A new year for resolutions

• Kay Jordt, fitness director at Riverfront Athletic Club

Kay Jordt, fitness director at Riverfront Athletic Club, advises doing cardio exercises throughout the holiday season to help stay in shape when the new year comes around. Photo by Jordan Willi
• From left, trainer Jon Ofstedal and owner Joe Balfanz of St. Croix Body Zone

From left, fitness trainer Jon Ofstedal at St. Croix Body Zone, and Body Zone owner Joe Balfanz suggest that people work out more during the holiday season to stay in shape and maintain a healthy body weight. Photo by Jordan Willi
• Cathy Quinlivan, fitness director at the YMCA

Cathy Quinlivan, fitness director at the YMCA, shows off the 100 plus new pieces of cardio equipment the Y has recently added to its workout area. Photo by Jordan Willi

Talk about it

With the new year right around the corner, many people are going to start thinking about what they want their resolution to be for 2012.

One of the most popular resolutions annually involves going to or joining a gym to help lose weight. With a population as large as Hudson, there are a plethora of gyms or fitness centers for the average person to get in their workouts.

“Every year, January is the biggest season for new people joining a gym,” said Kay Jordt, fitness director at Riverfront Athletic Club. “Sometimes the most intimidating thing is starting out at a new gym after a few years of not going. You want to start by doing simple things now before the new year comes.”

For Joe Balfanz, owner of St. Croix Body Zone, losing weight and keeping that weight off is all about living a healthy lifestyle. He suggests eating five smaller meals a day rather than the traditional three meals a day. According to Joe, spacing out five smaller meals keeps the metabolism engaged all day which helps burn calories more easily.

“Cutting down calories to nothing or counting calories is the wrong concept and way to go about losing weight,” said Balfanz. “You want to eat healthy calories. You can do this by adding some color to your meals and cutting back on simple carbs.”

Making working out a part of your everyday life is one thing YMCA Fitness Director Cathy Quinlivan tells all of the members she works with. Setting goals for yourself that are both obtainable and at the same time challenging is one of the ways Quinlivan suggests to keep trainees motivated. Having fun while working out is another way she recommends for people to stay engaged in their workouts.

“You have to make working out a habit and part of your lifestyle. It takes about six months to make something into a habit,” said Quinlivan. “We just added over 100 new pieces of Matrix Virtual Active cardio machines. They have interactive displays so people can take a jog anywhere in the world, from Paris to the Alps, which is a fun way to keep people engaged in the workout.”

Even though each trainer is going to have different opinions on what type of work out is best, they all do agree on the fact that you can’t just jump into working out at full speed. More often than not, trainers see people who try too much too soon end up giving up when they don’t see results right away or they tire themselves out. They all suggest gradually working your way up to the more intense workouts by making it to the gym two or three times a week to build up endurance in the beginning.

Helpful routines and tips

Tips from the Body Zone: Balfanz says staying hydrated by drinking water is key to losing weight. Drinking two to three liters of water a day helps increase the metabolism. For Balfanz, a good routine starts with proper stretching, then 30 minutes or more of cardio followed by ab and core exercises and ends with more stretching.

Suggestions from Riverfront: Jordt suggests building a routine that starts with cardio, such as cross trainer machines or a bike and then gradually working in strength training with the supervision of a trainer. A tip from Jordt for keeping up with your routine is picking something that is enjoyable to do and will keep you engaged.

Helpful tips from the YMCA: Variety is good when it comes to building a routine, Quinlivan says, so change it up often. Another helpful tip is to write up a schedule and stick to it. This will help you set aside the time to work out and make it easier to keep going. Writing down what you eat is also a good idea, according to Quinlivan. It helps you see what things you are putting you’re your body and helps keep you accountable for what you eat. A routine doesn’t need to be complicated, Quinlivan said. Just working out for 10 minutes three times a day can make all the difference.

Tags: lifestyle, health