By JESSICA SIEFF
Niles Daily Star

It’s hard to say whether or not there’s ever a bad time to make a change in one’s lifestyle.
For Niles’ Beth Teske, signing up for an incentive program at the Niles-Buchanan YMCA in February was inarguably the right time for her.

One of its annual programs, the YMCA offered an incentive for those wiling to sign up to exercise their way to a chance at winning a new television from Aaron’s. When the opportunity arose, Teske took to the challenge.

A mother of two daughters who she said are also collegiate athletes, Teske said, she looked at her children and her husband, all in good physical health, and thought to herself, “I just felt there was no reason why at 43 (years old) I couldn’t be.”

So she signed up and took part in the program that ran from February to May, logging her minutes exercising at the YMCA, switching up her workout with cardio, strength-training and aerobics; learning how to watch what she eats; and weighing in.

And by the first week of May, Teske found herself going home with a television, winning the competition of about 300 YMCA members with the largest percentage of weight lost – 27.24 percent and 68 pounds lighter.

“I feel great,” Teske said. “I feel really good. I have so much energy. I can keep up with the rest of my family.”

“That’s where the success is,” YMCA staffer Stacie Mayes said. Seeing the pounds slip off may feel like its own reward, but getting up in the morning and devoting oneself to changing habits is quite a challenge.

“It is a lifelong battle to continue to do it,” Mayes said. “It’s hard to keep going year after year.”

It’s that lifelong battle that Mayes said the YMCA looks at fighting with incentive programs like the one that whipped Teske into shape. Through the program and various services offered at the YMCA, members can benefit from learning everything from nutrition to various types of exercise and even taking advantage of trainers available to develop personal programs for the best results.

Through working on both exercise and nutrition, Mayes said, “the program is set to motivate people to be fit … changing the lifestyle, not just losing the weight.”

Teske said she started off slow, getting used to her program and working with YMCA staff in addition to receiving support from her family.

“It’s just amazing the change it would do for you,” she said. “You see the results … your confidence just goes up.”

Getting up at 4:45 a.m., Teske said she made a habit of hitting the gym, and every morning “I’d feel like I accomplished something.”