Weight resolution? Be realistic.
By Hannah Hager
If your New Year’s resolution is to get in shape, you aren’t the only one. Making the decision to get fit is the first step toward commitment. Making fitness a routine, however, is a different story. Incorporating exercise and weight training into a daily schedule is one of the principles that Sherman Sumner at GK Fitness operates on.
GK Fitness stands for good karma, and that is the vibe that Sumner wants to resonate with clients. It’s about feeling good about yourself, not just losing weight or gaining muscle.
He said he doesn’t want people to feel lost when first starting an exercise regimen. Sometimes structured routine in the gym isn’t for everyone.
"Go have some fun," he said. "If you rest, you rust."
Keeping your body moving while doing activities that you love, such as tag football or snowboarding is just as useful as a gym workout. The key to better fitness is to be consistently moving.
Denise Levi at Anytime Fitness offers spinning, zoomba, piyo, boot camp, strength pump and turbo-kick. GK Fitness offers Pilates and Jazzercise classes.
Sumner and Levi agree that movement is the most important key to getting started. "It doesn't matter what you do, as long as it's more than what you've done," Sumner said. "The body has to adapt, and exercise is about that adaptation."
Levi tells her clients to be realistic. Don’t set outrageous goals you know you won’t meet. Losing a pound a week is a good idea. “Lets be realistic,” she said. “You didn’t get this way overnight, so you won’t lose it overnight.”
Sumner said that just by being willing to commit to healthy living takes out the majority of the work for him. “They’ve already mustered the courage to what will be pain in their future,” said Sumner. "All I have to do is remove the remaining obstacles," he said.
Finding time in a busy schedule is part of the problem of getting started. Two gyms located in Berryville, Olympus Gym and Anytime Fitness, address this problem by operating 24 hours.
Another obstacle? How to begin. Levi at Anytime Fitness acclimates members to the facility. Each new member is given a chart that lists the name of the machine, height adjustments per machine, weight used, and number of repetitions recommended for them in their first session. Levi also computes the client's target heart rate according to their age.
At Anytime Fitness, the introductory orientation and training session are complimentary. Levi specializes workouts by taking into consideration four main factors: Medications, age, weight and over-all health.
Sumner says that he also gives new clients an introduction on the equipment to avoid injury. He does not suggest that anyone use free weights without the instruction of a professional.
The most common mistakes people make when they are exercising is the lack of knowledge about proper form, inability to gage when a change in repetitions and weight should occur, or they are not aware of their heart rate zone. Sometimes people over exert themselves with "too heavy a weight by trying to show off," said Levi.
It is also common for exercisers to over extend themselves, making it all the more important to listen to your body. Stop exercising if dizziness or shortness of breath occurs.
Sumner recommends a routine of light stretching to get the blood moving, weight lifting, cardio and heavy stretching to release the lactic acid that was built up in the muscles by the workout. Levi says that stretching before a workout isn’t as important as afterwards. Brittle muscles could snap if they haven’t been warmed up. She suggests cardio to get the blood moving before weight lifting.
Both insist that new beginners start with a regimen that includes weight lifting and cardio, “It's an integrated puzzle," said Sumner. "It's not just one activity."
“If you want to burn calories, you need muscle mass to increase metabolism, and if you want strong muscles, you need a strong heart. Without cardio you won't have a strong heart," Levi explained.
Exercising at least four times a week is best. According to the American Heart Association, those who exercise boost their energy levels and decrease stress. Other advantages are weight loss or control, lower cholesterol levels and improved blood pressure and circulation.