A BIG TRANSFORMATION

WRITER: JAMES COMBS

Fat-filled fast food has been replaced with chicken and vegetables. Sugary sodas have been permanently swapped for water. And living a sedentary lifestyle on the couch has suddenly transformed into an active lifestyle in the pool.

Making healthy lifestyle changes has proved beneficial for Mary Ann Crandall, the overall winner of the Leesburg Area Chamber of Commerce’s Business Wellness Challenge. During the 12week weight-loss competition, she shed 30 pounds and lost 12.6 percent of her body fat, besting 150 competitors. In addition, her five-member team, affectionately named “Weebles,” finished first in the team competition.

“We called ourselves that because Weebles wobble but don’t fall down,” she says.

Mary Ann’s victory landed her a free two-year membership at the Leesburg Regional Medical Center Wellness Center and a free monthly massage for a year.

“When I first called up the organizers to inquire about the competition, I asked them what prizes the overall winner receives,” Mary Ann says. “Now that the competition is over, I know the best prize of them all is the gift of health.”

And for Mary Ann, a journey toward better health could not have come at a better time. In February 2013, she underwent a colectomy and developed an open wound that kept her homebound for three months. Life was bleak and depressing.

“It was the longest 90 days of my life,” Mary Ann says. “I suffered from emotional eating and basically spent those days texting, watching television and sleeping. I was a giant couch potato. It’s a whole different world looking outside while sitting inside.”

Mary Ann’s world was rocked even more when her mother died in December 2013. For her, it became a life-defining moment.

“That had a big impact on me,” she says. “I realized I needed to be as healthy as possible for my husband and child. They deserve a healthy mother and wife.”

The Business Wellness Challenge provided the perfect avenue to accomplish her goal. Three days a week, Mary Ann made a splash at the LRMC Wellness Center by participating in water aerobics in the morning and Aqua Zumba in the afternoon. The water’s buoyancy helped take pressure off her arthritic left knee.

“You can get solid workouts in the water without swimming laps,” says Mary Ann, who also spent each Sunday using the various exercise stations at Lake Okahumpka Park in Wildwood.

Nutritionally, she faithfully stuck to a diet that included meats, vegetables, fruits and salad. She also eliminated all refined starches such as bread and pasta.

“The most important part is focusing on portion control,” she says. “I even avoided eating cake on my birthday.”

Mary Ann continues eating healthy and participating in water workouts three days a week.

“I had a horrible year in 2013,” she says with a big smile, “but so far 2014 has been wonderful.”