Best friends makeover: Finale

The picture of health
Body composition changes throughout the makeover year show that both Tracy and Tanya have adopted a healthier lifestyle, says Dr. Rita Dahlke.

For Tanya, her loss of about 15 pounds and two dress sizes is significant. Her blood pressure is somewhat improved but is still high-normal (her family doctor doesn't want to put Tanya on blood-pressure-lowering drugs just yet; if she continues to lose weight, she'll see greater blood pressure results, says Dahlke). As red-flagged by the nutritionist, Tanya may also want to talk to her doctor about her sleep habits (she sometimes sleeps just three to five hours a night). When the body is in this kind of chronic stress pattern, it can adapt by storing extra fat. "At the same time, there's no easy way to weight loss. The key is to eat fewer calories and work out more," says Dahlke.

Tracy's vital statistics look good too. She's maintaining weight (she's tiny, so weight loss is not recommended). She has built muscle and is getting regular weight-bearing exercise, something that's especially important given that she is approaching menopause and a woman is most likely to lose bone health at that stage of life, says Dahlke.

Dahlke salutes Tanya and Tracy for all their hard work. "Let's keep going and see what you can do in the next year."

Fitness
Tracy and Tanya motivated each other to go to the gym all year.

Tanya's original goals: Become more active and involved in a regular routine.

Outcome: Tanya often walks to work (three miles in less than 40 minutes) and enjoys regular fitness classes at Mount Royal. "Fitness is not something I ever want to give up, and I'm looking into continuing my membership at the club."

Stranaghan's advice: "Since your biggest challenge is fitting fitness into your day, walking to work is great. Keep doing two to three workouts a week too – anything you enjoy, including group fitness classes."

Tracy's original goals: Get back to regular fitness, tone muscles and have fun.

Outcome: Tracy has improved her overall fitness and is at the gym at least three times a week doing a variety of cardiovascular fitness and weight-training classes and workouts. She, too, walks to work ("It’s a great time to clear my head") and challenges herself with one-on-one kickboxing training sessions. She's self-motivated and, like Tanya, plans to extend her gym membership.

Stranaghan's advice: "Keep challenging yourself to see fitness benefits and have fun."

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