This time, he hired a personal trainer to make sure he did it right. It worked. During the first three months, he lost 15 pounds and 4 inches from his waist. Now, he reports, he is in the best shape he's been in since college.

Name: Marty Barger.

Age: 53.

Profession: vice-president/general manager, Infiniti of Honolulu.

Height: 5 feet 11.

Weight: 190 pounds.

Workout habits: "I work out six days a week, about an hour and a half each day. Monday through Friday, I work out at lunchtime, and Saturday, late morning. I'm too beat when I get home from work to do anything other than enjoy a glass of wine, and I'm always anxious to get to work and get started in the morning, so lunch was the logical solution. Lunchtime is my time, and I schedule my workouts just like I would any other meeting.

"Two times a week, I meet with my personal trainer, Barbara Alfano, at the Honolulu Club, and we do weight training for an hour. The other days of the week, I do an hour or so of cardio training on the elliptical and treadmill, and as many crunches as I can. Sunday is my 'day off,' and I usually play golf with friends.

"I had originally planned to use a personal trainer for just a few weeks until I learned how to use the machines, but Barbara has had such a positive influence on my overall fitness, I've continued with her for six months now. She knows how hard to push me in the gym, and she nags me almost as much as my wife about eating healthy foods. She also makes sure I don't do anything dumb that will hurt me. I don't think I could have done this without her guidance and support."

When and why I started working out: "Right before Christmas vacation last year, I had to buy size 38 pants, and very quickly they became too tight. I looked in the mirror and asked myself if I was going to let this belly get any larger. A day or so later, a customer came in to the dealership and asked for the bald, chubby guy. That comment did it — well, I can't do anything about the bald part, but I did about the chubby. I'm now wearing size 34 pants and am in the best shape I've been in since college."

My good foods/bad foods: "I really like salmon and have always liked vegetables. French fries, ice cream and a good steak are my weaknesses. The real awakening was when I realized that I needed to spend a half-hour or more on the treadmill to burn off just one serving of good ice cream. I still eat and drink whatever I want; I'm just starting to want foods that are better for me."

My biggest motivator: "My wife has been my strongest supporter for over 30 years, plus my friends and employees have seen the difference and have encouraged me. The biggest motivator is the personal satisfaction of knowing I actually made a major change in my life and stuck with it. The truth is it's easy to stick with it because I feel so great. I'll never go back to where I was six months ago."

My biggest roadblock to fitness: "I don't plan on letting anything get in my way. Time is always a problem when you own a business, but I've made the commitment to myself that my body and my health are important to me and the people I love."

What saves my sanity: "When I do my cardio, I have an MP3 player that has my favorite music on it. I crank it up and just go for it."