For some, fitness simply is a way of life — something to do after work to stay in shape and sneak the occasional bowl of ice cream after dinner. For others, it’s a never-ending journey; a dream realized only after a certain degree of personal loss.

For Pella resident Heather Spong, fitness became her quest after the early passing of her brother at just 31 years old.

“It was obesity (listed) on his death certificate,” Spong, a stay-at-home mother of two, said. His death, combined with her own depression after gaining baby weight, were the catalysts that jump-started her newfound healthy lifestyle.