual back pain and soreness. All my friends told me: it's your age (I just turned 51). I knew better. I have suffered back pain frequently due to severe scoliosis and have always avoided strenuous exercise. I had attempted weight training in the past with no success. I would use the same machines every workout and either lift too much and strain my back or get bored with the same routine every workout and ultimately quit. It finally dawned on me that one of my problems was that I was NOT exercising smart.

That morning (three months ago), as I arose in pain I had other thoughts on my mind. My girlfriend, Lisa, and I have talked about our future, and children are a part of our future. I did not want to hear the pregnant jokes any more—about me! That morning I envisioned myself as Scrooge, looking at his Christmas future. I didn't like what I saw, having such severe back pain that I could not play with my child or live long enough to see my child grow up. I wanted no part of that future.

Deep down, I knew exercise was the answer. This time I would do it the "smart way." Later that day, I searched on the Internet for fitness sites and found global-fitness.com. The site had everything I was looking for...nutrition information, weight management, cardiovascular, weightlifting as well as exercise programs.

By nature, I lead a very disciplined and structured life. I was amazed to find all the strength-training exercises laid out for me, whether I wanted to work out three, four, or five days a week. All I had to do to was print out my daily routine, for it was all spelled out for me.

After I got my doctor's approval, I began in earnest. My initial goals were to start light and slowly build up my back muscles and muscle tone, learn to eat healthier, and improve my cardiovascular fitness.

Initially, I was skeptical about maintaining the program, but with Chad's timely advice and the regular newsletters, I felt I had my own personal trainer at my side. Any questions that I asked, Chad always responded the same day, as did the rest of the GHF experts. After some friendly encouragement from Chad to join the GHF fitness contest, I was taking my Before pictures. I was so embarrassed with what I saw that I knew those pictures would help in my motivation.

I have been with the same large national media firm for over five years, and everyday I would pass the exercise facilities on my way to a fattening, calorie-filled lunch and NOT go in. Today would be different...

My first day in the gym was a little bit intimidating. I was not sure of the exercise routine and being around so many physically fit people. Thank God for T-shirts! I must have been a sight, inspecting the equipment, carrying around with me what I later referred to as my "Bible": a stack of printouts for my GHF workouts.

The changes started to appear, and the others in the gym no longer intimidated me. In fact, they all were supportive, coming around asking me what the stack of papers were. I felt energized as I explained to everyone about the GHF fitness program and how easy it is to follow.

During Week 4 of the program, I noticed a subtle change. Where in the past I had to force myself to do every workout; suddenly I did NOT want to miss a workout. I actually woke up one morning at 5 am so I would not miss my scheduled workout because of a business meeting later that day. There were to be more changes...

In my past, I was a "chocolate-aholic." I literally could not pass by chocolate without eating it. I knew I had made tremendous progress on the GHF nutrition module when I walked into our corporate kitchen right by a huge plate of chocolate somethings that someone had left. I kept on going to fill my water bottle; I didn't even give the chocolate a second thought. Thanks, GHF, for helping me to change my bad nutrition habits.

My energy level has risen off the charts. I often work out prior to work now at 6 am (before I was a night person). I arrive at work energized and ready to go. A friend commented on the fact that I'm "always being up." My girlfriend has noticed my increased energy level, increased arm size, and the inches I have lost around my waist. She is actually buying me a new belt.

And the reason I started this exercise program in the first place? I now wake up in the morning with NO back pain. Chad and his staff have been able to do what doctors could not: relieve my back pain. For that alone, I owe GHF a debt of gratitude. Thank you, Chad and GHF."