Over the past eight weeks, a group of town employees has faced a unique challenge—and no, it wasn’t coping with Fradiani Fever. For this group of 40, a regimen of diet, exercise, and counseling made for an intense weight loss challenge.

Ron Stewart of Stewart’s Personal Training and Weight Loss Plans is finishing up an eight-week program that he has held free of charge to town employees, teaching nutrition and exercise—particularly implementing high-intensity interval training—twice weekly.

Stewart said he has offered the program since 2008 or 2009, alternating between North Branford, Branford, and Guilford. This year, sign-ups for the eight-week course were filled within two days—all 40 spots were taken.

“Every year it gets better and better,” said Stewart. “I meet so many great people. I just love the people that I meet and get to work with.”

Stewart noted that many of the participants are teachers, which suits him perfectly as his undergraduate degree is in education and his master’s degree is in exercise science.

Over the last eight weeks, Stewart has sent out a few emails weekly containing information on nutrition, different exercises, and why each participant should continue practicing those elements of a healthy lifestyle.

“It’s been a great eight weeks. Only two people have dropped out, which is amazing,” Stewart said.

Participants have been similarly pleased with the program.

“He’s awesome, fabulous. I loved the entire program,” said Gisel Zergeibel, who works as an aid to nurses in schools around Guilford, most often at the Baldwin Middle School.

Zergeibel noted that it truly is an individualized experience. She went into the course without expectations and has been pleased with the manner in which Stewart works with participants.

“You don’t compete with anyone else but yourself,” she clarified.

The key, she said, was that Stewart tailors his classes to meet individual needs as well as class needs. She noted that she’d not had a very active lifestyle and this course helped change that. One aspect that made a huge difference, she explained, was the emphasis on nutrition paired with exercise.

“I feel stronger, thinner, and more energetic,” Zergeibel said.