Getting Back on Track
M e m b e r Pe r s p e c t i v e
Mr . Fantastic !
Getting Back on Track
Anthony Graziano with his trainer , Erin Frawley y weight had been gradually
Mclimbing over the last three years . Since turning 40 , I had somehow managed to pack on twenty pounds , mainly around my midsection . It was happening subtly , just a pound or two each month , but before I knew it I was really out of shape . You know it ' s out of control when your wife starts buying you stretchy pants , and you don ' t recognize yourself in pictures . Also , as a diabetic I knew that it wasn ' t great for me to be carrying around unnecessary weight .
My workouts and nutrition were mediocre at best . I saw the signs at Fitness Incentive for the Fantastic Four competition and really didn ' t think it was right for me . I ' m not a competitive person when it comes to my training , and I didn ' t think I could get three others to join me even if I did decide to participate . I asked around anyway to see if friends or family would be interested in participating in the competition but I couldn ' t find others willing to join me . I spoke to Jourdan Brown at the Front Desk one day about the competition , and she was very encouraging , assuring me that I ' d be able to find a team . So with the support of my wife Jen and daughter Mia , I made a commitment to myself , stepped outside my comfort zone , and wholeheartedly joined the competition .
The Coach
Every team needs a coach to guide and motivate them through the season .
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By Anthony Graziano
Choosing a trainer was the most difficult part of the competition for me because all the trainers at Fitness Incentive are excellent and have different strengths and training philosophies . I decided to join Erin Frawley ' s team for the competition because I had taken some TRX classes with her and felt most comfortable with her style of training .
Goal Setting
Erin had us email her with our goals prior to our initial weigh in . At initial weigh in I was 178.8 lbs ., 24 % body fat . My goals were to lose 15 lbs ., to get my body fat under 20 %, raise my HDL , and improve
Kristin my A1C at . the She
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Spartan us to Race
be specific about them too — which I found most helpful . She said we should have daily , weekly , halfway point , and final goals . She said not to focus on the weight loss because we ' d be putting on some muscle in the next several weeks . She did an amazing job at customizing our workout each week because our individual goals were all quite different . She kept in constant contact with Jen , Tricia , Linda and me on a daily basis through text messaging .
Being part of this new team was motivating for me . There were times after working a full day that I had no desire to get a workout in , but I did not want to let my trainer and the team down , and this pushed me on those difficult days . The support I received from my teammates was amazing , and I truly believe that without them I would not have been as successful .
Nutrition
I changed my diet to eat cleaner with less processed foods . As Erin put it , “ eat foods as close to their natural state as possible .” A baked potato instead of mashed potatoes , for example . Chicken breast instead of chicken salad . I counted my nutrients daily and kept a food log . This was extremely helpful because it teaches you portion control and the importance of meal prep . I allowed for a cheat day once a week . I also cut out alcoholic beverages Monday through Friday , which helped tremendously , but I allowed myself a few drinks on Saturday and Sunday . The team shared food ideas on a regular basis via text messaging and Erin was available to answer any questions that came up regarding nutrition . To my surprise as my nutrition improved I
Autumn 2016 FIT to Print realized I was needing less and less insulin to maintain healthy blood glucose levels . There were some days when I needed no insulin at all .
Challenges
I really enjoyed the series of fitness challenges the Fitness Incentive staff put together for people involved in the competition . Challenges like rowing , biking , sprinting and the monkey bars were great team-building events and really helped us bond . These mini competitions set up within the main competition made it exciting for me personally and took my mind off just losing weight .
Maintenance
This is the new part of the competition this year . Once the twelve-week competition was over most people just go back to eating whatever they want , cut back on the intensity and frequency of their workout routines and put back on the pounds . The twelve-week maintenance period is designed to have you keep up with your nutrition and workout regimen . There ' s also another challenge during this period which serves to keep the motivation high . It ' s called the Fitness Incentive Triathlon , and it involves rowing , biking and running . I was really excited about it . Our final weigh-in took place at the end of August , and I ' m determined to keep the pounds off and the body fat down . ( Editor ' s note : Anthony won the Triathlon competition !)
Results
This competition for me surpassed my expectations and was just what I needed to get me over the plateaus that I hit with my training and get my nutrition back on track . At the end of the first twelve weeks , I had managed to lose 19 pounds to a final weight of 159 lbs . and get my body fat down to about 19 %. Hey what do you know — I do have abs ! The best part of this competition for me , however , came before the final weigh-in at my 3-month doctor ’ s visit early this past June . My HDL ( good cholesterol ) increased , improving my HDL / LDL ratio and my A1c ( shows overall glucose control over a three- month period ) improved from 6.2 to 5.7 and that was with almost no insulin . I ' m really excited about the next twelve weeks to see if I can maintain and perhaps improve my body fat . I ' d like to personally thank all the Fitness Incentive staff that worked hard to make this event possible .
Join us in congratulating Anthony for his latest accomplishment ! Not only was he the 6th overall Fittest person in the first half of the Fantastic 4 Contesst , but he is also the winner of the Fantastic 4 Fit 4 Summer Triathlon which consisted of Biking the Expresso Campus Loop , Running a one mile treadmill race and a five minute Rowing challenge .