"I slowly ramped up my exercise routine."
Leslie Adler, 42, Jericho, New York
Lost: 20 pounds
Maintained for: 10 years
"I'm not a salad-every-day person. I live to eat," Adler says, who lost weight by focusing on exercise instead of diet. "I was a jock growing up, so after I had kids and attempted to start exercising again, I thought I could go from zero to 60. I'd get so frustrated with how out of shape I was that I'd quit. What worked for me was starting out just two days a week and moving steadily from there."
Adler began by jogging with her husband, graduating from around the block to five-mile runs. Then she joined a gym and worked with a trainer. Now she combines twice-a-week weight training with a cardio free-for-all the rest of the week: "We're big on two-on-two basketball in the driveway," she says.
Daily activity is essential: 91 percent of NWCR participants exercise for an hour a day, usually walking. If you don't exercise, start with 10-minute walking sessions until you've built up to 30 minutes every other day. Once you're in the habit, revamp every six weeks by varying the routine: work out at a more intense pace, or try a new activity.
