Dave (left) and Rob (right) begin their year-long wellness journey.
Happy 2017 and welcome to the first installment of what will culminate in tracking the ten-month challenge between two friends seeking better fitness and health, with the help of the Body Balance crew.
So what’s the challenge?
Whomever can lose the most weight, reduce body fat percentage, and inches lost collectively, in a healthy and well-monitored fashion, at the end of the ten months—October 17, to be exact—will
receive an all-expenses-covered weekend for two to a local destination of choice—paid by the not-winner!
Meet Dave Leibman and Rob Perez, who individually had gotten to a wits-end point with feeling overweight and then experiencing health and pain issues that follow along with that. Both middleaged, they also recognized not dealing with these issues now would have some increasingly unpleasant consequences in their futures.
For the past many years, each has committed to fitness time and again and experienced some yoyo-ing weight loss, but the take-it-off-and-keep-it-off, finding total health and fitness results just haven’t come. Body Balance co-founder/-owner and personal trainer John Perez (full disclosure, yes, Rob is his brother, and Dave is a long-time client) had an idea: since both men were facing the same sorts of challenges— namely, carrying around unwanted pounds and needing to eat more healthily and move more—How about they team up and put a wager on the line? Create a support structure, along with a little fun and healthy competition. Rob and Dave eagerly agreed, and now it’s game on!
The challenge having begun right around the New Year, we’re roughly a month in. The plan to date is three one-hour Body Balance High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workouts together per week overseen by John, focusing on cardio and strength to burn fat and increase lean muscle mass. The duo also team up once a week for at least a three-mile walk. In addition to exercise, both men are keeping close track of eating habits and working with Body Balance nutrition coach as well as cofounder/owner with John, Kristi Reed, who’s developed high protein meal plans with lots of veggies. A recent assessment tracking weight and measurements revealed that both men have dropped some pounds, with Dave having a small lead in that race. But we’re just getting started, and the determination and enthusiasm from both parties is definitely on par. Dave is motivated by being “tired of being overweight, not feeling good, and getting sick!” For Rob, he’s looking to feel more energized and have greater flexibility; being in his current shape, he says, “This is not what I want for myself.” For both, the general sense is, It’s time! An inspired feeling that’s palpable during their workouts and around their excitement about cleaning up their diets. And both men recognize that while they’re having fun with the challenge aspect, the end game is to have this kick-start life-long habits of healthy living and being.
All of us at Body Balance are thrilled to watch this friendly and invigorated “rivalry” progress. We’ll keep you posted as Rob and Dave keep at it!
