2nd Annual MUD RUN- Sunday,APRIL 29th
GYM 2 GYM EVENT- FEBRUARY 7, 2012
Body Shop & Quest Fitness Beach Clean Up in Rehoboth Beach @ 8am, Boardwalk Run, Obstacles and Beach Clean Up
2nd ANNUAL FAMILY TURKEY TROT – NOVEMBER 19, 2011
This is a FREE Family Friendly Event for all ages! 1.7 Mile Trot kicks off Gobbling at 9:15am there will be lots of fun exciting activities: Arts and Crafts, Get your Picture with Mr. Gobble, and Lewes Fire Dept to name a few.
Thanksgiving Food Drive- November 1-21
All donations will be given to local families in need through U JUST ASK a non profit organization.
TREAT THE BEAT-Walk to prevent heart disease Beebe Medical Foundation- Sunday, September 11, 2011
Quest Fitness will be warming and stretching out participants of the 2nd Annual 5K Walk to Treat The Beat, Beginning at George H.P. Smith Park at Blockhouse Pond behind Beebe Medical Center
Lewes Steps Out for Fitness-August 2011
Walkers in the Lewes Steps Out For Fitness program passed the 14,000-mile mark when 74 of them registered their steps at the Aug. 11 sign-in session at Lewes Beach. The 8,229,259 steps (3,292 miles) registered Aug. 18 take the total for the 2011 edition of the fitness program to 36,036,752 steps and 14,416 miles.
Many of the steppers have maintained perfect attendance at the sign-in events and are in the running for a year’s gym membership at Quest Fitness and a dinner for two at a Lewes restaurant.
At this Thursday’s, Aug. 25 sign-in, walkers will register their next-to-the-last steps before the Sept. 8 Bon Fire Finale. When the walkers make their way to the Canalfront Park, they will be treated to a Qi Gong demonstration by t he Beebe Medical Center Integrative Health Department. Everyone is invited to Lewes Beach public parking lot for the sign-in events including free blood pressure screening and exhibits by Lewes Volunteer Fire Department. Sign-in starts at 5:30 p.m.
Lewes Steps Out For Fitness is sponsored by Quest Fitness, City of Lewes, Beebe Medical Center, Lewes Volunteer Fire Department, Nemours Health and Prevention System, Lewes Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau and Cape Gazette. Call 302-645-8073 for further information.
‘Fish ‘n Kids slated for Lewes Canalfront Park- June 2011
Kids are invited for fun at Lewes Canalfront Park’s new event, Fish ‘N Kids, from 1 to 3 p.m., Sunday, June 26. There will be fishing games and activities for children ages 3 to 12 at the Pilottown Road park. Admission is free.
Region’s first Mud Run set April 16
Milton – Rain, shine or mud, southern Delaware will host the Downstate Delaware Dirty Dozen Mud Run. Seashore Striders Event Promotions and Quest Fitness of Lewes will host the 4- to 5-mile run at 9 a.m., Saturday, April 16,
Lewes Man Loses 54 Pounds -
Hecksher combines diet with exercise, by Rob Kunzig, Cape Gazette, February 2nd, 2010.
Last October, Brian Hecksher entered Quest Fitness a little uneasy. At over 400 pounds, he was easily the biggest guy in the room “the fattest kid in gym class,” he said. He was afraid of being judged for his obesity.
Three months and 54 lost pounds later, Hecksher moves around Quest with focus and vigor. He sticks to a regimen of upper body, core and cardio workouts designed by Matt Carter, Quest owner.
“I actually have biceps now!” he said, sounding much younger than his 45 years. Settling into a pull-down machine to work his arms, the Lewes Auto Gallery owner said he started doing three sets of 15 repetitions, with the weight set at 10 pounds. Now, he sets the pin at 90.
While pumping iron gets sweat out, what Hecksher puts in his body is equally important. To help manage his diet, Hecksher consults with nutritionist Lisa Harkins and health food guru Andy Meddick.
“Lisa prepared me very well,” Hecksher said. “I now have all the tools that I need.”
The dietary changes are small but many. No fast food. No appetizers. No mayonnaise, because of the oil and eggs involved; instead, mustard. He eats a healthy breakfast so he doesn’t overeat in the afternoon. He packs his lunch instead of ordering a cheese steak. If a restaurant’s portion is too big, ask for a to-go box.
“He’s been doing great,” Harkins said. “He’s been following the plan pretty closely and experimenting on his own.”
Hecksher said eating smart has nudged him out of his culinary comfort zone. He’s found some unlikely favorites at Meddick’s Good For You Natural Market, like vegetarian meatballs, made from diced mushrooms. And hummus, a chickpea paste high in protein.
“Hummus has become a very good friend of mine,” Hecksher said.
As he seeks out good foods, he takes care to avoid the bad. “Hidden calories abound in everything,” Hecksher said “anything prepared in butter, for instance, comes pre-loaded with calories. Flavored creamers, too.” Close reading of nutrition labels has caused Hecksher to banish a number of former favorites from his diet.
“The key thing I taught Brian was how to read labels,” Harkins said. “I told him, if you look at anything, look at the calories and serving size and the number of calories per serving.”
By the numbers, Carter said, Hecksher is doing well. “He’s shaved inches off his neck, legs and waist. He can cruise on the treadmill at a 4.9 setting for 30 minutes.” Hecksher’s stamina has improved exponentially; they started with 15-minute workouts, after which Hecksher would be utterly spent. Now, he can work for more than an hour.
But it’s the unquantifiable gains that matter most, Carter said. His heightened endurance extends beyond Quest. He takes his dog for longer walks. He cleans his garage by himself.
“That’s huge,” Carter said. “The weight, the number, is just a secondary thing.”
Most important is the sense of empowerment Hecksher said he feels. Some days, he said, he leaves Quest on a natural high, and when he climbs into his car, his stomach no longer touches the steering wheel. The feeling of progress is so invigorating, he said he sometimes wonders why he didn’t do this sooner. Maintaining his body took too much effort, he said. It was much simpler to bury himself in work and eat on impulse.
“It was easier to please others than it was myself,” he said. “But I was really unhealthy. Let’s face it, I was literally obese.”
Hecksher said it’s a matter of open-mindedness and determination. People must be willing to alter their lives, he said, and make the time to be healthy – whether this means preparing their own meals or getting up early to work out.
Hecksher said his father had four gastric bypasses. He’s only had one and was fortunate to skirt any complications. But next time, he said, he might not be so lucky.
“It’s worth taking the healthier step,” Hecksher said. “Take any step to do it.”
There is a downside to weight loss, he said – he’s having to constantly refresh his wardrobe. ”I mean, you can only poke so many holes in your belt,” he said.
The Project Big Guy Team (l to r): Matt Carter, owner, Quest Fitness, Lisa Harkins, owner, Ideal Nutrition and Fitness, Bryan Hecksher, and Andy Meddick, owner, Good for You Market.
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Happy New You!
A special edition insert celebrating health and fitness in the Cape Gazette, December 30, 2009 (featuring Quest Fitness, Forever Fit and Ideal Nutrition and Fitness).
http://delawarebeachguides.com/guides/newyou.pdf
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Kayaking, Pedaling Event Benefit Park Friends, Cape Gazette, November 6th, 2009.
Dogfish Head Bewings and Eats, Lewes Cycle Sports and Quest Fitness partnered recently to promote healthy recreation and raise funds for the Friends of Cape Henlopen State Park organization.
Dogfish Head took the lead in the initiative which included a kayak trip from the Canalfront Park in Lewes to Rehoboth Beach, lunch at Dogfish Head’s Rehoboth Beach restaurant and then a return trip to Lewes on bicycles provided by Lewes Cycle Sports via the Junction and Breakwater Trail.
The trip represented the first organized kayak trip from the launching ramp at the Canalfront Park underwritten by the brewing company.
The kayakers carried the current of a rising tide toward Rehoboth Beach and al-so enjoyed a northwest wind at their backs. Quest Fitness provided 40 kayaks for the adventure, which drew people from the local area and as far away as New York City. Many of them are shown here in the Lewes- Rehoboth Canal after passing beneath the Savannah Road drawbridge in Lewes.
The trip raised several hundred dollars for the friends group.
Man on a quest: Lose 70 pounds by new year-Auto Gallery owner already down 22, by Rob Kunzig, Cape Gazette, October 27, 2009.
Brian Hecksher is making changes. He now packs his lunch instead of ordering food with his coworkers. He breakfasts on or-ganic instant oatmeal. He eats Greek yogurt.
“My entire relationship with food has changed,” he said.
Hecksher, 45 and 408 pounds, is the Big Guy in Project Big Guy, an effort combining the talents of a nutritionist, a health-food vendor and a personal trainer to help Hecksher lose weight.
Hecksher, owner of the Auto Gallery in Lewes, intends to lose 70 pounds by New Year’s Eve; next summer, he said, he plans to be fit enough to take a kayak trip down the Lewes- Rehoboth Canal.
After three weeks’ dieting and exercise, Project Big Guy is off to a great start — he’s already lost 22 pounds. ”I can feel the difference already,” he said. “Things like tying my shoes or walking up and down steps.”
Hecksher starts his mornings by going to Quest Fitness, where he meets owner Matt Carter.
Hecksher says Carter runs him through a different routine every day, making sure he doesn’t over-work his muscles or otherwise injure himself.
Hecksher looks forward to rowing exercises, but crunches, not so much.
“Nobody likes crunches,” he said, laughing. “But it’s some-thing I have to do.”
Carter said Hecksher is increasingly able to work out longer and harder.
“His stamina has dramatically increased,” Carter said. “That’s the most important part.”
Hecksher said he was initially afraid of stumbling into a temple of gym rats. He was relieved to find that Quest was full of people like him, simply endeavoring to keep fit. “It’s a good experience, rather than a fearful one,” he said.
Nutritionist Lisa Harkins, owner of Ideal Nutrition and Fitness, monitors Hecksher’s eating.
She emphasizes whole foods: Hecksher eats nothing processed, and eats mostly fruits, vegetables, lean meats and fish.
The regimen is less about total abstention, Harkins said, than thoughtful portioning.
“He can eat foods he likes, just in the right portions,” she said.
“Even an egg sandwich is allow-able sometimes.”
Hecksher buys all of his groceries from Good For You Market in Lewes, owned by Andy Medick.
After three weeks, Hecksher feels confident he’ll hit his year-end goal. He even has a strategy for Thanksgiving, the great all-American pig-out: smaller portions of healthier dishes and easy on the gravy. Leftovers will be given away, removing the temptation of seconds, thirds and fourths.
“It’s easy,” Hecksher said. “In fact, Lisa just gave me a course on how to eat healthy during the holidays.”
Harkins said Hecksher is on target to lose 70 pounds in time for 2010, but she said she’d be happy with less.
“I’m going to be content if he loses 60,” she said. “It’s not about being on the cover of Men’s Fitness. It’s about feeling comfortable in your clothes.”
Local Health Experts are combining their talents to help Auto Gallery owner Bryan Hecksher lose weight. Shown l to r are: Matt Carter, owner of Quest Fitness, Lisa Harkins, RD, LDN, owner of Ideal Nutrition and Fitness LLC, and Andy Medick, owner of Good For You Natural Market. Submitted Photo.
HEALTHY HEARTS for HEALTHY KIDS- February 2010
Lewes, DE. Quest Fitness and Kayak will host a fundraising event, “Healthy Hearts for Healthy Kids,” to benefit West Side New Beginnings, located in West Rehoboth. Participants will register for one-hour blocks of work-out time and are required to raise $100. Teams may be comprised or two or more participants. The goal of the event is to raise $2,400 (or more) in 24 hours. Proceeds from the event will be used to purchase much-needed sports equipment for the West Side New Beginnings community center.
“We are thrilled that Quest is hosting this event to benefit our community center. West Side New Beginnings relies heavily on the generous donations of local businesses and private citizens. The children and their families will be incredibly grateful for the new equipment,” stated Diaz Bonville, Program Director, Children and Youth Program, West Side New Beginnings.
Matt Carter, owner of Quest Fitness, stated one of his goals when he started his business was to increase awareness of the importance of physical activity for children, and to decrease the incidence of childhood obesity in Sussex County. “We have the highest childhood obesity rate in the state. Quest’s mission is to get kids and their parents to be more active as a family. And we believe it is very important to reach out to the community and ensure every child has the opportunity to play and exercise, especially with safe, sturdy equipment.”
The event will be held at Quest Fitness, located in the Village of Five Points, on Friday, February 26th starting at 4 PM, and ending on Saturday, February 27th at 4 PM. The gym will be open for 24-hours straight, with hourly activities, entertainment, refreshments and give-aways. Non-members are welcome for a $5 or more donation through Sunday. Contact Quest Fitness for more information, to make a donation, and to register for the event, 302-644-7020.