MOUNT VERNON — Today’s the day. For the last month you’ve been planning a New Year’s resolution. Maybe it’s to do a better job of managing money. Perhaps it’s not lighting up another cigarette. If the resolution is to start eating smarter and exercising more to drop that unwanted weight — you are not alone. More than any other resolution made today, Americans will vow to lose weight.
“The No. 1 New Year’s resolution is to lose weight. Unfortunately, about half of those people do not follow through with their resolution,” said Ryan Arnett, manager at Body Basics.
Making that resolution is a good start, but that’s all it is — a start. To take this step seriously, one needs to make a plan and set realistic goals.
“A big part of that is that you have to have a plan,” said Arnett. “Having a resolution of ‘I’m going to lose weight’ is not really a plan. A plan is what you do.”
Many will go out and join a gym, thinking that is what needs to be done to drop those pounds. Unfortunately, just showing up and creating a random workout is not going to do the trick.
“Joining the gym is not really a plan. It’s what you do once you get into the gym — that’s the plan,” Arnett said. “A lot of people go into this blind. What I really suggest for a lot of people is to seek out professional help. Find a personal trainer. Find a gym that people are willing to help you get from A to B; help you find results and help you track those results.”
Keeping track of one’s efforts — everything from beginning weight to daily exercises and a food log — will go a long way when deciding what’s working and what’s not.
When new members join Curves, a women-only fitness facility, an initial consultation will help staff members better understand what it is the new client is looking to accomplish. New members are then weighed, measurements are taken and a body fat analysis is conducted.
“We want what’s going to work for you; where you want to be,” said Terry Bates, manager of Curves. “We don’t tell girls how much they should weigh. We help them set realistic goals based on their health. It’s all about being a healthy woman.”
More than just going to the gym, making lifestyle changes is crucial to finding the new you.
“At the beginning of the year, they come in with the intent they are going to get in shape, they are going to lose some weight. It kind of tapers off after a month or so,” said Trevor Tieche, owner of Bodi N Balance. “What we do to keep people going is kind of a lifestyle change. That’s what we’re going for here.”
Tieche compared weight loss and fitness to brushing your teeth. Brushing your teeth isn’t done just a week before one goes to the dentist; it has to be done all your life to keep the teeth healthy.
“Fitness has to be a part of your life,” Tieche said.
Anthony Salamone, a personal trainer and assistant manager at Bodi N Balance, said the best motivator is results.
“I try to get people to stay with it for about a month. After that, once they start seeing the weight come off, it motivates them to stay true to the diet and they keep going,” Salamone said.
Every month, members of Curves are weighed and measured again so their progress can be monitored by more than just how their clothes fit.
Arnett’s suggestion is to chart more than just how much you weigh every day. Keeping a log of what foods are eaten will help one gain greater vision of how eating habits can be changed to better accomplish one’s goals.
“A lot of time, it’s the reality of the whole thing,” Arnett said. “When you see what you eat, logging your foods, those will help you. Those are great tools to help you achieve your goals.”
With all of the new resolutions being made today, local gyms expect to see an influx of new members, ready to kick off the new year with a new attitude and a willingness to push themselves to be in better shape.
“Girls will start flocking to Curves after the first of the year,” Bates said. “January is the time when we are ready to start again. At Curves, we always say we can always begin again. That’s the important thing for us, as women; to come in and know that if we mess up over the weekend, you can still come in on Monday and get the job started all over again.”
More often than not, however, with many new members the new soon starts to wear off on New Year’s resolutions, and attendance will start to decline. The decline is largely associated with clients failing to see the results anticipated.
“A lot of people, where they are on fire for the first two weeks, they see those results,” Arnett said. “But then once the reality starts setting in and the results aren’t coming, then people really start to disappear out of the gym. That’s what we don’t want.”
Keeping trips to the gym fun and exciting is one of the keys to maintaining a good attitude and a good attendance record. While going to work out three times a week doesn’t seem like much, it can turn into a chore — but only if you let it.
Bring an MP3 player and listen to some favorite music, or even an audio book. Taking advantage of any televisions available might also help pass the time and keep your mind distracted while pushing through that last mile or that last set of reps.
Working with a personal trainer is another avenue to explore if one is not a self-motivator.
“Everyone is a little different,” Arnett said. “We’ll talk during your consultation and figure out how we can help you be successful. Longevity is really the key. Personal trainers are best for this. It’s a marathon and not a sprint with help.”
For Carole Francis, working with a personal trainer has been the difference between success and failure. Since June, Francis has lost 50 pounds, 15 percent of her body fat and 35 inches. Having someone there to push her, as well as educate her on the proper workout techniques and lessons on nutrition, has helped her make the right choices in her new lifestyle.
“By having an appointment with a trainer, it was much easier to stay motivated. If I had been trying to do this by myself, I’m sure there would have been a lot of mornings I just wouldn’t have felt like coming in,” Francis said.
To keep its members motivated, Curves relies on the strength of the program — a 30-minute workout that combines aerobics and strength training in a circuit that requires only 30 seconds at each station before moving on to the next. In addition, challenges are offered throughout the year that urge members to work toward goals and earn prizes.
Whether it’s five pounds or 100 pounds that need to be lost, creating a plan, setting goals and making lifestyle changes will go a long way on the road to success.
Anyone who has made a resolution to lose weight in 2008 who would be willing to have the Mount Vernon News follow his or her progress, in both print and video, is asked to contact Samantha Deem at 397-5333 ext. 258, or e-mail at .
