Best friends makeover: Month 5

Health
Tanya's blood pressure still needs watching but otherwise the friends' vital statistics are fine, says Dr. Rita Dahlke, a family physician. Kudos to Tanya, who lost 10 pounds (she's right on track, says Dahlke, who recommends a one-half to one-pound weight loss per week) and to both women for making exercise a regular part of their lives.

Fitness
Fitness coach Shelly Stranaghan is pleased that Tanya, who at the launch of the makeover had not worked out in a while, is now going to two 1-hour weeknight fitness classes (Fire and Water, a blend of yoga and Pilates, and Deep Water Workout, a combination of cardio and fat-burning) and works out in the gym with Tracy at least once on weekends. An initially reluctant Kesler, who used to wait for his mom outside (there's no budget for babysitters), is enrolled in the Climbing Development Team, which meets at the same times that Tanya has her classes.

Tracy is working out almost daily. She takes the Fire and Water class with Tanya as well as Cardio-Latin and Belly Dance classes and does weekend workouts in the gym. Tracy finds exercise a great stress-reducer, and that looking and feeling strong physically helps her stay mentally tough through her job hunt.

Career
Coach Gimalle Crawford helped Tracy and Tanya explore their career aspirations and pinpoint strategies for more satisfying work. While Tracy planned a focused and concentrated job search, Tanya reignited her passion for her job (mental-health worker at Calgary Urban Project Society) by developing an employee discussion group called Success Circle, which identifies and builds on workplace successes and helps employees feel good about the work they do.

Image
Coach Astrid DesLandes introduced the best friends to stylists at CaVaBien Hair Studio and Day Spa. Tanya didn't want to change her hairstyle much but she gave stylist Angee Dokken some leeway with colour. Now she has a deeper mocha-brown base with new red highlights.

Stylist Maghan Broderick gave Tracy a vibrant red base with soft mocha-blond highlights and used an inverted bob cut to tame her natural curl a bit for a more polished look.

The women experimented with foundations and decided that they prefer transparent colours that help unify their warm skin tones. DesLandes recommends Tracy use a lip liner and light brown, coral and soft red lipsticks, while Tanya can wear brighter shades because she has fuller lips.

While the girlfriends share common makeover goals and achievements, each has developed a priority and is devoting a lot of personal energy to this one area.

Life
Life coach Cathy Yost had bimonthly phone meetings with Tracy and Tanya (and one day brought over the film The Secret, about how our thoughts and beliefs can shape our lives). She explored successes and setbacks with the girls and helped them see potentially challenging situations as opportunities to change patterns and old beliefs. For example, while it was challenging when Spencer wanted to stay with friends for several weeks, Tracy suddenly had more time for herself -- and to make decisions about her life. Time spent apart was good for both of them and now that he's back home, they're starting to get back on track in their relationship.

Finances
Financial coach Jennifer Kirby helped the women develop comprehensive plans for short- and long-term financial goals. While some of Tracy's goals are on hold as she looks for a new job, Tanya has secured her financial situation and even has a plan to open a registered education savings plan (RESP) for Kesler.

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Photo by Roth & Ramberg