Down 13 pounds – roughly a pound a week – Thom’s body fat now comprises just 24 percent of his 177 pounds. He’s no longer in a high risk category for health problems. And, with the help of diet, exercise and medication, he’s substantially lowered his cholesterol levels.

At Royal Fitness and Nutrition in Bethesda, Thom is attending one of his last personal training sessions with Mustafa Saifee. Over the past 3 months, Saifee has pushed Thom and, in the process, helped the Healthy Challenge winner increase his core strength, flexibility, and stamina. ‘‘‘I can’t’ isn’t part of Mustafa’s vocabulary,” says Thom. ‘‘He keeps me honest. I can’t get away with anything.”

Thom’s training session begins at 6:30 a.m. The upper body is today’s focus. Chest presses – with varying amounts of weight – kick off the hour-long workout. Thom does 10 with 10-pound weights on each side; 5 with 20 pound weights; 4 with 30 pound weights; and 10 free of added weight. Pushups follow. Thom does five before his chest caves. ‘‘It’s not my arm muscles but my chest that is feeling it,” he says.

Saifee hands Thom eight-pound dumbbells. Lying on his back, Thom extends his arms to the side and then raises them above the center of his chest. Saifee spots him the entire time. When Thom completes the set, Saifee hands him a towel and some Gatorade.

Then it’s back to the chest press – this time with 25 pound weights on each side. Saifee has Thom change his grip to more effectively work certain muscles. After each set of five, Saifee removes some weight. As Thom struggles to finish, he turns to Saifee, ‘‘If you want to know where the failure point is, we found it!”

Thom takes a break and stretches the muscles in his arm. He drinks some Gatorade and uses the towel to wipe his brow.

Leg lifts and stomach crunches follow. Then comes mat work with a medicine ball. Saifee ends the session with sprints. Thom runs five yards, picks up a medicine ball, and returns to the start line. Saifee times each of the five attempts.

The trainer ends the session by helping Thom stretch both upper and lower body. ‘‘Mustafa and I have worked so much together by now that it’s like a well-choreographed ballet,” says Thom.

Thom’s ability to keep his eye on the Healthy Challenge prize – getting fit with the help of $25,000 worth of products and services over a 3-month period – is due in large part to the advice of Paige Beyer, a certified life coach. ‘‘Paige has helped me concentrate my efforts on those things that are the most productive for me without feeling guilty about letting some things slip,” says Thom. ‘‘Paige has been a major help in my coping with the challenge, my work and my personal life.”

While Thom has met face-to-face with Beyer twice during the Healthy Challenge, he has consulted with her every other week by phone. ‘‘When I started the challenge, I had no idea what a life coach was supposed to be or do,” says Thom. ‘‘I have since found out. Paige has been key to my success.”

Key to Thom’s enjoyment of the Healthy Challenge is his renewed passion for tennis. At the Aspen Hill Club in Silver Spring, Thom warms up with Ken Guendel, director of junior tennis and the 2003 USTA-Maryland Teaching Pro of the Year. Thom’s forehand is strong, but his backhand shows room for improvement.

Guendel tosses a ball to Thom. ‘‘What did you think of when you caught it?” he says.

‘‘Where my hand is,” says Thom.

‘‘Exactly,” says Guendel. ‘‘You need to appreciate the ball’s movement and get to it in a timely manner. Don’t worry about hitting it – you’ll hit it if you’re at the right place in time.”

It takes several tries before Thom accurately anticipates the ball’s arrival. But, once he does, his backhands clear the net with ease.

The lesson ends with serving practice. Thom tosses the ball and catches it – several times. The few times he hits the ball, his serve is off the mark. ‘‘I can’t seem to get it right,” says Thom. ‘‘The ball is either behind me or too far in front.”

‘‘Break it apart,” suggests Guendel. ‘‘Toss the ball, then hit the ball. They’re two separate actions. You shouldn’t be thinking about hitting the ball until the toss is complete,” he says.

Thom works on his toss. Without fail, Guendel predicts the accuracy of Thom’s serve based on the toss. ‘‘The more disciplined you are as to what tosses you go after, the sooner you’ll get a feel for what a good toss feels like,” he says.

Given all his physical exertion, Thom is grateful for the pampering provided by Elaj Aveda Day Spa in Rockville’s King Farm Village Center. On a recent Saturday morning – following circuit training at Royal Fitness – Thom is ready for hot stone massage. After changing into a thick terry-cloth robe and slippers, Thom is treated to Elaj Aveda’s signature foot soak.

Prior to the massage, Thom is asked to select a fragrance for the oil that will be used during the hot stone treatment. ‘‘It came down to frankincense and peppermint,” says Thom who chose the latter scent.

As soon as the masseur placed hot, flat stones along Thom’s spine and began massaging his legs, Thom was down for the count. ‘‘I just zoned out and forgot that the rest of the world existed,” he says. ‘‘Knots that I didn’t even know I had gave up and went away. All the gym and workout tensions were gone, as well as those day-to-day tensions,” he says, relishing in just one of the myriad benefits of The Gazette’s Healthy Challenge.

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