And... we're off!

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Follow Doug Speirs, Charlene Adam (right), and Tracy Mainland through 10 weeks of getting fit and have a chance to win a GoodLife membership each week.

Doug Speirs, Tracy Mainland and Charlene Adam need your help.

The Winnipeg Free Press staffers admit they have a few problems in common: Too much food, not enough exercise and too little spare time. For the next three months, the trio plan to change their ways.

Armed with memberships to Good Life Fitness on Kenaston Boulevard, their own determination and your input, Speirs, Mainland and Adam intend to lose weight and get fit.

Starting today, they will blog about their fitness experiences at www.winnipegfreepress.com.

They ask that you follow their blogs regularly while cheering them on, offering them advice and even sharing your own fitness photos with them.

Before you begin cheerleading, here's what you need to know about our not-so-fit-but-about-to-be bunch:

WHO: Doug Speirs,

Winnipeg Free Press humour columnist

HEIGHT: 6-foot-4
WEIGHT: 288.4 pounds
BODY FAT: 38.5 per cent
WAIST: 51.5 inches
GOALS: To lose weight, improve his fitness level and eliminate his need for the blood sugar-lowering pills he takes to treat his Type 2 diabetes.
PLAN: To exercise more and eat less
DIET WEAKNESSES: Burgers, french fries, gravy, bacon, desserts

He's the National Newspaper Award nominee and funny guy many of us read in this publication. When we read his candid, laugh-till-you-pee-your-pants insights, his life seems like an open book.

But Free Press humour columnist Doug Speirs isn't telling us everything.

The 53-year-old father and husband worries about his health. In particular, he's concerned about what his Type 2 diabetes could mean for his future. Yet, it's difficult for him to face the possibilities.

"If I know that if I'm not necessarily being good, I don't necessarily want to confront the bad news," says Speirs, who admits that he doesn't often take the blood-sugar tests required to monitor his condition. "I look away. I put a paper bag over my head."

Type 2 diabetes happens when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, a hormone the body needs to metabolize carbohydrates. Most people with this form of diabetes get it because they are sedentary and overweight. Many Type 2s can rid themselves of the disease if they lose weight and consequently reduce their blood-sugar levels. That means exercising and eating foods lower in fast-acting carbohydrates, nutrients that quickly turn to sugar in the bloodstream.

Otherwise, the resulting elevated blood-sugar levels can lead to vascular complications, including vision loss, limb amputation and heart disease.

Speirs says he's determined to avoid all of that. He has other goals, too. He wants to stop his dependence on blood sugar-lowering pills. And he wants to avoid having to inject insulin in the future, something that his mother -- who also has Type 2 diabetes -- must do.

He knows his first job is to lose weight.

"I joke a lot in my columns about being like Jabba the Hut and the size of a convenience store. It would be nice not to make those jokes as much," says Speirs. "I am kind of vain about the whole thing. I don't want people looking at me and thinking, 'Dear God. Look at him. He's a fat guy.' I want them to look and say, 'He's a husky guy.'"

Speirs has lost the weight before. He shed 40 pounds a few years ago by walking his dogs more and making healthier food choices. The weight came back after a fall that shattered his arm.

"That was the beginning of my great downhill slide. It made it impossible to do anything for a long time," says the Tuxedo resident. "Since that point, I've comforted myself with food, drink and lying on the couch eating Haagen Dazs directly from the tub."

Speirs notes that he uses food as a stress reliever. He often devours his favourite snacks to celebrate meeting a tight work deadline. Although he's curbed his appetite for juice and other sugary drinks, he's still loves french fries, burgers and sweets. "A lot of what I eat are under the category of things with icing on them. Or things with gravy."

Speirs says he knows what to do to get healthy. He plans to exercise a few times a week and eat less carbs. He hopes that he will eventually be able to move like he did when he was an active, football-playing young man.

"It's hard to imagine that I've let myself get this run down," says Speirs, who looks forward to his new fitness regime. "It's a chance to get a fresh start and to get going the other way."

WHO: Tracy Mainland,

local advertising sales director at the Winnipeg Free Press

HEIGHT: 5-foot-5
WEIGHT: 178.6 pounds
BODY FAT: 36.9 per cent
WAIST: 38.5 inches
GOALS: To lose at least 25 pounds. To strengthen her arms, legs and belly--problem areas since her recent pregnancy.
PLAN: To stop eating unhealthy, sweet treats. To exercise four times a week. (She'll try outdoor walking, gym sessions and Wii Fit games).
DIET WEAKNESSES: Cake, especially Jeanne's and Salisbury House Red Velvet

Tracy Mainland's inspiration sits in a black display case located in the living room of her St. Andrews abode. It houses five of her wedding pictures.

To mentally prepare for her upcoming health-and-fitness journey, the Winnipeg Free Press advertising sales director often gazes at one particular photo -- a sunset-lit, oceanside scene of her husband, Brad Kramble, carrying her in his arms on their wedding day in Hawaii.

"He's lifting me up and twirling me around," says Mainland, proudly. "I looked good on that beach."

Asked if her husband would be able to do the same now -- two years after her big day -- Mainland, 40, offers up a husky laugh and a wry answer.

"Impossible."

The reasons are understandable. Mainland gave birth to her son, Brock, just four weeks ago. Her oldest son, Bryson, is only two.

The advertising professional knows that she needs to drop her post-baby weight so that she can keep up with her toddler and new baby. She's less tired now that she's on maternity leave, but still, her energy levels need a boost, she says.

She admits that she went into her second pregnancy heavier than she would have liked. Meanwhile, she was "exhausted" throughout most of it, so didn't exercise then.

The West Kildonan-raised Mainland wasn't always unfit. In high school, she was a star athlete who excelled at track sports. Throughout her adult life, she's curled and played baseball. She's remained content that she's "muscular" and "not a light person."

What motivated her to achieve a slimmer physique depicted in her wedding photos?

Looking good in her dress, concedes Mainland, who tied the knot in 2008, 18 months after the birth of her first son.

Her get-slim method at the time? Plenty of walking. Also, she ate lower-fat, lower-calorie meals such as "salmon and vegetables. No extras at all."

Today, she realizes that rigid dieting will not lead to permanent results.

"I've learned the hard way that is not the way to go," says Mainland, who plans to opt for a less restrictive, yet moderate approach to eating that she hopes will last for life.

While she's at it, she intends to improve her cardiovascular fitness, lower her body fat and tighten her arms, legs and belly.

Mainland admits that she's nervous about keeping an online journal. She worries about her lack of writing experience. "I've never blogged before. I'm not a writer. I sell advertising," says Mainland, who looks forward to reader suggestions and comments.

She's determined to succeed.

"I'm very competitive with myself. If I set a goal, I have to meet it. If I don't meet it, that will be a failure."

WHO: Charlene Adam,

Winnipeg Free Press pet columnist

HEIGHT: 5-foot-5
WEIGHT: 197 pounds
BODY FAT: 42.9 per cent
WAIST: 42 inches
GOALS: To drop a dress size or two.
PLAN: Wants to double the time she walks with her dog. Intends to visit the gym three times a week. Aims to practice portion control.
DIET WEAKNESSES: Chocolate, french fries, french bread, dips

In the dark hours past midnight, while her family is sleeping, you can find Char Adam typing away on her computer keyboard. It's then that the Free Press pet columnist does some of her best writing.

But she's often also doing something she isn't so proud of. Sometimes it involves french bread and hummus. Other times, a bag of chips. Those are her favourite go-to foods. And when she snacks on them while working, she eats much more than she intends.

She describes bakery bread with passion.

"Absolutely crispy fresh. When it's so warm, it just calls my name," says Adam.

The wife and mother admits that 12 hours a day in front of the computer, unhealthy eating habits and a lack of exercise has left her listless. She's also unhappy with her body.

"When your bum starts to take the shape of a chair, you know you're in bad form," she says. "I am 42 but I feel like I'm 82"

Adam, who lives in Linden Woods, fondly recalls a time when she used to work out. It was a couple of years after the birth of her twins, now age 12. She says exercise was fun and gave her the vigour she needed to keep up with her three kids.

Flash-forward a decade and Adam admits that she doesn't move enough. Her bad knees and hernia have made intense exercise uncomfortable. Nevertheless, Adam, who came to Winnipeg from Alberta five years ago, is ready to tackle her health.

She plans to hit the gym several times a week, walk her dog for longer periods and change the way she and her family eat. That means dining on more vegetables, less white bread and less cheese. She says she will also eat smaller portions. To help, her children have gone through her cookbooks and bookmarked healthy recipes to make.

Adam's inspiration is her father, Bob Kabel, 75, a former New York Ranger who now lives in Dauphin. "He's in great shape and continues to be," she says.

In a few months, she wants to feel confident after she slips on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

"Every day right now I'm fighting with my clothes and they just don't look good on me. It's my own fault. And I know it. So I've got to change it."

Have an interesting story idea you'd like Shamona to write about? Contact her at shamona.harnett@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 26, 2010 D1