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Wellington mom took a challenge, encourages others to do the sameDate: 10.01.2007
Posted by: Anabolic Info Team United States
Time was a precious commodity for Janet Ratty when her children were small.
A stay-at-home mom of three, she spent much of her time shuttling her kids to school, dentist's appointments and soccer practice.
Trips to the gym were rare.
"My husband ... has been weight lifting and bodybuilding since he was 18," said Ratty, a 49-year-old Virginia native who moved to Wellington 14 years ago.
"It's always been a big part of his life. I kind of fit it in as a social thing, when I had the time and when I needed to come and be with other moms."
Today, however, she prefers the company of her husband.
Five times a week, Ratty and her husband, Gregg, work out together at Ultima Fitness/Xtreme Tae Kwon Do in Wellington.
The pair began their fitness collaboration one year ago this month, when Ratty signed up to participate in the fourth annual 90-Day Wellington Challenge.
Sponsored by Ultima Fitness, the contest gives men and women a 90-day window to transform their bodies and improve their fitness.
"I walked in here right at the edge of the sign-up," said Ratty, an events coordinator for Wellington Christian School.
"I came in with my husband one evening. We just really decided we needed to do a hobby together."
The 90-Day Wellington Challenge was a perfect fit.
Open to men and women of all ages, the contest gives participants 90 days to improve their physiques through exercise, education and motivation.
"The Challenge is a way that people can go ahead and see how they can make a difference in themselves," Ultima Fitness/Xtreme Tae Kwon Do owner Jill Merrell said.
"They can transform the quality of their lives - their bodies, health and minds - through fitness."
Ratty, the grandmother of a 3-year-old boy, experienced just such a transformation.
With the help of her husband, who put Ratty through a series of two-hour workouts five to six days a week during the 90-day contest period, she lost 25 pounds, lowered her body fat, boosted her energy and improved her mental outlook.
More importantly, she grew closer to her husband.
"It put me in a whole different mode," she said of the contest. "'I'm proving something to myself, I'm proving something to my husband, and we're doing it together. He was a part of it.
"It wasn't like I was going off on my own and spending hours away from him again. It's that we were together doing it. It really has been awesome in our marriage."
Ratty hopes it will be for others as well.
Though she doesn't plan to participate in this year's fifth annual 90-Day Wellington Challenge - she finished second last year - she is working with Merrell to encourage others to take part in it.
"I tell women that get discouraged that it wouldn't be so easy for me 10 years ago," she said.
"You've got children to take care of and a husband that might not necessarily believe in what you're doing.
"So give yourself a break. Just understand that my life is in a whole different season than what yours might be. Just do the best you can."
Registration for this year's challenge runs through Monday. |
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