As the regional credit manager for The Home Depot®, Blake Guilliams spent a lot of time traveling between Cape Girardeau and St. Louis. Being on the road so much left him with little time or energy to workout even though he was a member of Fitness Plus since November 2004. Those constraints, along with the fast-food lifestyle trap that snares so many Americans, were doing Guilliams in.

The former high school athlete – who excelled in football, track and wrestling – decided it was time for a change and made a resolution to get his life back on track in January. He dusted off his Fitness Plus membership and began working with Darren Harris, BS, HFI, A-PAI, health/fitness coordinator and personal trainer, on staff at Saint Francis Medical Center's award-winning, medically integrated fitness facility.

"I let things get out of hand for far too long and knew I had my work cut out for me," says Guilliams. "Working with a personal trainer really helped me stay focused and motivated. I felt accountable to myself and to Darren because I knew he'd be there waiting for me."

Three days a week, Guilliams and Harris concentrated on core fitness and isometrics by working out with Swiss balls and weights. Guilliams also began eating healthier and focusing on portion control, both of which made a huge difference. After three months of high-intensity training and watching his diet, he lost 30 pounds and 7 percent of his body fat, which spurred him on to achieve even greater fitness goals. In July he took part in two triathlons and intends to participate in several more over the next few months.

These days, Guilliams continues working out regularly at Fitness Plus, a regimen that also now includes the master swim program and biking. He's lost 60 pounds to date, but the scale no longer serves as a gauge of his progress. "I'm focused on training for the triathlons and continuing to improve my overall fitness," he notes. "Thanks to working with Darren early on, I'm doing things I could only have imagined just a few months ago. That's motivation enough for me to stay with it."

From Weekly Health Page: Aug. 27, 2006