Scores soar as teams stay on target

Get Moving to Health 09

DAWN ECKERSLEY — with our volunteers every step of the way — reports on week eight in the programme

AS they race towards the finish line our recruits have got their eyes on the prize and the competition is getting serious.

The Heavy Mob, captained by Maggie Hurley, have led all the way but their lead on the Wide Loaders was shortened two weeks ago thanks to the efforts of Big (soon to be Medium) Al on the Wii Fit challenge.

Wide Load, led by Nicola Melvin, are now just six points behind and with just one nutrition session and the final weigh-in to go there’s everything to play for.

Chaddy the Owl celebrated his first perfect 10 this week, a score achieved by everyone expect Big Al and Maggie Hurley who dropped a point each for missing their weight loss targets.

It must be said that Big Al has lost more weight than anyone else over the course of the programme and Maggie is not far behind him so they shouldn’t be too disheartened by the tale of the scales this week.

As the weeks go by it gets harder and harder for the gang to shed pounds as their bodies get accustomed to their new regimes so I can’t praise them enough for the effort they are all putting in.

No matter which team takes the weight loss crown they should all be proud of themselves and each other for what they have achieved.

The winning team will be pampered by hair and beauty students at Oldham College and given a fantastic make over by the style team at Debenhams so the recruits are all determined to fight it out until the very end.

Have the Heavy Mob done enough to secure the title or will the Wide Loaders make a late play for victory? See next week’s Chronicle.


They’re on the ball!
BALANCE, co-ordination and patience . . . all vital skills when it comes to tackling the fitball.

And with Mean Michelle Westhead at the helm, our recruits were pushed to the limit.

It all started out innocently enough with a few gentle stretches but soon enough we were lunging, squatting and twisting as if our lives depended on it.

Having fallen off the huge squashy ball a good few times I soon came to realise that I lack both balance and co-ordination - and I fast ran out of patience.

Everyone put in a huge amount of effort but special mention must go to two people Heavy Mob team leader Maggie Hurley - who made contorting her body on a fitball look easy and effortless - and Chaddy the Owl for managing to balance while wearing huge boots with only wings to hold him steady.

Faces around the room started to get redder and sweatier as we worked our stomachs, legs, arms and bums with no let up from Mean Michelle who encouraged us to force our bodies into unheard of positions.

Even the warm down was an exhausting onslaught of salsa dancing and spinning round the room on our balls.

But whinging and whining aside I think we all enjoyed ourselves and learnt that exercise can sometimes be fun even though we all suspected we would be in absolute agony for the next couple of days.

Looking around the room it’s clear that the gang are getting fitter and firmer as we head towards Week Nine and the group’s final nutrition session.

Catch up with Wide Load and The Heavy Mob in next week’s Chronicle to find out who is on target to lose 10lbs in 10 weeks.


Malana: You should see me now!

AFTER years of complaining about the way she looked Malana Bridge decided less talk and more action was the only way forward.

The sweet-toothed mother of three has cut out sugary snacks and switched to low-fat food in a bid to shed the pounds and get the figure she has always wanted.

Malana, a supervisor at Debenhams, said: “I have to plan my days and organise myself so that I eat correctly and get an exercise regime in my routine. I am married with three children and I also work full-time so I have to plan way ahead.

“I am definitely seeing a difference and I have lost weight every week bar one when I stayed the same. I am feeling great with all the positive comments I am getting.”

Malana, who has lost an impressive 15lbs in the eight weeks so far, is spurred on to success every day by customers in Debenhams and her Heavy Mob team mates.

She said: “Customers have been great, they keep coming in to see how I am getting on and telling me they have seen me in the Chronicle. I would like to thank them for their support, they have been wonderful and I couldn’t have done it without them.

“The Get Moving To Health programme is great because you are working as part of a team and you don’t want to let your team mates down. The Heavy Mob are really focused and we really want to win.

“Friends and family have also been very supportive and I keep getting texts from people telling me how well I am doing which encourages me to keep it up.”

Malana is sticking to a strict exercise regime as she believes this is the key to keeping the weight off.

She said: “I would like to lose two stones in total so I will definitely be keeping up with the things I have learnt throughout the GMTH programme. I am enjoying exercise, especially the cycling machine and aerobics.

“Anyone who is thinking about a weight loss/fitness programme I would advise them to do it for themselves, have a goal in mind, take time to achieve it and stay focused.”