School principals compete with their hearts

A type 2 diabetic, Erlacher has already been spending more than an hour a day in spinning classes and weight training. He also logs more than 10,000 steps each day on a pedometer strapped to his belt.

While he feels he has a leg up on the competition, Erlacher, 60, said his diet could use some help.

"I do well at breakfast and lunch, but my low blood sugar kicks in around 4 or 5 p.m. and I'm a real mess if I'm not careful," he said. "I love to cook and I tend to use a lot of butter."

Since he was 45 years old, Erlacher said he's been reading obituaries in the newspaper and has determined he doesn't want to end up there prematurely.

"I want to maintain this for the rest of my life," he said.

In addition to weekly nutrition classes and personal exercise consultations, participants will undergo baseline testing, including a treadmill stress test, blood lipid profile, blood pressure, glucose, and body mass index measure, which will each be repeated at the end of the challenge to reveal progress. The challenge concludes May 17.

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