Participating in Taking It Off was a pivotal experience in Dajana’s life, even though she wishes she’d applied herself more consistently to her fitness goals during the show. What she did gain was vastly improved self-confidence and an ambition to study TV journalism, prompted by the discovery that she found it easy to speak on-camera. She graduates from a broadcast journalism program in Calgary in April 2004. Once her studying is done, she plans to make exercise more of her routine, but Dajana now considers shedding pounds part of a balanced life and not her chief focus. "There’s so much more that’s interesting about me than my weight."
The lessons Dajana learned about her relationship to food and physical activity have stayed with her, however. Her byword is moderation. Knowing that if she exercises too aggressively, she’ll quit after three weeks, she finds that working out three times a week is best. She’s also scaled down her portion sizes and brings lunches and energy boosts like dates and nuts to the newsroom so she doesn’t reach for chocolate bars. This healthier lifestyle goes hand in hand with preparing for her new profession: "The hours may not be nine to five and I’ve learned you have to be fit to deal with stress."
What the Taking It Off experience taught her: Dajana discovered that conventional exercise bores her, so she indulges her love of new and unusual stimuli. She takes Pilates classes once a week and is keen to try wall-climbing. Happily, the boyfriend she met during the show -- who became her husband in June 2003 -- is also enthusiastic about being active. Together, they hike, rollerblade, snowshoe and cross-country ski. "You need to do things that make you smile when you do them," says Dajana. "Getting outside for a hike is a lot more fun than getting on a treadmill."
Dajana’s favourite food strategies: "People seem to think that fruit is just bananas and oranges. There are so many other things out there," she says. "When pomegranates were available I ate them all the time. Try exotic fruits and a different variety all the time."
"When you go to restaurants, always remember you can take food home. It’ll be great for lunch tomorrow."
Dajana’s overall strategies: "There are no easy answers and if anything sounds too good to be true, it is. It all boils down to eating well and being active."
