Lynne's Story
O2 Challenge Changes Mayor’s Health and Vision for the Town She Serves. Here is the story of Lynne Skelton. It may sound familiar to some of you – too much stress and work, and too little exercise. But when Lynne took the O2 Challenge she learned lessons not only to improve her health, but also to impart on the citizens she has been elected to serve.
In her role as Mayor of Sahuarita, Lynne Skelton was thriving. She had recently been elected to two prestigious positions to represent her community regionally and statewide - Chair of the Regional Transportation Authority and board member for the League of Arizona Cities and Towns.
But despite the recent professional accomplishments, Lynne was unsatisfied with her own fitness. She found herself sitting in long meetings with plenty of rich foods but healthy options were sparse and organic ones, nonexistent.
This summer, she finally reached a breaking point with her lack of fitness. She was tired of waking up in the morning without the energy she used to feel and was not happy with the way her clothes fit. The weight had slowly crept on as she exercised less, worked more and took on additional family responsibilities.
When a friend invited Lynne to check out O2 Modern Fitness, a new spinning studio in downtown Tucson, she thought she would give it a try.
The first class was tough, but inspiring – seeing all the different levels of fitness that class participants had helped Lynne envision what she could achieve. As she was leaving, Lynne talked to the owner, Susan Frank, who mentioned something called the O2 Challenge to her and gave her a flyer for the program.
After thinking about it, Lynne returned the next day and enrolled in the O2 Challenge, a three-month program that combines fitness, unlimited classes at O2, plus nutrition, a customized meal plan from a dietician, for one set price.
O2 owner Susan Frank describes the philosophy behind the Challenge as “a launching pad for a healthy lifestyle as part of a lifelong pursuit by incorporating tools for discipline while leaving lots of freedom of choice within healthy boundaries.”
Lynne knew this was her opportunity to get back to health and fitness and took the Challenge seriously. Her typical schedule included 4-5 spinning and Pilates classes per week, which she learned to fit in between all the meetings she is required to attend as Mayor. Meals were frequent and featured a variety of fresh, organic food. Lynne comments that she was surprised with the amount of food that she could eat on the plan.
“Once you get in that frame of mind, the details fall into place,” said Lynne. “For example, it became easier to plan meals and prepare snacks in advance so I didn’t have to eat out as much, and I got used to packing my gym bag and a change of clothes so I could work out and shower at O2 in between meetings.”
As the weeks went on, Lynne found that her clothes were getting bigger, but more importantly, that she was truly enjoying her new healthy lifestyle.
She started inviting her daughters and friends to go to class with her. As Lynne described in one of her blog posts, “My bonus came in a form of mental strength to see beyond the obvious, to visualize the choices I make today are essential to the future of my overall well-being. Simply holding the cadence during an endurance class takes mental toughness, but holding the cadence because you visualize better quality of life during your own lifetime offers meaning to the physical agony.”
After three months of being on the Challenge, Lynne has a reinvigorated take on life. She is training for El Tour de Tucson with the O2 Cycling Team. And, Lynne is spreading the motivation and lessons learned in the Challenge to the residents of Sahuarita. She is working with the Town of Sahuarita Parks & Recreation Department; her Rotary Club, the Valle Verde Rotary Club and the United Way on the “Harvest Your Fitness Fall Challenge” to encourage residents to train for a 3.5 mile run/walk at the Sahuarita Pecan Festival.
Lynne has also teamed up with Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup to brainstorm ways to promote healthy cities. The two of them have been cycling together and hope to get other regional leaders involved in the effort to promote physical fitness, including supporting the Regional Plan for Bicycling.
“I am completely inspired by Lynne’s story,” says Mayor Walkup. “Every time I see her, she has more energy and enthusiasm. It comes through in everything she does – whether it is chairing a meeting or going for a bike ride.”
As Lynne reflects on her experience, she is most pleased with the possibilities that the O2 Challenge has unlocked in her life. I started out taking one spinning class and now three months later, I have the opportunity to promote fitness on a regional level. “What an incredible journey,” adding “and I am just starting – who knows where it will lead to next?”
But despite the recent professional accomplishments, Lynne was unsatisfied with her own fitness. She found herself sitting in long meetings with plenty of rich foods but healthy options were sparse and organic ones, nonexistent.
This summer, she finally reached a breaking point with her lack of fitness. She was tired of waking up in the morning without the energy she used to feel and was not happy with the way her clothes fit. The weight had slowly crept on as she exercised less, worked more and took on additional family responsibilities.
When a friend invited Lynne to check out O2 Modern Fitness, a new spinning studio in downtown Tucson, she thought she would give it a try.
The first class was tough, but inspiring – seeing all the different levels of fitness that class participants had helped Lynne envision what she could achieve. As she was leaving, Lynne talked to the owner, Susan Frank, who mentioned something called the O2 Challenge to her and gave her a flyer for the program.
After thinking about it, Lynne returned the next day and enrolled in the O2 Challenge, a three-month program that combines fitness, unlimited classes at O2, plus nutrition, a customized meal plan from a dietician, for one set price.
O2 owner Susan Frank describes the philosophy behind the Challenge as “a launching pad for a healthy lifestyle as part of a lifelong pursuit by incorporating tools for discipline while leaving lots of freedom of choice within healthy boundaries.”
Lynne knew this was her opportunity to get back to health and fitness and took the Challenge seriously. Her typical schedule included 4-5 spinning and Pilates classes per week, which she learned to fit in between all the meetings she is required to attend as Mayor. Meals were frequent and featured a variety of fresh, organic food. Lynne comments that she was surprised with the amount of food that she could eat on the plan.
“Once you get in that frame of mind, the details fall into place,” said Lynne. “For example, it became easier to plan meals and prepare snacks in advance so I didn’t have to eat out as much, and I got used to packing my gym bag and a change of clothes so I could work out and shower at O2 in between meetings.”
As the weeks went on, Lynne found that her clothes were getting bigger, but more importantly, that she was truly enjoying her new healthy lifestyle.
She started inviting her daughters and friends to go to class with her. As Lynne described in one of her blog posts, “My bonus came in a form of mental strength to see beyond the obvious, to visualize the choices I make today are essential to the future of my overall well-being. Simply holding the cadence during an endurance class takes mental toughness, but holding the cadence because you visualize better quality of life during your own lifetime offers meaning to the physical agony.”
After three months of being on the Challenge, Lynne has a reinvigorated take on life. She is training for El Tour de Tucson with the O2 Cycling Team. And, Lynne is spreading the motivation and lessons learned in the Challenge to the residents of Sahuarita. She is working with the Town of Sahuarita Parks & Recreation Department; her Rotary Club, the Valle Verde Rotary Club and the United Way on the “Harvest Your Fitness Fall Challenge” to encourage residents to train for a 3.5 mile run/walk at the Sahuarita Pecan Festival.
Lynne has also teamed up with Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup to brainstorm ways to promote healthy cities. The two of them have been cycling together and hope to get other regional leaders involved in the effort to promote physical fitness, including supporting the Regional Plan for Bicycling.
“I am completely inspired by Lynne’s story,” says Mayor Walkup. “Every time I see her, she has more energy and enthusiasm. It comes through in everything she does – whether it is chairing a meeting or going for a bike ride.”
As Lynne reflects on her experience, she is most pleased with the possibilities that the O2 Challenge has unlocked in her life. I started out taking one spinning class and now three months later, I have the opportunity to promote fitness on a regional level. “What an incredible journey,” adding “and I am just starting – who knows where it will lead to next?”
