Announcing our 1999 First Place winner in the GHF Fitness Challenge: Tamara C. Sandmeyer. Throughout the last 12 weeks of our contest, by following the GHF program, Tamara lost more than 7% bodyfat, added more than 8 pounds of lean fat-burning muscle, and considerably increased her strength in both the bench press and squats exercises. Please take a moment to read her essay, and take a look at her Before and After photos. We're sure you'll find them as inspiring as we do and motivation to achieve your fitness goals, whatever they may be.
 "January 7, 1999 was the start of a new beginning, a new me. That day I picked up a fitness magazine as a gift for my son's 14th birthday. He had become interested in fitness, and I wanted to spark his motivation and help him start off on the right track. Little did I realize that it would be me who would be motivated to change my life.
On that date, I weighed as much as I had 14 years earlier when I was 9 months pregnant with my son. I also had fibromyalgia and spent sleepless nights suffering from chronic back pain. I tried to keep up with our family’s active lifestyle but found myself begging off more often than not. The last ski trip I had gone on, I only skied 4 runs before falling and badly hurting my back.
I looked—and felt—middle-aged. I couldn't run the 1/2-mile loop around the local park; even a short walk around the block left me winded. In addition, my hands hurt so badly that I could not open a jar. Although I had been a lifelong vegetarian and an advocate of naturopathic medicine, I was really in poor health.
That evening I started browsing through the magazine, and I found information on a contest that suggested it could change my physique in 3 months. Well, I thought, if those folks could do it, so could I! So I spent literally hundreds of dollars on a personal trainer and the supplements that were required. I starved and sweated. I restarted the contest 3 different times, and eventually quit.
One day I was looking for more support and ideas on the Internet. I knew that if I did not find a program and diet that would fit into my busy lifestyle, I would give up and go right back where I started.
Then I came across the Global Health & Fitness website. They too were offering a contest but its promises were a lot more realistic and its ideas easier for me to follow. Here was a contest I could fit into my life instead of trying to fit my life into the contest. It offered the support and ideas I needed to make fitness a way of life. This is exactly what I wanted!
Here are the goals I set for myself: to make new healthy habits, to lose fat, and to improve my cardiovascular fitness.
I gave up the supplements and personal trainer, and I found a gym where I could take classes that were fun—and that had equipment I could use either with or without a partner. I began following the Global Health & Fitness teachings and committed myself to working out 3-5 times a week and gradually changed my diet, becoming more conscience of my protein, fat, and carbohydrate intake. This was a challenge as a vegetarian, but I was able to find alternatives that gave me a balanced diet. I ate more often and in smaller quantities, although it took me a while to get over the feeling that I was snacking all the time.
My exercise had to become as important as eating and breathing. I am the owner/director of an early childhood program that cares for 84 children. In addition, I put together a monthly newsletter for a nonprofit organization and get up at 4 AM to do a paper route with 2 of our 4 teenagers. This fall I was a part-time student at the local university and had surgery to remove a benign tumor from my stomach. But lack of time could not be a factor in my exercise. I could not let the excuse of being too busy stop me or I would fail. I had to choose to make exercise time my private, personal time.
Now I am selfish with this time and it is because of my selfishness that I can be a better person to others. I feel better and look better; I am happier and healthier. I find that exercise releases much of my stress and that I have deeper sleep at night, which enables me to sleep less and do more. So, in reality, exercise has added more time to my day.
Gradually I started seeing the difference in how I felt and looked. The fat—24 pounds of it—was finally coming off. Clothes that I had not worn for years came out of the back recesses of the closet. At a church dinner someone mistook me for being my son’s sister, not his mother.
Most importantly I am now able to do things I've never done or haven’t done for years. I can ski all day or run 5 miles without stopping. I can participate in an hour-long cycling class and challenge myself throughout the exercise. I even backpacked a 19-mile trip this summer in the Sawtooth National Forest. These activities were impossible for me before.
The GHF Fitness Challenge gave me a goal and a vision on which to keep my focus. The Monday Motivation gave me a weekly boost and reminder of the journey that I was on. The customized exercise programs gave me a place to start and build my workouts. And their personal fitness consulting assured that I was maximizing my time and efforts. I’ve done my best, so regardless of the judges' decision, I feel I have already won the best prize: a life of better health, fitness, and fun."
Tamara C. Sandmeyer tami@sandcastleslc.com
GHF's First Place Contest Winner
Boise, ID
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