First, my Rocky Fitness Challengers won when they were picked out of hundreds of volunteers to spend three months being trained by a handpicked group of exceptional personal trainers. Ricka and Brent Burke were under the guidance of Denise Tryner, and Chad Brenzikofer trained David and Arlene Boyle. Some Challengers, like Debbie, have decided that having a trainer makes an important difference, and they plan to continue their fitness relationship. I’ve learned that I make better progress with a trainer and that body composition — the ratio of fat to lean muscle — is important to one’s level of fitness. read more

Active teenage boys, including those participating in team sports, might need more than 3,000 calories a day, perhaps even 4,000, says food writer Gloria Orcutt, author of “How to Feed a Teenage Boy” (Celestial Arts, 2006, $14. The best answer, she says, is to provide three full, balanced meals daily and make a variety of foods easily accessible for quick, nutritious snacks or “mini-meals” with protein and healthful fat, she says. With the nation’s childhood obesity problem growing, it can be a tough balancing act to fuel a growing teen but not let him go overboard on calories — and junk food. The Thalmanns follow a practice that nutritionist Nicole Haywood of the National Institute for Fitness and Sport says is key to assuring that teens eat healthfully — family meals. Without family meals, Haywood says, teens eat out too much, snack at will and gorge on unhealthful foods. Making sure teens eat breakfast, limit calories from drinks and sweets and have healthful snacks are important, she says. read more