Healthy competition

Paula Gresham added a 20-minute walk to her daily routine, Terri Penrod is doing aerobics and walking her dog, Cocoa, more frequently than before and the Rev. Paul Short is adding bicycling to his workout schedule.

Nathan Kuhlman said he's done more cardio workouts in the past two weeks than ever before in his life. And Jim Kelpe has noticed more aches and pains in the mornings than he had just two weeks ago.

But, as the saying goes, no pain, no gain.

And the 329 people in Shape Up Cape, a fitness program sponsored by the chamber of commerce, are hoping for great gains in their physical fitness during the next four months.

Members of the newsroom's Fit to Print team challenged the Bookin' Team from the Cape Girardeau Public Library and the Fit for Eternity team from St. Andrew Lutheran Church to see who can earn the best point average. Today, we introduce our challengers and give you updates from five of our members.

Penrod is team captain for St. Andrew Church and has been trying to set a good example for her Shape Up Cape peers. She earned 97 points last week for her walking and aerobic exercise.

"I feel a responsibility to set an example, so I've been doing the stepper at the gym and aerobics at home and some strength training," she said. "The dog helps a lot because she's like my own personal trainer."

Short is adding cycling to a workout that already includes spinning, running and weight training. "I'll try biking in the afternoons just to get the points," he said. It will also help with training for a marathon in October.

But carving out time in the day to exercise has been tough for Jim Hicks, and recovering from a cracked rib didn't help him get off to a good start. He's playing basketball with a team of high school students to earn his points.

The 34 teams enrolled in Shape Up Cape are racking up the points. The program is a lot larger than anyone expected it to be, said Annette Hunt with the chamber office. "It's been amazing, and this week people are doing even better. They just have tons of activity listed. Everybody's doing something."

But what are they doing?

The majority of the Bookin' Team at the public library earned points for walking. The team of seven women have each committed to walking at least 20 minutes a day, when possible. Team members are Betty Martin, Sharon Anderson, Brenda Renner, Rhonda Cole, Barb Campbell, Paula Gresham and Olympia McMackins.

Anderson began using a workout video for her fitness routine, and "it's good to have the competition." Her daughter is also her exercise partner.

Martin, the team's captain, tries to walk for at least 20 minutes a day three days a week, but Shape Up Cape has motivated to walk farther. She walks at the mall in the winter. Now she plans to walk in her neighborhood "and the last 10 minutes is all uphill."

Renner has been walking and plans to add bicycling. Getting started in Shape Up Cape "was easier than what I thought it would be," she said.

But it's Olympia McMackins who has given the team its greatest motivation. She started an exercise program in February, months before Shape Up Cape began, and has already lost 25 pounds.

"I was getting pretty stale in my routine, so I've changed things up and doing more to vary my routine," she said. "It's good motivation to have a competitive edge."

ljohnston@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126