New Beginnings

Commit yourself to achieving your health goals in 2010.
[By Dorothy Creamer]

It happens every year. Shortly after all of the confetti has settled and the champagne bubbles have lost their fizz, you suddenly realize that a new year has dawned and you are not your healthiest self. For once, forget the concept of New Year’s resolutions. Instead, embrace the idea that a new year can mark a new beginning, and is the perfect time to embark on a healthier life plan.

Personal trainer and fitness guru Jennifer Russomanno, co-owner and creator of the website New You For Life (www.newyouforlife.com), agrees that committing to a healthful lifestyle is of the utmost importance, but she recommends that whether your goal is to lose weight, increase strength, or simply become more physically fit, in order for any changes to yield results, they must become habits. “People come up with many reasons why they cannot live a healthy lifestyle—time, money, physical limitations, et cetera,” she says. “My goal is to break down those excuses and help them realize that staying healthy cannot be a choice—it has to be a way of life, and there are ways to make it work with any budget, job, or living situati

Do or Diet

You’ve heard the news that “diets” don’t work, and experts agree that fad fasting and extreme dietary restrictions are not the road to shedding pounds for good. The professionals at MinDshape (www.mind-shape.com) in Arlington, Virginia, provide patients with new ways for thinking about weight and wellness. Director of Nutrition Services Deborah Jeffery, RD, LD, uses a personalized plan—not a cookie-cutter approach—to ensure that clients can realistically incorporate dietary changes into their lives. This includes determining each client’s own metabolic rate to arrive at an ideal caloric intake. “Metabolic testing helps prevent a person from over-restricting how much food he or she eats,” says Jeffery. “Cutting too many calories often lowers the person’s metabolic rate in general, which makes it much harder to lose weight. At MinDshape, we make sure our clients lose weight in a safe and healthy way that will last them a lifetime.”

To that end, Jeffery believes that people should understand that healthy eating is not about restriction. “I don’t cut out any food groups, because that’s not practical,” she says. “It’s too hard to cut out an entire food group. People tend to binge when they bring that food group back.” Prepared meals don’t work well either, she says, because they tend to prevent a person from learning how to make food for themselves: “They’re not modifying their eating habits in a practical way.” Instead, Jeffery and the entire MinDshape staff use the latest treatments and research on healthy living and weight management to give individuals a sense of control, provide a feeling of hope, and offer tools for making long-term positive changes by integrating behavioral counseling, nutrition therapy, and fitness training.

New You for Life’s Russomanno is a proponent of maintaining a diet free of processed foods. Fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meat, organic dairy products, and whole grains should make up the majority of a daily diet. “I live by an 80/20 rule,” she explains. “If you eat clean and healthy 80 percent of the time, you can afford to slip up and enjoy some of your favorite treats 20 percent of the time.”

It’s a good—and realistic—philosophy, considering that food cravings can be difficult to battle (especially when you’re first starting out). Planning ahead will help you control your cravings. Russomanno advises filling up on fruits and veggies before heading to a restaurant or a party, so you won’t be in a binge cycle when you’re confronted with seemingly limitless options. “If you really want something and the craving hasn’t gone away, I would suggest having a taste of what you are desiring,” Russomanno explains. “If you want ice cream, have the smallest size they offer. That way your craving should be satisfied and you haven’t gone overboard. If you continue to ignore the craving, eventually you will give in to it and end up overeating.”

Getting Started

Russomanno advises that anyone leaping into a fitness regimen should start slow. “One of the biggest mistakes people make when beginning an exercise plan is doing too much, too soon,” she states. “If you haven’t been to the gym in a while or done any exercise, your body will need some time to adapt.”

That means you shouldn’t set your sights on a marathon right away, or attempt to lift your poundage in free weights. You can begin simply enough just by taking a walk outside for 30 minutes to see how your body responds. The same incremental plan should apply to weight training. Russomanno recommends starting with lighter weights and gradually progressing to heavier ones. “Just because you don’t feel sore right after a workout means nothing,” she warns. “The following two days will be the true test of whether you have done enough or if you need to challenge yourself more on your next workout.”

Mix it Up

Ask people why they quit an exercise regimen and most often the answer will be boredom. The key to sticking with anything is to keep things fresh and find something that appeals to you. If you belong to a gym, take several different classes to see what you might enjoy. “The biggest trick to cardio workouts is finding something that will hold your interest,” says Russomanno. “You might find your passion lies in kickboxing or spinning or step aerobics. Just try to pick something you enjoy, which will help ensure you don’t quit.”

Russomanno adds that a combination of cardio and resistance training is the best way to adequately work all muscle groups. “For weight loss, try compound movements that incorporate multiple muscle groups at one time,” Russomanno states. “This way, you are getting your heart rate up and burning major calories while increasing your muscle strength and endurance.” Exercises that would achieve this include overhead shoulder presses with squats or walking lunges with bicep curls.

Time Commitment

You don’t have to live in the gym in order to reap the benefits of exercise. Most experts advise at least a half hour of activity most days of the week. Recently, some physicians have increased that amount, saying that in order to have any impact on overall health, more vigorous activity is necessary. Russomanno advises incorporating a minimum of four to five hours of exercise a week. “One hour a day, five days a week is good for those just starting out,” she advises. “Regardless of the program you choose, make sure to take at least one day to let your body recover. If you take two rest days, try to avoid having them consecutively if possible.”

Forgive, Forget, and Get Fit

If your commitment to fitness and health wavers by the time Super Bowl Sunday rolls around, don’t beat yourself up. This is perfectly normal and shouldn’t completely derail your efforts. Allow yourself to slip up on your diet or skip a workout occasionally. The key is to make a lifelong change; permanent success will come by figuring out how to maneuver around the roadblocks life might throw at you. “There are ways to make a healthy lifestyle work with any budget, job, or living situation,” says Russomanno. “The key is to never give up on your overall goal.”on.

Budgeting Fitness

Not belonging to a gym shouldn’t stop you from getting active. Stock up on a variety of workout DVDs. Not only will you avoid boredom with an array of exercise plans, but you can do them at any hour of the day to fit into your schedule.

Russomanno also suggests exploring gyms at local community centers that charge lower rates for day passes. “Don’t let any situation stand in the way of reaching your goal,” Russomanno implores. “Just get started! Take long walks or runs around your neighborhood. Anyone can come up with a million excuses why they can’t do something. Why not make your overall health the one reason why you can?” ”