Fitness Challenge finale winner April Hillario recieved first place in the competition. Fitness Challenge finale winner April Hillario recieved first place in the competition. Fitness Challenge finale winner April Hillario recieved first place in the competition. Photo By IVAN GRACIANO/Daily Titan Staff Photographer

The Titan Fitness Challenge finale award ceremony took place Thursday evening on the Recreation Center lawn. A Hawaiian BBQ dinner menu and refreshments were provided to all attendees.

This was the second year the Recreation Center hosted the event and the coordinators promise to keep the program going to encourage students to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Only 24 applications were selected for a 10-week competition that included weekly prizes and a grand finale winner.

Associated Students Inc., Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), Student Health Services and Student Recreation Center all sponsored the campus reality show program.

"The competition was composed of six categories: BMI and weight loss, circumference measurements, nutrition, number of laps ran in 12 minutes, strength and flexibility," said Alison Witter, the Titan Recreation Fitness Coordinator. "The competition was based on percentages to make it fair to everyone," Witter said.

"I am amazed," said April Hillario, 24, an economics graduate student at Cal State Fullerton, who was named the grand finale winner. Hillario was awarded with 10 free summer workout sessions with a professional trainer and a basket that included workout gear from dumbbell weight sets, to a circuit trainer trampoline.

The program taught members how to develop good eating habits and realistic body weight and image goals. The contestants had to write down in a journal every single thing they ate for the last 10 weeks, in addition to keeping up with at least 50 appointments with counselors, the health department and a nutritionist.

"Sad faces were drawn where rules were broken, but they continued on," said Darany Hoang, from the Student Health and Counseling Center.

"I lost a total of 39 pounds," Hillario said. "It was a lot of hard work, but the key was to stick to it."

Second place winner Hector Garcia, an aide to the Education Department at CSUF, said now that the program has ended it does take pressure off, but he insisted that he would keep going because he loved feeling energized and healthier overall.

"We all took something from this, we are all winners," Garcia said.

The Health Center played a big role in providing nutrition counseling, and ASI provided all the prizes during the competition.

"It was a very intense 10 weeks," Hoang said during the ceremony. "It was really about all that you've discovered about yourself."

Psychologist Ya-Shu Liang ended the ceremony with an inspirational speech. Liang spoke about the dedication the individuals had, and how the trainers encouraged the contestants to stay focused and enthusiastic.

Liang told the crowd she was really proud of the SRC's trainers and staff, and jokingly told the attendees that if they want to get their "butt kicked" to come see a trainer at the SRC.

"Self esteem and self confidence can't be measured," Liang said. "All the contestants should be really proud of what they've accomplished."