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Five women take on fitness challenge

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Wedding Warrior participants watch trainer Michelle Bourgeois explain the proper technique for doing hamstring curls.

Panorama Recreation Centre and the Peninsula News Review’s Wedding Warriors are ready to get whipped into shape.

Our warriors: Meghan Porteous, Maria Furmek, Gaye McLeod, Lynne Potts and Susan McAdam have all made the commitment to change their lives for the better by getting started on a healthier way of life.

Porteous, 24, and a 2005 Stelly’s grad, is getting married July 17 and wants to fit seamlessly into her wedding dress. “When I got the dress, the waist was a little lower than it was supposed to be, so I decided it was probably less expensive to fix me than the dress,” she said.

Furmek, 42, is a Type 2 Diabetic, able to control the disease with diet and exercise. She wants to lose 10 to 15 pounds and gain muscle. “I need that little bit of extra help in motivation and some tips on how to take this extra baggage I’ve got on my body off,” she said. Her niece is getting married in June.

McLeod, 58, is preparing to be the mother of the bride at her daughter’s Mexican beach wedding this November. “Menopause hit with a vengeance eight years ago and my metabolism completely slowed down … I would like to start losing this extra 20 pounds which refuses to budge no matter what,” she said.

Potts, 53, is also preparing for a November wedding in Mexico — her son’s. “I would really love to be able to wear a swim suit and shorts and not be self-conscious about the way I look,” she said. She began taking Panorama’s Fit for Life program in February and has a goal of losing 100 pounds. “I’m motivated,” she said. “Believe me I’m motivated, I’ve never been so motivated to do something in my life.”

Another mother of the bride, McAdam, 52, had knee surgery (laparoscopic — medial and lateral meniscus repair) on Feb. 17. She would like to lose 45 pounds and regain strength in both knees in preparation for her daughter’s June wedding. “What an incredible opportunity, said McAdam. “A new chapter in the journey of the lives of both myself and my daughter.”

Are you wedding ready? Get with the program by going to www.crd.bc.ca/panorama/program/wedding-warrior.htm and start down your own road to fitness.