Most Improved Individuals
Fittest Team Fittest Individuals Most Improved Teams Most Improved Individuals
Most Improved Man Under 50
Brad Yeretsky, partner, Stinson Morrison Hecker
When it comes to your own health, what you don’t know can kill you. Each year, the detailed health assessments that are integral to Fittest Execs and Fittest Companies Challenge literally change people’s lives, based on information that they consider eye-opening. Brad Yeretsky fits into that segment this year.
“The biggest surprise was my cholesterol score,” he said. “I knew it was always on the upper limit of normal, but the result at the opening was higher than it ever had been. I didn’t know that.” It’s fair to say Yeretsky found motivation in that number: He went on to post the biggest improvement in health scores among the entire field of this year’s Challenge—an eye-popping 42 points to earn the title of Most Improved Man Under 50. How? By taking back a lifestyle that, bit by bit, had seen fitness succumb to the demands of … life. “I just tried to be a little healthier and be more active; between work and family, there was not enough time,” he said. “This kind of gave me extra motivation to make the time.” He started with the best of intentions—focusing on both cardio and strength training, “but by the end, it was pretty much just the cardio,” he says. That meant 3-4 miles a day, six times a week, mostly on the treadmill. He was less rigorous with the diet side, where the change consisted of a simple reduction in soda and caffeinated beverages. Result: Off came 20 pounds and down came the blood lipid readings he was most concerned about. Now that the discipline of a three-month program has taken hold, Yeretsky has adjusted his priorities to bring work, family and fitness into balance. “I’m still working on it,” he says, “but this certainly was the start that I needed.”
Most Improved Man Over 50
Eric Jacobson, VP of media development, Ascend Integrated Media 
In business, goals matter. Same with improving your personal fitness. Just ask Eric Jacobson, the Most Improved Man Over 50 in the Fittest Execs and Fittest Companies Challenge, with a 33-point gain. In addition to simply improving his overall health, Jacobson says he was drawn to the Challenge because he wanted to be “part of something where I would have a measured baseline from which I could set specific goals.”
Because the Challenge tracks improvements across 15 health metrics, it was easy to identify problem areas and set specific goals—in his case, with a particular emphasis on improving his flexibility and lowering his cholesterol levels. “Total cholesterol dropped dramatically,” he said. “That was important to me, because with a family history of high cholesterol and most family members taking cholesterol-lowering medication, I wanted to see if I could get my cholesterol in check through exercise and diet. And, I did. That means if I continue to eat healthfully, I likely can delay or eliminate the need to take medication.”
He supplemented a longstanding routine of lifting weights twice a week with jumping rope to improve his cardio capacity, stretching to attack the tight hamstrings and a diligent approach to diet—eating out less, cutting back on white flour, beef, candy—“Except for dark chocolate,” he says—and increasing his intake of water, almonds, walnuts, fish, fruits and vegetables.”
Most Improved Woman Under 50
(tie) Krista Hughes, Meierotto's Midwest Jewelers; and Kirby McDaniel, director of product development, Blue Cross Blue Shield
Working toward a fitness goal as a team, says Kirby McDaniel, adds something to the mix. “Having that accountability and knowing that there would be measurements at the end created an environment in which it was easier to stay consistent,” she says. And her employer, BlueKC, had three team. So accountability paid off as she posted a 25-point gain, and she tied with Krista Hughes of Meierottos’s as Most Improved Woman Under 50.
“When the teams at BlueKC started grading each other,” McDaniel says, “there was no way I wanted to be the slacker!” Already an avid runner, she worked to transform her body, and realized measureable results in decreased body fat. “I’ve always been a cardio-hound: half marathons, triathlons, swimming,” she said. She modified her routine for the Challenge, and said “the strength training helped me build lean muscle; it was an eye-opener how much of a difference that made.”
Krista Hughes found added incentive to get healthier because of Meierotto’s four-team commitment to the Challenge. “It’s harder to do something on your own,” she said, “but when you have so many motivated people you are with every day, it helps a lot.” This commitment lent support to everyone.
She also said the power of knowing where she stood, thanks to the detailed testing metrics, was a call to action. “I didn’t realize how out of shape I was until I was unable to do many sit-ups and push-ups. “That’s when I knew it was time.”
She overhauled her diet, eating lower-calorie prepared meals and loading up on fruits and vegetable, then found a trainer who put her on a fitness routine. It worked: “It takes time,” Hughes said. “But eventually, people start to notice and that’s when you know it is working and it makes you more determined to complete your goal.”
Most Improved Woman Over 50
Michelle Sweeney, senior vice president, Ingram's Media 
Late nights at the office, meals on the go, the pressures that come from owning a small business—like a lot of people, Michelle Sweeney had a few obstacles in her way on the path to better fitness. And like a lot of past contestants in the Fittest Execs and Fittest Companies Challenge, she’s had some success. But this year, she was looking for breakthrough improvements.
Her strategy, essentially, was shared pain. She and her husband, Ingram’s Publisher Joe Sweeney, committed to a rigorous high-protein, low-carb diet throughout the Challenge. It meant giving up on foods that were personal favorites and changing her routine of what to eat and when, but it helped drive a 27-point score improvement—enough for a one-point victory in the quest to become the Most Improved Woman Over 50. She lost 20 lbs. during the Challenge and 10 lbs. a few weeks before it began. The Sweeneys lost a 66 lbs. during the competition and more than 80 lbs. when including the few weeks preceding this year’s Challenge. “The road to weight loss has been a struggle,” she said, but the results showed her how her eating patterns had been sapping her energy level, and she found support in working on her own fitness as part of a goal-focused group. “It was helpful that my staff was involved with the Challenge as it was a team effort, she said, and one that yielded motivation to keep going. Her ultimate goal? “Dropping three dress sizes by summer.”
Analysis: On Average, Nothing About These Gains Was Average
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