Principal challenged to fitness
By Stephanie Bertholdo bertholdo@theacorn.com

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION- Round Meadow Elementary School Principal Keith Tomes, left, pledges to his students that he'll follow a healthy diet and exercise plan, hopefully shedding 70 pounds by Feb. 1. Fitness guru Billy Blanks, right, will guide Tomes' new program.

Keith Tomes, principal of Round Meadow Elementary School in Hidden Hills, is facing a ponderous challenge.

At a Nov. 30 morning assembly before 600 students, teachers and others at the school, Tomes formally accepted the challenge to embrace a healthy diet and exercise plan- and hopefully shed about 70 pounds in time for the school's annual Fitness Challenge scheduled for Feb. 1.

Tomes said that while he wants to lose weight, his ultimate goal is to develop healthier eating habits and lifestyle.

"I have five children, and I want to set an example for them, (and be) active and lively for them," Tomes said. "I also have an obligation to the students. We're asking them to be fit, and their principal isn't fit."

Tomes will receive plenty of support from the school community, but the personal attention he's getting from Billy Blanks, owner of Billy Blanks World of Fitness in Westlake Village, has been a great way to kickstart a new nutrition and exercise program. Blanks, a fitness guru, created Tae Bo, a program that combines martial arts, boxing, dance and other exercise disciplines for an overall workout.

Tomes, 42, has committed to work out at Blanks' gym three days a week, and exercise on his own every other day. Blanks is providing Tomes with techniques in cardio and weight training, and a nutritionist is helping him devise a food plan that fits his tastes and needs.

"I think it's great he took this responsibility," Blanks said. "It shows kids how to be strong, focused, and have endurance, while having a good workout. (Keith) already lost six pounds."

Tomes is grateful for the gift of guidance from a renowned expert like Blanks, but he's also happy that students are so willing to support his efforts. Students join him on walks and runs around the track each day during recess and lunch.

"It's not about losing weight," said Fitness Challenge Chair Terry Kaiser. "What we are trying to get these kids to do is get up and move."

The Fitness Challenge program, Kaiser said, has been "hugely successful."

Since the program was introduced at Round Meadow three years ago, children have been empowered to take control of their health. One element of the program focuses on "catching" children eating healthy food. Youngsters who've embraced a healthy diet and exercise routine have a better chance at becoming a healthy adult, she said.

"The program empowers children to make healthy choices in the foods they eat, the exercise they get and even the way they think," Kaiser said. "It's about being physically, mentally and spiritually fit."

Laurie Woolsoncroft, co-chair of the Fitness Challenge Committee with Kaiser, Laurie Dorf and Julieann Hartman, said Blanks is a tough instructor. "You can't say 'no' to Billy," she said.

"We're starting at the top," Woolsoncroft said of Tomes' commitment to fitness. "It will trickle down to everybody else."

Tomes admits he's a bit nervous about forgoing his usual fast food restaurant routine. "I won't be able to stop at McDonald's or Taco Bell anymore," Tomes said, a reference to the possibility of running into his students, as they are ultimately his reason for accepting the challenge.

He said he's finding the Tae Bo training just as tough as the new diet plan. "I felt great afterward, but at the time I was doing it, my tongue was dragging to the ground.

"It's going to be a motivation for me to stick through it, and I may be an inspiration to others," Tomes said.