As Jill Williams nears the end of the sa国际传媒 Health Club Challenge, she feels like a bird about to leave the nest.
"I need to try and continue on my own," Williams said this week. "I need to fly solo now.
"Maybe it's because I'm such an independent cuss, but I need to try now and take the tools and the information that I've been given and do it on my own."
Williams is one of the five people selected for the TC Health Club Challenge, 12 weeks of fitness assessments and workouts with personal trainers, and consultations with dietitians, fitness technicians and counsellors worth more than $3,000. It will wrap up next week.
Another 350 people have signed up for the At Home Challenge, in which they follow directions printed in the sa国际传媒 and online at timescolonist.com/healthclub.
The program has been co-ordinated by the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence, where one of the five participants is working.
The others are at Greater Victoria community recreation centres.
Dennis Guevin, a former offensive lineman with the sa国际传媒 Lions (including the 1985 Grey Cup-winning team), has been working out with his trainer at Crystal Pool and Fitness in Victoria and is determined to continue.
Guevin, 52, said he's lost about 25 pounds from his formerly 370pound frame. He's tightened his belt by three holes, his shirt collars are now loose, and he has a surprising amount of energy.
"I can be mentally exhausted and still have physical energy to burn off," he said. "I surprise myself when I get to the gym and still have a pretty good workout."
At 63, Williams is the oldest of the TC Health Club Challenge participants. A former runner who quit years ago because of stress injuries to her feet, she was never overweight, tipping the scales at just under 140 pounds.
But she admits she had reached a life stage where getting fit had become almost a "now or never" proposition. It was only going to get tougher the longer she put it off and she was desperate to regain some energy.
Through the challenge she has dropped about 12 pounds - everybody from the dietitian to the training staff at Oak Bay Rec tells her she looks more toned and is carrying herself more erect.
She is sleeping better than she can recall in years. And her workouts have increased steadily in intensity. At the start of the Health Club Challenge, she couldn't complete a lap of the Oak Bay Rec Centre track. She's now doing six.
The diet, meanwhile, is no longer a special food plan to suffer through. It's now her routine.
"That's the difference," said Williams. "It is not a diet to lose weight - you just develop better eating habits, more healthy eating habits."
One of the tools she has picked up over the TC Health Club Challenge is a new habit of reading labels on food, part of a new awareness of what she is eating and cooking.
Williams has also learned to mentally map out her days, so she can identify moments - even it's only a half hour before supper - when she can do something good for herself.
"If you do that, you can always find the time to get out the door and get on your bike, or go for a walk," she said.
Williams said she now feels comfortable walking into any gym, because she has been taught how to use the gear properly and safely.
She can hardly wait for summer so she can take out her bicycle and kayak. She has already done a few day hikes.
"I'll never be a runner again," said Williams, "but I am really looking forward to doing those warm-weather activities."
