Silver Seven continues battle in Shape-Up Challenge
Earl Purcell steps on the scale during the weekly weigh-in.
Nutritionist Jessica Marshall continues instructions for the Shape-Up challenge group with a "grocery store tour" to help them to seek out the healthiest food available.
Tom Blaho and Earl Purcell workout with aqua exercise barbells.
Cynthia Campbell leads her team during a relay race as the Shape-Up Challenge group gets competitive in the pool at the YMCA.
Matt Howrylak, YMCA wellness director, leads the Shape-Up Challenge during their water aerobics workout.
Jessica Marshall points out the uses of different cooking oils and the varying nutritional values.
Rosalie Coughenour climbs down the ladder and into the pool for a session of water aerobics with the Shape-Up Challenge group.
Sue Thomas takes a quick rest between sets during the Shape-Up Challenge water aerobics workout.
The Shape-up Challenge group headed back to the pool for another round of water aerobics led by YMCA wellness director Matt Howrylak.
The Shape-Up Challenge group works out with aqua exercise barbells during a water aerobics session in the YMCA pool.
Carmella Amber, Cynthia Campbell and Sue Thomas do rapid side steps in the pool.
As week seven activities of the Shape-Up Challenge — Silver Edition rev up, the scales are going down.
With the 13 weeks dwindling down in the challenge, sponsored by the Uniontown YMCA and the Herald-Standard, most contestants are still shedding about 2 pounds each week.
But week seven’s weigh-in revealed a huge surprise when contestant Sue Thomas dropped a whopping 9 ½ pounds in one week.
“Let’s hear it for Miss Sue. She’s back on track and then some,” said Matt Howrylak, wellness director and personal trainer at Uniontown’s YMCA.
Up until week seven, Thomas had been struggling with her fluctuating weight. She began the competition weighing in at 222 pounds, and by week four she was down to 218 ½ pounds. But by the following week, she gained a half pound, and by week six, Thomas saw a four pound weight gain bringing her to an even 223 pounds — 1 pound above her base weight.
Her significant weight loss this week, however, shows that she didn’t get discouraged.
“I’ve been reading through my nutrition handouts nightly,” Thomas said.
She also worked out a bit more and kept a closer eye on what she’s been eating.
Afterwards, certified holistic health coach Jessica Marshall presented the group with her final nutritional presentation, which focused on reading food labels and grocery shopping tips.
She addressed the organic versus conventional produce debate.
“Organic means that the produce is grown without pesticides. It’s grown as if you had your own garden,” she said.
Acknowledging that purchasing organic foods can be expensive, Marshall handed out a shopper’s guide to which foods are best to purchase organic. The “dirty dozen” represents the 12 foods that people should purchase organic, and include apples, spinach, celery, grapes, potatoes and sweet bell peppers.
The “clean 15” are foods that people could get away with buying conventional and include foods like pineapple, avocado, mangoes, eggplant and watermelon. These are foods with thick peels and tough shells that make it more difficult for the pesticides to penetrate through, Marshall said.
She also touched on genetically modified organisms, explaining that these are foods or animal products that have been genetically engineered with DNA from bacteria, viruses or other plants and animals. Foods can be genetically engineered for many reasons, including to help crops withstand certain climate conditions.
“Genetically modified food is cheaper because it can be mass-produced,” Marshall said.
She also said that not all fruits and veggies are labeled to let consumers know if the produce has been genetically modified. Instead, the sticker attached to produce, known as the PLU, says it all.
“A four-digit PLU means that it was grown conventionally. A five digit PLU beginning with the number eight means that it was genetically modified, and a five digit PLU beginning with the number nine means that it is organic,” Marshall said.
She also warned that organic produce doesn’t last as long and should be consumed quickly.
Marshall also addressed mercury contamination in fish, and handed out a list of fish that are low or high in mercury.
She then went on to discuss the nutrition label and said the first thing to look at is the serving size.
“Remember to try to eat 10 percent or less of the bad stuff like sodium and sugar, and 10 percent or more of the good stuff,” she said.
Before wrapping up, Marshall told the contestants that she has nothing against cheating every once in a while, referring to last week’s advice from previous Shape-Up contestant Phillip Michael, who told the group it was OK to cheat now and then.
“Treat this time like boot camp,” Marshall said. “I’m all about cheating, but you have to make sure you’re retraining your taste buds and getting a good hold on things. You guys are taking control of your health, and it starts in the kitchen.”
Contestants then met up with Howrylak in the Y’s pool for their second, and more intense, aquatic workout.
Howrylak instructed the group to do exercises such as high knees, kicks, side steps, jumps and exercises with dumbbells during the routine.
But this time, contestants were given more reps and less breaks, increasing the intensity of their workout. Howrylak also increased the tempo during a few of the exercises to target speed and cardio.
The group finished their workout by dividing into two teams for a relay race — but there was a catch. The contestants were not allowed to swim. They had to instead run through the water, from the wall to the lifeguard’s chair and back to tag their teammate.
Howrylak said the pool offers the contestants a great joint-friendly method of exercise, and he plans for at least one more group session in the pool.