If you are from Northwest Pennsylvania then you have probably heard of or participated in the Dream Team contest put on by Bill Lawrence’s Personal Fitness. Bill runs the contest every year starting in January and it runs for 16 weeks. The goal is to make a commitment to learning how to eat healthily and stick to a fitness regimen, then maintain that lifestyle after the contest is over.

The team that loses the most weight and body fat is the winner, and I believe they receive a free membership to the gym for the rest of the year (But I don’t know for sure). There are other prizes given for different accomplishments like moving into a leaner category than where you started or the biggest transformation. It’s always fun to win a prize, but the best part of the contest is creating a team, getting to know each other, pushing each other towards your goals, and then going to the Dream Team banquet. Everyone gets dressed up, and it’s time to Par-tay! It’s unbelievable the transformations that occur during these four months of nutrition and exercise discipline. It’s a great celebration of accomplishments, and it really is so much fun. It’s kind of like Prom for adults 🙂

I learned a lot during my first Dream Team. My team came in 7th place. We worked really hard by eating right and supporting each other. I didn’t know my teammates that well when we started the contest, but we are friends to this day. We got to know each other over the four months and helped each other when we were struggling. I started to feel more comfortable in the gym. I was getting to know more people and starting to feel like I belonged. I can’t thank them enough for asking me to be on their team.

I also learned how awesome the workout community is. The members of this gym are amazing. One, they believe in each other and want everyone to succeed. They cheer each other on and lift each other up. Two, everyone learns the nutrition program and shares meals they enjoy. They want everyone to like what they are eating while maintaining nutrition. Three, many of the women here are badasses. I have been to a few gyms over the years, and these women are truly like no other. They push themselves and each other to the limit. I learned to do things I never in a million years thought I would be able to do like a backflip. And the women are happy for and actually support each other. I never would have been able to lose weight if it wasn’t for the encouragement of my teammates and the athletes at this gym. Everyone is supportive. I hope that you can find a gym like this near your home town.

It definitely takes time to learn the nutrition program (that Bill teaches). If you have been following me, we try to eat a lean protein, the right carb, and a healthy fat at each meal. I am still learning what works and what doesn’t but during my first dream team, I lost weight and body fat and transformed my body. I went from 129.9 pounds and 19.6% body fat to 119 pounds and 15.8% body fat. Although I am not as strict as I once was, I have learned to enjoy what I eat and substitute healthier options for those not-so-great options I used to love. Check out Sub This for That for more suggestions.

In the end, fad diets don’t usually work. You may lose a lot of weight in the beginning but then when you start eating normal foods again or become less strict, you gain all of the weight back. Although you may bounce a little up and down with this program, the bounces are not extreme if you stick with it 85-95% of the time. My suggestion is to find an activity that you love to get your body moving. Find a gym that is supportive and encouraging. Yoga, pilates, CrossFit, and weight lifting are just a few examples. Then start slowly. Give up soda or other heavy calorie drinks. Give up fried food for a week. Eat at home more often than you eat out. Eventually, you will realize you don’t miss the fast-food cheeseburgers because you worked really hard and you like the way you look and feel.