Here's To The Winners - Fitness Incentive

“…winning the contest isn’t the goal for most people who enter them,” observes Theresa. “They all want the same thing: to improve their life in some way.”

Theresa Christensen

Here’s To The Winners

Beach Body Challenge 2023

A Summer is upon us, and another Beach Body Fitness Challenge is in the record books. We’ve been running Spring fitness contests in one form or another since 2009, and every one has seen eye-popping achievements by the challengers. Each year we like to shine a spotlight on some of the most noteworthy results – the ones that show what can be accomplished when you put your mind and body to it – especially with the help of the right trainer. With no further ado, let’s meet the winning team…

Lisa Calderaro and Gena Maurrasse trained by Theresa Christensen

“I can’t remember exactly when I joined Fitness Incentive,” says Lisa Calderaro, “but I know I was already a member in 1997, going to the gym with my son in tow…in his infant carrier! I chose FI not only because it was a local gym close to where I live but because of the variety and number of classes offered. As a working parent, it was important to have flexible options that coincided with my schedule. Also, the ‘family’ atmosphere is something you can’t replicate in a big-name corporate gym.”

For this year’s challenge, Lisa partnered with her friend Gena Maurrasse, herself a long-time member. “23-plus years,” says Gena. “My daughter was 6 months old when I became a member. My neighbor Andy Kiss (a former FI Cycle Instructor) told me about some kind of fun stationary bike class in the dark with black lights, and I said, ‘Wow, that sounds like fun!’ I took my first spin class the following week and was hooked.”

Both members are veterans of FI’s ongoing series of Challenges.

“I’ve participated in multiple contests over the years,” says Gena, “and still, to this day, a few of my partners are some of my best friends. My husband and I participated in the Fall Fitness Challenge last year and came in third place.”

“I, too, have participated in several contests over the years,” adds Lisa, “and although we have each participated in the contest separately in the past, we had never trained together. When it was suggested that we do this one as a team, I immediately agreed; I knew she’d be a great partner. We requested to train with Theresa Christensen specifically.”

“Lisa was already training with me,” says Theresa, “and she wanted to do the contest again with me. Her former partner could not participate this Spring, and Gena, a ViPR client of mine, showed interest right away when asked. They were already friends, and they were both very competitive. I knew from day one they’d be a force to be reckoned with!”

The motives behind signing up for the contests are always varied and always interesting.

“l recently retired after 31 years,” says Lisa. “When I was working full time, I was a 5:15 a.m. gym girl. While I knew I wouldn’t continue getting up at 4:30 in the morning, adjusting to this new-found freedom was a little challenging. Adding to the challenge: one of the ways I celebrated the milestone of my retirement was to take a trip every month for the first year. Along with these memorable vacations came lots of fun, good food, and libations (lol)! This quickly caught up with me in the form of almost 17 extra pounds in 10 months. This certainly isn’t healthy, and I wasn’t happy with how I felt in my clothes anymore (well, the ones that still fit anyway!) I knew the contest would force me to get back on track.”

“I love a challenge,” says Gena. “Challenge motivates me to be the best version of myself. When I told my co-workers in Georgia and Arizona I was thinking about the contest, they were so into the idea! ‘If you do it, we will do it with you virtually!’ It proved to be great. We created a text group called the Boot Camp Babes, and all did it together. One of the girls on our weekly call said to me, ‘You are so motivated! How do you do it?’ ‘I have a community of people behind me,’ I answered. ‘This community includes my trainer, teammate, and all the members of FI.'”

It’s a common theme throughout the years: Challenge contestants consider the ‘team’ aspect — friendship and support — the most important part of the contest experience. It’s fascinating to hear how it extends beyond the walls of FI into the larger world.

“We all know the importance of teamwork and collaboration in the workplace,” says Lisa. “I believe it is equally important in many aspects of people’s personal lives. In my opinion, this team approach plays a significant role in yielding better outcomes. I find that I push myself harder when my actions and performance impact others. For this fitness challenge, I was committed 110% to my teammate, trainer, and myself. Under Theresa’s skillful training, Gena and I tested our limits, motivated and supported one another, and shared plenty of laughter along the way!”

“The team aspect has been extremely important to me and my way of coaching in all of the five contests I’ve participated in,” adds Theresa. “I like to treat all of my duos as one big team. I find that there is strength in numbers. I encourage my dynamic duos to get to know each other, cheer each other on, share recipes, attend classes, walk, etc. I do think that each individual duo has to have a special bond also. I try to pair people who I think will get along with each other, respect each other, and work hard together. With this contest, I really emphasized the dangers of overtraining, the importance of meeting your daily macros, getting sleep, taking rest days, and staying on top of your progress with biweekly scans so that adjustments can be made when needed. Also – I almost don’t want to say this word because it could trigger some of my clients – HYDRATION!”

The Right Trainer for the Right Team

“Where do I begin about Theresa?!” says Lisa. “She is the epitome of a dedicated trainer and just an overall good human being. Theresa brought her extensive knowledge to the table with a positive attitude, personality, and of course, her sense of humor! While providing appropriately challenging training sessions, she explained the purpose of specific exercises, demonstrated correct form, and stressed how to avoid injury. She was always available to answer questions, encouraged us when we needed the occasional confidence boost, and gave us the proverbial swift kick in the ass when we needed that, too! (Yes, Theresa, you are indeed ‘the boss of us!’ Haha) Theresa’s own personal fitness journey has only enhanced her effectiveness as a trainer. She realistically knows what it takes to get to where you want to be.”

“There are not enough words or time for me to express how I feel about T,” agrees Gena. “She is not only one of the most dedicated and loyal people you will ever meet, but she is also kind and compassionate. But don’t let her sweetness fool you because she is also no joke when it comes to pushing you past your limits. There is always a plan behind her madness. She is an inspiration to anyone that meets her — smart, talented, and supportive. She will guide anyone that has the honor of being a part of her life.”

It has been said that diet is as — or more — critical to fitness success as exercise is.

“The first week was a nutritional detox,” explains Theresa. “They could eat as much as they wanted as long as they strictly adhered to the food list I provided. After the first week, additional foods were added every few days. Fifteen days in, they were given their permanent food lists for the remainder of the contest. Each contestant received personalized macros they were required to meet: quantities of protein, fat, and carbs that each person should consume daily in grams. I also gave them a calorie goal, all of which were tracked. I think that the hardest thing for people to wrap their heads around is that in a short-term contest like this, where you are trying to simultaneously gain muscle mass and lose body fat, it is imperative to eat close enough to your body’s maintenance calories so that you aren’t losing the muscle you are so desperately working for. The problem is that most people grossly underestimate their true maintenance calories once you factor in their daily activities.”

“The need for me to have to change my entire mindset,” says Gena, “going from being in a low-calorie deficit the majority of my life to having to eat over 400 calories more than I’ve ever eaten, was by far one of the biggest challenges for me. When I finally gave in and told myself to trust the process, it worked.”

“You can’t starve yourself!” says Lisa. “It’s funny that the word diet during the contest actually translated to mean more food than usual for me — more food but the right food! At the onset, we followed Theresa’s detox plan (no sugar, no alcohol, plenty of veggies and water, et cetera). After that, Theresa couldn’t stress enough the importance of maintaining a caloric intake commensurate with the level of strenuous exercise we were doing. We logged our food and tracked our macros to include complex carbs and healthy fats, paying special attention to making sure we hit our protein numbers to promote muscle growth. Theresa checked in with us regularly and suggested tweaks as needed. She even had an online platform for all her teams where we, as members, could share recipes with each other because, let’s face it, all that clean eating meal prep can get tedious after a while.”

“Eating that many calories a day…it becomes a job,” says Gena.

Recurring themes emerge when participants are asked to sum up their contest experiences.

“Well,” says Lisa, “my favorite part definitely links back to the team aspect of this challenge. Striving to reach your goals is easier to do with others who are in a similar situation. My teammate and I understood and respected each other, our strengths, and our perceived weaknesses. We acknowledged them and moved forward. We also found it refreshing that the members of Theresa’s other teams were focused on encouragement and camaraderie rather than competition. We met some awesome new people during this challenge!”

“I would add that sometimes you just have to trust the process as we do in everyday life,” says Gena. “Something might initially feel uncomfortable, but if we have the fortitude to push through it and trust ourselves and those around us, the end result is life-changing…physically and mentally.”

“I have learned over the past few years that winning the contest isn’t the goal for most people who enter them,” observes Theresa. “They all want the same thing: to improve their life in some way. That could mean losing weight, putting on weight in the form of muscle, getting back into a routine at the gym, training for the first time, changing their eating habits, or fitting back into a favorite pair of jeans. These were all wins for my 10 contestants. This particular contest stood out for me because I had ten out of ten people walk away from their final weigh-ins feeling successful in a way that mattered to them. Don’t get me wrong; winning the contest is a great accomplishment and an incredible feeling! But we all felt like winners before any announcements were made.”

About The Author

Paul Smith

Paul Smith manages member communications and graphic design for Fitness Incentive and Incentives Spa. He is a frequent contributor to Fit to Print.