Get organized, then get fit
Psssst. Hey you. There on the sofa. Put down the remote control. Release your grip on the Danish and listen up, because we're only going to say this once: It's your year. Your year to get a little healthier. Your year to actually make good on that promise to eat right and exercise more. Your year to get started on a fitness program. Or, if you're already exercising, to ramp up that program to the next level. But you need a plan, a path to get you through a forest fraught with crème brûlée and easy chairs to a land of nourishing meals and jogging trails. And you need some tips on how to stick with it. That's why we're here. We want you to get beyond your resolution for the new year and make some changes that will stick with you for life. We've talked with three fitness experts, asking each one to advise a different segment of the population. With their advice, you've got no excuse. The Beginner You're not big on exercising. In fact, you'd rather sit at home and read a book or catch the latest game on television than flex your own muscle. But you're going to give it a shot. Start by getting clearance from your physician to start a fitness program. Second, meet with a professional — either an exercise physiologist or a certified personal trainer — to design a customized fitness plan that takes into account your body, your schedule, your interests and your goals. "The plan should be based on how to safely meet those goals," says Julie Jones, supervisor at St. David's Health and Fitness Center in Austin. Make the goals attainable — maybe starting with 30 minutes of exercise two times a week. As you achieve those goals, add time and intensity to your workouts. Jones suggests joining a gym or exercise group where you can focus, undistracted. Make exercise a part of your day. An exercise partner, be it spouse, friend or dog, can help motivate. "You have to think about exercise like brushing your teeth. You don't want to go two days without doing it," says exercise physiologist Jason Restivo, who also works at St. David's. A big part of fitness is finding the activity you really enjoy. Strength training is as important as cardiovascular fitness, so make weightlifting a part of your program. And stretch after every exercise session. Don't, Jones says, set an unattainable goal or tell yourself you have to go on a strict diet — that sets you up for failure. Focus instead on a gradual lifestyle change you can stick to. When you do eat, think of food as a source of nutrition, not as a way to make yourself feel better emotionally. And if you have medical concerns, consult a nutritionist. The key, both say, is everything in moderation. And drink lots of water — it helps satisfy you and boosts your metabolism. If you want to lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you're putting into your body. "It's simple, but it's not easy. But you're going to feel great and your quality of life will be better," Restivo says. The Intermediate Maybe exercise already is a part of your life. You play the occasional game of tennis, walk around the neighborhood or hike Mount Bonnell every now and then. Even so, you need to boost your fitness plan, says Dr. Ted Edwards, an Austin physician who has written two books about fitness ("Weight Loss to Super Wellness" and "Power Aging") and started The Hills Fitness Club in 1980. Getting properly motivated is the biggest hurdle, he says. "The initial motivation has to be something other than the fact that someone else told you you were fat. Motivation that's successful comes from within — I want to change my life, quit being breathless every time I exercise and feel good all the time instead of occasionally, when I do exercise." To lose weight, he recommends doing aerobic exercise a minimum of five days a week, at least 30 to 45 minutes each time. When you reach your desired weight, you can drop off to three times a week. The exercise should be done at a pace fast enough that you feel a little breathless and slow enough that you can still carry on a conversation. To make sure you get those five exercise sessions a week in, he says, plan for six or seven. That way, if you miss one day, you're still OK. "You cannot lose weight and keep it off without exercising — it does not happen after age 25," Edwards says. "I constantly see people in the office who say they want to lose weight and be healthy and not exercise, and I say 'here's the door.' If you want to be healthy when you're older, the only way you're going to do it is through regular exercise and keeping most of the fat off." As for nutrition, he suggests a well-balanced diet that's about 30 percent protein, 30 percent fat and 40 percent carbohydrates. Avoid foods that contain calories and no nutritional value, such as chips, soda and candy. Eat more fruits and vegetables. And remember, even though you'll need more calories because you're burning more energy, a vigorous exercise program doesn't give you free rein to eat like a horse. A pound of body fat equals about 3,500 calories. Run a mile and you'll expend about 100 calories. The Advanced Some people know how to stick to an exercise regimen. They've been at it for years. How do those people push ahead and make 2003 the year they record, for example, their personal best time in a marathon or triathlon? Phil Stanforth, director of the Fitness Institute of Texas at the University of Texas, works with athletes and others who want to improve their fitness and performance. The first step, he says, is to figure out your goal. Then determine what it's going to take to achieve that goal, and third, consider the costs. Can you really do this in terms of effort, time, finances, family and relationships? If the answer is yes, you'll have to improve your training techniques. If you're preparing for a marathon, for example, you may need to do a combination of more miles and increased intensity on some runs. If you're running 40 miles a week by doing seven short runs, try doing three long runs and taking the other days off. That way you'll be training more specifically for the marathon. "If you don't put enough stress on the body, it doesn't improve because it doesn't have overload in terms of amount or intensity. But if you make it too much of a step, the body can break down, you can get injured or suffer excessive fatigue," he says. And remember that recovery is as important as the training. Your body needs time off from exercising to rebuild muscle broken down during the training process. If you're trying to move into competition, join a team or get a coach. Some athletes stay motivated by training with friends. Others need a personal trainer so they have an appointment to keep. Most regular exercisers already know the basics of nutrition. But keep in mind that elite athletes tend to have lower body fat percentages than the rest of the population. A fat level that might be acceptable for the average person may be too high for a competitive runner, hurting his or her performance. Think of your body as a pickup. "When you've got a load of bricks in the bed, it doesn't go as well," Stanforth says. "Throw the bricks out, you've still got the same engine and you drive better." A well-rounded fitness program, regardless of the sport, should include some weight training and stretching to prevent injuries and provide a core foundation, he says. Pamela LeBlanc writes for the Austin American-Statesman. |
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