Kimberly Garrison

Here's the latest Philly Fitness and Health Podcast. This week Kimberly Garrison talks fitness and faith with Leilanai Cranmer and Denise Hillery-Jones of the group Fitness for Christ. Hear about how Denise lost 65 pounds and how she found the inspiration to do so, plus how to glorify god with a healthy body as well as a healthy spirit. Be fit, be strong and be your best with Philly Fitness and Health.

SPRING HAS officially sprung, and there's no better place than our fair city to get fit and healthy. That's because Philadelphia is home to spectacular Fairmount Park, the largest landscaped park system in the United States, boasting some 9,200 lush acres.

This spring, reacquaint yourself with the park while you walk, run, bike or blade your way into good shape and better health.

Besides its more than 215 miles of scenic trails, many of them along the Wissahickon, Pennypack and other waterways, the park operates 127 tennis courts, 160 baseball, football, soccer and softball fields, 35 basketball courts, four outdoor pools, seven recreation centers, nine day camps, and 22 playgrounds.

Trail use and park safety programs will be held at various park locations this Saturday and Sunday. For more details, call 215-683-0200 or check out the Fairmount Park Web site, www.fairmountpark.org.

Sherita Jackson

I've ordered a new [wedding] dress, a size smaller! I'm looking at this dress, knowing by the end of the Challenge it's going to fit. This has been one of the harder weeks for me, but I got through it with the support of my fiance and my family.

Trainer Jeff Shablin says: Sherita is on FIRE! Even though she had another death in her family, she is keeping her focus, hitting her cardio twice a day and weights three to four times a week. She is a great example of how not to let real-life problems knock you down.

.

Mary Leonard

Can I just tell you how good it feels to have people saying they can see the difference and that I look healthier? I do feel so much better - not so sluggish. Eating small healthier meals throughout the day does make a difference.

Trainer Gabriel Gaskin says: I'm just beaming with pride over Mary's success. Not only is she down 20 pounds so far, she's also incorporating more activity in her life overall. That's what's up. Making physical activity a part of your lifestyle and not some dreaded chore.

.

Vaughn Morrison

I'd gained a few pounds, so Melissa intensified our workouts. The extra weight hurriedly jumped ship, spilled more unwanted pounds and left me sinking toward the lower 230s. Without Christ, my wife, my family and, of course, the opportunity of the Challenge, I could not have lost 31 pounds!

Trainer Melissa Kolczynski says: Vaughn hit a bit of a plateau with weight loss, which is to be expected. To break through this phase, I introduced circuit training. Although he said he died twice during the workout, I assured him that he was still very much alive.

.

Cynthia Santiago

It's been a challenge to conquer mind over matter, but through determination and vision my picture has become clear. Because of my small success, a good friend wants to explore the idea of us opening up a gym someday. Imagine that!

Trainer Kimberly Garrison says: Cynthia has dropped an astounding 23 pounds since the beginning of her journey. She's a real trouper, full of determination and courage. It's never easy but she has maintained her resolve.

.

B.J. Wilson

Last week I had bronchitis and was completely out of action. I'm still not over it but hope to get back into my routine as quickly as possible.

Trainer Jim Hart says: B.J. is quickly recovering from an illness that knocked him out. Despite not having exercised for the last few days, he has now lost a total of 30 pounds! B.J. shows that weight loss is like any other worthwhile endeavor in life - it takes persistence and consistency in the face of numerous obstacles.

Sherita Jackson

People talk about how the weight just falls off; in the beginning, I thought it did. Now you have to work harder to lose a pound. My fiance is really serious. He won't even let me have a cheat day.

Trainer Jeff Shablin says: Sherita had a rough week - a funeral, a move, wedding planning, family - but she is staying on track. We are intensifying her workouts, and she can handle the physical stress very well. Her family and friends are very supportive. She is an inspiration and impresses me more as we move forward!

Mary Leonard

I did two things this weekend that I could not have done nine weeks ago: I took a Tai-Bo class and did moves I never thought I could, and I slid on my size 10 jeans. They were hiding in my closet, hoping that some day I could wear them. That day is now.

Trainer Gabriel Gaskin says: Mary's commitment to the fitness lifestyle is to be applauded. I can't express how proud I am of her. She is a role model to women everywhere of what's possible once you make up your mind to do it.

Vaughn Morrison

The lymphedema (severe swelling) I've had for years in my left leg and foot is virtually gone - I can wear shoes again! No more back pain walking a few blocks. My arthritis has conformed to the program. And I get to enhance the perpetual honeymoon my wife Cynthia and I embarked upon on Nov. 10, 2001.

Trainer Melissa Kolczynski says: I am very proud of Vaughn's progress. He's lost over 30 pounds! Circuit training helped him break through his plateau and begin losing again.

THE LAST nine weeks have been anything but a bed of roses for our five Daily News From Flab to Fab Fitness Challenge participants.

Each has had his or her faith rocked and experienced a personal TKO. But, despite life's obstacles, each has triumphantly returned to the center of the ring, standing tall, ready to battle against the bulge and against personal demons.

Lifelong journey

Fitness and health are not destinations. We must keep reinvesting in ourselves if we truly want to master our bodies and maintain abundant health.

In our high-tech, give-it-to-me-now culture, we keep searching for the fountain of youth in pills, surgery and assorted hocus-pocus. But the bottom line is that your fitness and good health are largely up to you. The only thing keeping you from achieving your personal best is you.

Fitness and faith

This spring, instead of falling for the latest infomercial hype, commercial diets or diet pills, commit to eating healthy and exercising daily.

Today is the day I want you to decide how important your health and fitness are to you. Sit quietly and search your head and your heart. Do you really want to make a change? Are you committed to the process?

In many ways, a healthy lifestyle is like a spiritual discipline. To gain the rewards, we must surrender ourselves to the process.

"Until you see your health and fitness as a spiritual quest, you will always see exercise as a chore," says personal trainer King Hinton of Philadelphia. I agree. Your health is your wealth, and its value is indeed priceless.

I can guarantee you that once you commit to daily exercise and healthy eating habits you will be rewarded with the results you seek, just as our Fab Five challengers have. Measure for measure, you get out whatever you put in. That's a universal law.

Cause and effect, reaping and sowing - call it what you will, but everything comes with a price that must be paid in full and, often, in advance. Are you ready and willing to invest what you'll need to maintain your health and fitness?

Hopefully, your answer is a resounding yes! If so, remember these words from renowned opera singer Beverly Sills: "There are no shortcuts to any place worth going."

Prevention is the cure

Also, don't look for your salvation in the medicine cabinet. Modern medicine may be good at keeping us alive, but it fails at making us healthy.

If you need more evidence of this, check the latest health news. Better yet, read about the overuse of prescription drugs in "Death By Prescription," by nutrition specialist Dr. Ray D. Strand.

Plan - and act!

If you're ready, make a plan and take action. Do something daily that moves you closer to your goal.

Take the stairs. Walk the extra block. Don't go back for second helpings.

C'mon, what do you have to lose?

Once you get out of your own way, you might even surprise yourself. If you've been inactive, begin with a 15-minute-a-day walking program. As your fitness level increases, walk longer and faster.

If you are an intermediate exerciser, spice up your program. Introduce a new routine. Try a new sport.

Take the same approach to improving your diet. If you're not ready to eat more fruits and vegetables, then simply eat half of what you normally eat. You will begin to see positive changes.

Isn't each day a gift, filled with miracles and surprises? Don't you deserve the best health and fitness? The best way to achieve that goal is through a daily commitment to exercise and healthy eating.

Let's exercise our faith in ourselves and get in the best shape we can, so we can face head on whatever life throws our way.

Sherita Jackson

I have the most supportive, compasionate, motivating trainer on earth. Jeff Shablin definitely gets the job done. I can JOG now. I use to get out of breath walking up stairs. God puts people in your life for different reasons, and this experience has been a blessing.

Trainer Jeff Shablin says: Sherita had a wonderful breakthrough this week. She can jog on the treadmill! This is a huge accomplishment in a short time. If we were to try this earlier, she may have injured her ankles or knees. But with her weight loss and overall strengthening, she can handle the stress.

.

Mary Leonard

I cheated big time on Easter Sunday, but the good thing is that Sunday night I was already planning my schedule for the week. I've learned how to juggle my eating and workout habits. I know I will have some off days, but now I know how to put myself back on track, and it makes me more determined.

Trainer Gabriel Gaskin says: Mary continues to do a terrific job. She's a personal trainer's dream. a model client. We all have temporary setbacks. That's to be expected. But Mary is resilient and just gets back on the horse.

You can't control your chronological age, but your biological age is another matter
IS YOUR lifestyle giving you wrinkles?

Could it be killing you?

Have you ever wondered why some people age so gracefully, maintaining the health, energy and appearance of a much-younger person? Do you believe aging is genetic, and that you're destined for a potbelly, saddlebags, wrinkles and illness?

If your answer to the last question is yes, then I have good news for you. The aging process is not predestined.

Go ahead, breath a sigh of relief.

Aside from normal wear and tear, how you age is largely determined by - you guessed it - the lifestyle choices you make.

Mary Leonard

Flab to Fab has really jump-started me. You know the promises everyone makes for the new year, how you're going to get in shape, eat better, and then before you know it, it's Memorial Day and it never happened? I really needed this push. Now it feels like a way of life for me.

Trainer Gabriel Gaskin says: I'm confident that Mary will continue to make this a way of life. I can't wait to see how she does in the next three months on her own. Anyone can do this if they put their mind to it.

Matt Hoover & Suzy Preston lost a combined 252 pounds
THIS PAST weekend I attended the NBC 10 Fit Fest, where I had the pleasure of chatting with Matt Hoover and Suzy Preston, perhaps the two most famous winners on the popular NBC show, "The Biggest Loser."

Hoover, a former wrestler (now a motivational speaker) from Iowa, and Preston, a hairstylist from Seattle, built better bodies and a romance, too. They're engaged and plan to marry some time next year.

The couple, both 29, dropped a whopping 252 pounds on the show. Hoover won the $250,000 purse, and Preston won $25,000.

What follows are their words of wisdom for the Daily News Flab to Fab Fitness Challenge participants - and for the rest of us.

They gave me the 411 on the accelerated way they lost weight, the reality of how many people gain weight back, and how they have adjusted their lifestyles to keep the weight off!

Q. What's it like being a celebrity?

Matt: I don't consider myself a celebrity. I just feel like I was lucky to get on the show. I consider celebrities movie stars or TV stars.

Suzy: I don't feel like I am. I have to take my trash to the Dumpster just like everyone else.