Signing up for Community Education classes that include Aerobics and Yoga, Jennifer Wills, is ready to start her second Live Health Bermuda 100 day fitness challenge.

Only this time, the administrative assistant from St. David's is not going to chart her progress on the pages of this paper or join a formal fitness challenge.

Instead she is choosing to challenge herself along with one of her friends to get back on the fitness kick and get back into the clothes stored in her closet.

"I gained more weight and did nothing all summer. I feel renewed energy and I have begun again with a friend I can workout with.

"I think she will keep me in check.

"I think it's going to help having classes rather than relying on myself. The dogs are doing well. He kept the weight off unlike his mother.

"I am going to yoga and aerobics with community education before I fork out so much money (for a gym) I thought I would try it out. I have been once (to Yoga) and its got. It feels good to stretch out and relax.

"We (her and her boyfriend) are grilling more which is good in the summer. It's always in the back of my mind (the 100 Day Challenge). I am still getting e-mails from them with tips which are really good."

The programme, which Jennifer participated in was a mirror of Live Healthy America and it is the first time the organisation has worked with parties outside the United States.

Introduced to Bermuda through the teamwork of the Bermuda Diabetes Association, Lindo's Supermarkets, Aspen Insurance, the Department of Health and Quaker Oats the success surprised everyone involved.

From an initial hope of just 250 participants in the team fitness challenge, the final tally was more than 2000 people working to log more than 40,000 hours of activity and lose more than 6500 pounds

The success of the programme is now why Sarah Burrows of the Diabetes Association and Terry Faulkenberry of Aspen Insurance are heading to London, England today.

They will be presenting the results of Bermuda's programme and some ideas about why it attracted such a large portion of the community — 6 percent of the adult population — to the National Obesity Forum at the Royal College of Physicians.

Yesterday Mr. Faulkenberry said: "They contacted us to talk about the success of the 100 Day Challenge and though we could title it Lessons from Bermuda.'"

Joking he added: "Perhaps we can set the example for the mother country."

Sarah added: "I think it has to be about partnership with many people in the community — between the corporate, the charities, then the health department, everyone. And the newspaper. The newspaper's weekly contribution was fundamental. I think it made a huge difference."

The partnership is going to continue to grow as the organiser plan to work with the Department of Health to introduce a programme for children next time.

Working with the children was something the paper's second columnist David Paynter, a manager at Great Things, found most rewarding during his 100 Day Challenge. He would play basketball with his daughter and other family members and found himself far more motivated to get out and off the couch.

However, since the end of the formal challenge he has found maintaining the weight loss tricky as he took on a second job of driving a taxi and the summer heat.

David said: "It's summer time people take a break and that's what I found with myself. You end up having BBQ going to so many more social functions so you're not with your regular eating habits."

"Throw in a couple of vacations in there and you get throw off the process. You get back but it's hard. It's amazing how fast the body responds in both ways."

"I was doing more driving and the taxi so working for more hours. Managing two business is definitely challenging. I found the hardest this is the timing because I was working out an extra hour and a half for most days. I am still trying to work out a balance between here and the taxi thing."

"I am still 40 pounds lost I was it's totally worth it. You set your range differently down that I have had that 10 on you feel differently you catch yourself faster."