New Hobbies and Better Bodies: Resolution Role Models

EASY RIDER
If it's Monday or Thursday night, it's not hard to track down Yelena Shine. For two straight hours, the 23-year-old is always perched on a bike at Al League's classes at the Bally Total Fitness in Gaithersburg, along with a crew of similarly dedicated cycling fanatics. Their legs move madly as they stand, lean forward, sit down again, pop back up and turn the resistance knob tighter until puddles of sweat form beneath them.

"You get in there, and everyone is so energetic that sometimes you forget you're working out," she marvels. "You clear your head, and you're dancing." You're also burning a whole lot of calories, as Shine learned soon after devoting herself to pedal power — it helped her dump the last 10 pounds and get to her goal weight of 120.

Not impressed by 10 pounds? Try 80.

Seven years ago, Shine never exercised and chowed down exclusively on junk food. "I was 198 pounds. One more slice of pizza and I was going to be over 200," she recalls. So, one night, when her mom ordered a pizza, she decided not to have any — she just picked some veggies off the top. Then she headed over to Bally and started walking on the treadmill.

Because the real world isn't like "The Biggest Loser," at first, nothing happened. "When I started, the weight didn't peel off," she says. "It's always in your head: "Why am I bothering to do this?'" Gradually, though, strolling turned to jogging, which led to group aerobics. Shine ditched fried foods, learned how to order better at restaurants and started developing her own recipes, including cinnamon buns made without sugar or butter ("Everyone devours them," she promises).

Bit by bit, she slimmed down to a svelte 130. "But I still felt heavy. It wasn't the right weight for me," Shine says. Plus, the treadmill and elliptical were growing boring — not a good sign for someone hoping to stick with a multi-year shrinking trend.

It turns out, what she needed was, literally, a new spin. Her ultimate plateau-buster: a bike. "With this, I'll stick forever," she declares. "There are days I'm so exhausted, but the music starts playing, so I think I can do a little something. Next thing I know, I'm sweating profusely. I feel amazing after I'm done." The energetic instructor, supportive classmates and rocking tunes have kept her so motivated, Shine's even considering becoming a teacher herself.

Many folks looking to lose weight could certainly learn from Shine's philosophy. "It's always a struggle. It never gets 100 percent easy. But you always have to challenge yourself," she says. That's why she hits the gym for at least an hour every day, and at home, she'll pop in workout DVDs for extra muscle toning.

Some might be surprised to hear her say she's "thankful" for the experience of being overweight. "It's taught me so much about willpower, and what I can do," she explains. Remember how she turned down that pizza seven years ago? Shine hasn't touched a slice since then. Her plateaus were frustrating over the years, but they taught her how to maintain a weight without yo-yoing. "You can't go back and forth," she says.

Of course, the willpower to exercise comes more easily to people who have found a way to enjoy it. It's been a long haul for Shine, but although she's finally at the weight she always wanted, she's going to keep on riding.

TRI AND TRI AGAIN
Vergil Arbuckle remembers watching the Ironman competition live from Kona, Hawaii, on TV in high school and thinking the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and marathon run seemed "crazy." After thoroughly embracing the college experience ("I drank a lot of beer, ate a lot of pizza at 2 a.m."), the idea of the competition was even more absurd. Arbuckle graduated with more than a degree. He'd also packed on 150 pounds.

But even when he hit the 400-pound mark in 2003, the now 28-year-old wasn't worried about his weight — that is, until his dad had a heart scare.

"I bought a pedometer because I was too embarrassed to go to a gym, and I just started walking," recalls Arbuckle, who would get winded with one lap around the block.

Over the next few months, however, he made rapid progress, especially as he added weight lifting and stuck with the South Beach Diet. By the time he joined a gym in March 2004, he had shrunk to 260 pounds and was still losing. "But when the owner said, 'We're going to get you doing triathlons,' I didn't really believe him," Arbuckle says.

That was before he had started swimming, running or biking — three activities he managed to pick up fairly well over the course of the year. So well, in fact, that in May 2005, he completed his first race, the Virginia Run Sprint Triathlon (250-meter pool swim, 12-mile bike ride, 5k run). And, oh, he took second place in his age group.

No wonder he got hooked on competing, and by the end of the year he had two more sprint distance triathlons, an Olympic-distance race and the Marine Corps Marathon under his belt, which then wrapped around a much-smaller 185-pound frame. "I never would have dreamed I would be able to do this," he says. "But I just tried to continue to get better. Having fun was my main goal. It still is."

So, Arbuckle planned to kick it up a notch in 2006 by signing up for a half Ironman-distance triathlon. At the same time, a buddy convinced him to submit his name in the lottery for the real deal in Kona, thinking there was no way he'd ever make the cut. And, surprise, on the day the lottery results were posted, he was out for a practice ride with friends when they took a break to check the list. "Within the first 10 names, I was on there," he says. "I got goose bumps and felt light-headed. I ran outside and tackled one of them. I was going to Hawaii."

With both races coming up in the next few months, he trained 15 to 20 hours a week, swimming before work, and running, biking or lifting afterward. "I was in over my head and tired all of the time," he admits. His weight also drifted back up to a more comfortable 235, which is where he is today.

But in October, Arbuckle was ready to take on the course with the top triathletes in the world. It may have taken him a bit longer — "The winner had finished the race when I started my marathon," he says — but in 16 hours, 33 minutes, he made it to the end, where his parents were waiting. "I hugged my mom and dad, and then hugged people I didn't know," he remembers.

What could he possibly do to top that? Well, in 2007, he ran the Marine Corps Marathon again — but with his dad this time — and got into the XTERRA off-road triathlon circuit, qualifying for nationals. Last year brought an even bigger adventure: He quit his job at an architecture firm to manage the Potomac River Running store in Cleveland Park, where he's eager to help others realize that anyone can become an athlete.

His advice: "Do something you enjoy and stick with it through the ups and downs. If you're not having fun, you're not going to do it."

And don't forget that a walk around the block can be the first step toward an Ironman.

Photos by Lawrence Luk for Express