War on Weight warriors survive Week 1

(CNS): The fourth annual War on Weight (WOW) competition, spearheaded by the Cayman Heart Fund, is now in its second week, with contestants vying to see who can lose the most weight during the 16 weeks of the contest. This year's WOW warriors have survived four grueling days of bootcamp with Ernest and Bruce from Body Sculptor, and some even had energy left over to attend an extra class on Friday morning. On Saturday the contestants tried out Yoga with Diane, sponsored by Body Works. For some, this was the first time ever doing Yoga and they enjoyed it immensely, they said, especially since their muscles reallyneeded a good stretch after bootcamp.

Directly after Yoga, the contestants took a short walk over to meet with David Pattaway at GNC, which is sponsoring the daily multi-vitamins for all the contestants. Pattaway stressed the importance of taking a good multi-vitamin during any type of weight-loss regimen as the body is changing in so many ways, in addition to the types and amounts of food being eaten. Most of the fruits and vegetable we eat lose a lot of nutrients in the days from being harvested to the time they actually reach our tables, he said, and the vitamins will help boost the contestants’ energy levels and fill in whatever vitamins and minerals the body is lacking.

“The boot camp has been a very big change for me going from inactivity to activity," said contestant Ian Yearwood after the first week. "The instructors have been very considerate in modifying different exercises as needed. The multi vitamins have assisted greatly in that I don't feel so tired at the end of my day."

Contestant Ruth Grizzell said, “This first week of bootcamp has been hard without question but I did learn that I can do it and it will not kill me. I have even noticed that I can do simple things like bending down to pick up something is so much easier. I’m amazed at how much of a difference only one week can make. Ernest was right, the hardest part is showing up every morning.”