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MARY KAY
SCROLL DOWN FOR TEXT
-MK
www.stepupforlife.com
WHAT DOES GOOD HEALTH REALLY LOOK LIKE?
SAN DIEGO, CA, WOMAN AMONG 5 FINALISTS IN PREVENTION & ABC NEWS NOW SECOND ANNUAL
“PICTURE OF HEALTH” CONTEST
New York, NY, MAY 1, 2008–--One woman lost a whopping 200 pounds and now works as a
certified personal trainer. Another suffers from MS and runs marathons. Both are among
the five finalists selected by Prevention and ABC News Now in the second annual nationwide
contest to find the woman over 40 who is the "Picture of Health." The five women were
announced today on ABC-TV's Good Morning America and are profiled in the June issue of
Prevention, on newsstands next week, and on www.prevention.com<http://www.prevention.com/
and www.abcnewsnow.com <http://www.abcnewsnow.com/> , where votes can be cast for the
finalist who best embodies the "Picture of Health." Voting closes Saturday, May 31, 2008
at midnight ET. The winner will be announced on ABC-TV's Good Morning America and will
appear in the October issue ofPrevention. She will also receive $10,000—a $5,000 prize
as well as $5,000 for her charity of choice.
"This year, we received so many entries that really touched our hearts. We found wonderful
women who have either overcome great obstacles to take control of their health or have
dedicated themselves to helping others lead healthy lives," said Liz Vaccariello,
Editor-in-Chief of Prevention. "This year’s finalists prove, once again, that not only is
the extraordinary possible but that life only gets better after 40!"
"We are thrilled to introduce these truly remarkable women to the nation," said Michael
Clemente, senior executive producer, ABC News Digital Media. "Each one is a phenomenal
role model to women everywhere."
The 2008 "Picture of Health" finalists are:
MaryKay Mullally, 47, San Diego, CA: When sitting at her desk job for 12- and 14- hour
days, Mullally used to say to herself, “There has to be more to my life.” This desire
to find meaning inspired her to sign up for a self-development seminar. In one of her
courses, she created a half-marathon training group and ran her first marathon at age 40.
What began as a class project became a calling, as Mullally was so empowered, she left
her position running a software development company and founded Step Up for Life, a
beginners’ half-marathon training program for women. Now, four years later, she has
led more than 600 women across the finish line. MARY KAY WEBSITE IS www.stepupforlife.com
Eileen Friedman, 46, Plantation, FL: When she was diagnosed with MS in 2000, Friedman
was devastated and angry at the world. She spent the next two years sick from her
medication, until one day she came across a website that bore the message: “I have MS,
but MS doesn’t have me.” She adopted that motto and decided to take control of her body
and her health. She started small, making dietary changes and playing tennis, and
worked her way up to training for the NYC Marathon with the Achilles Track Club, a
non-profit training group for people with disabilities. Now, eight years after her
diagnosis, Friedman has run three marathons—and raised thousands of dollars for MS
research.
Colleen Kelley, 47, Shutesbury, MA: Kelley’s commitment to healthy living begins with
helping others. She works as an environmental educator, teaching pre-schoolers about
nature. But her passion for the world around her extends to every aspect of her life.
Kelley takes full advantage of the outdoors, whether it’s swimming across a local lake,
splitting logs for her wood-burning stove, or going for a run in the woods. And she
encourages others to utilize the environment to boost their own health too, recently
convincing some coworkers to bike 100 miles to a conference instead of driving—both
cutting back on carbon emissions and helping them get healthy.
Maria Ruoff, 69, Shillington, PA: When she became widow at age 24, Ruoff became committed
to her health and nutrition for her two young children. And for the past four decades,
staying healthy has been an uphill battle. Through the years, Ruoff suffered setbacks
such as cancer at age 37, Lyme disease, and fibromyalgia, but she never lost her strength
of spirit. And—living proof that it’s never too late to take charge of your health—she
tweaked her diet and exercise patterns to lose 50 pounds at age 68. Now, she walks three
miles every day and says she feels like a new chapter in her life is just beginning.
Becky Griggs, 42, Oregon City, OR: When she weighed 352 lbs., Becky Griggs felt invisible
, despite her size. She also knew that she was headed down a dangerous path to a lifetime
of health problems. Then she realized she had no idea what it meant to be healthy and
had no parameters for eating healthfully. That’s when she made the decision to eat right.
After dropping French fries and white sugar from her diet, she took the “baby steps”
approach and joined a gym. After four years, she shed 200 pounds—and now works as a
personal trainer at the gym she walked into four years before.
To enter the "Picture of Health" contest, women or their nominators submitted essays and
1-minute testimonial videos explaining what good health means to them.
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