Fourteen of the capital's busiest people lost the combined weight of an industrial truck tyre to prove anyone can make time to improve their health.

Included were university professors, radio DJs and even a certain Canberra Times books editor.

After 12 weeks of early morning training, they hauled the earthmoving tyre around the Manuka Pool on Wednesday to demonstrate just how far they'd come.

The group also raised close to $30, 000 while shedding 1.5 metres around their collective waistlines during this year's Heart Foundation ACT Canberra Celebrity Heart Challenge.

Paul Walshe was crowned challenge winner after bringing in more than $7000 for the Heart Foundation.

With his pants a little looser and a new spring in his step, the ActewAGL marketing director said saying no to seconds at dinner helped him to drop a couple of kilos.

"I'm the eldest of nine children so food was scarce sometimes growing up and you always ate what was there. You never left anything behind, mum and dad taught me to eat up so therefore I had to change that habit a bit. You can always have it cold for lunch the next day," he said.

Mr Walshe, 55, decided to take up the gauntlet after the father of a childhood friend died following complications from a triple bypass.

He's been putting in four sessions a week and runs up to five kilometres on his off-days.

Personal trainer Lee Campbell returned to guide this year's batch of celebrities on their journey to better health.

The owner of B.Firm said the challenge was getting them up and moving.

"All exercise counts. It's just about those modifications we can make for health and wellbeing and learning how to exercise without hurting ourselves," Mr Campbell said.

"Within three to six weeks you'll notice a change and then it's about consistency."

Chief Minister Andrew Barr backed up last year's effort too, this time dragging his brother Iain along for the ride.

Iain Barr said sticking to the eating plans presented a particular challenge for the brothers.

Dips - and not the delicious kind either - were also a weakness for the Barr boys.

"It's been good fun to be able to do the challenge together because it's actually given us an opportunity to spend more time together too," the chief minister said.

"The running joke has been when you're ordered to do 50 dips, we're like 'I'll have 50 crackers with that'."

The ACT Heart Foundation's chief officer Tony Stubbs believed the small changes they made during the 12-week changes will be "lifesaving".

And not all of those changes require a personal trainer or waking up at the crack of dawn either.

"Firstly they can reduce their intake of sugary drinks, the other is to have a smaller coffee so you're not having as much milk, to not have the muffin at the morning tea and to think about how you can have more fruit and vegetables in your diet as well. Enough changes can make a significant difference," Mr Stubbs said.