Contestant: Michelle Hall
Stats
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 196
Trivia
Biggest Fear: "I'm not into failure," says Michelle. "I don't want to fail for myself or for JJ. To me, failing would mean quitting, which I won't quit."
Biggest Goal: "I just want to get to my personal best," she says. "A goal I'd like to set is a half marathon."
Michelle Hall first noticed a call for contestants for the Erlanger Live Fit Challenge in her Wednesday newspaper, delivered to her Signal Mountain home. The next week, she saw it again and thought on it some more.
When she saw it for a third week in a row, she says she knew it was a sign.
A single mom of four nearly grown kids, it's been a while since 50-year-old Michelle thought about her own health. "Family is everything to me," she says. "Being a single mom and taking care of everybody, I just didn't take care of myself. Now, my youngest children are old enough and I can finally have some time for myself."
Michelle is paired with trainer JJ Jackson of Forte Fitness, a graduate of and former football player for UTC who's been working at Forte for nearly a year. "We as a team selected JJ to represent Forte in the challenge," says Forte Manager Kyle Johnston. "I believe JJ possesses talents and skills as far as connecting to other human beings. That connectability allows people to be inspired.
"Here, she has a support team — me, other trainers, and JJ's mentorship and experience," continues Kyle.
Michelle says she's thrilled with her Forte team and especially appreciates the personal feel of the small gym located at 2 North Shore. "When you walk in, everyone's talking and joking," she says. "It's like family."
To start off Michelle's training, JJ says, "We're just going to get her body moving, keeping it simple. I'm going to start with the basics and create a prescription from there, safely and effectively."
