Vital - distributed monthly within the Detroit Free Press & The Detroit News. Also available free in hundreds of local racks

« Articles

Don’t Fall off the Fitness Wagon

Stay with exercise in 2007

By D.W. Hirsch

After countless attempts to get fit, instead, you’re fit to be tied. Forget exercise – there’s laundry to wash and kids to shuttle around. You work long hours. Going to the gym means everyone will stare at you. You’ve tried exercising before, but didn’t understand all the buttons and displays on that multi-use machine you bought. And, of course, you didn’t reach your goal, an objective so massive that you instead settled for being out of shape.

Never mind your alibi – whether you’re 21, 71, or somewhere in between, you can meet the American Heart Association’s recommended 30 minutes of exercise at least four times per week.

“Most people will tell you that it is a lack of time, but it always comes down to selfmotivation,” says Tom Arbaugh of Ypsilanti, a personal trainer who has assisted numerous clients during his seven years at Canton’s Summit on the Park.

The only way to make physical activity as much a habit as brushing your teeth is to accept that it is a long-term commitment, says Arbaugh. Losing 50 pounds, for example, takes six to eight months when done correctly.

Given that length of time, Arbaugh advises clients to define a main goal and then set smaller, realistic goals, such as losing the first 10 pounds, rather than all 50 at once.

Arbaugh also says it’s important to establish a consistent workout time and write it on a calendar, as you would a doctor’s appointment, scheduling other events around it. Monitor progress in an activity log, noting not only pounds or inches, but how you feel and if certain activities become easier.

Until last year, Bonnie Colletta, 54, of Canton, worked 60 to 70 hours a week as owner of a jewelry company. Colleta, now semi-retired, says her job was stressful, but she made exercise a priority.

“My family knows I work out two times a week,” Colleta says. “I don’t have fat clothes, thin clothes. If my clothes are tight, I’m not doing something right.”

Keeping your initial level of motivation may entail varying exercises every two to three months, according to Arbaugh. A new class or activity keeps the mind fresh and muscles from constantly adapting.

Mark Alsager, 49, a veterinarian in Canton, pairs his workout with his favorite shows.

“I have the treadmill in the living room, which is a little tacky, but TV’s a good motivation to do it at those times,” says Alsager, who has noticed better stamina and “reasonable tone” since he began exercising.

Dannille Smith, 38, of Ann Arbor, does leg workouts while playing with her 6-year-old son, Liam, and 9-year-old daughter, Tryn. Smith uses her experience as the assistant personal training department head at Canton’s Life Time Fitness for guidance, but says her activities are simple enough for anyone.

“It’s functional training, body weight and balance, because that’s how you use your body in your everyday life,” Smith says. “Liam and I just did some squats, some lunges, and stepups on the chair.”

Most exercises done in the home, such as crunches, lunges, pushups, sit-ups, and leg raises, use body weight as the main resistance. Adding light dumbbells or attaching resistance bands to a bedpost or doorway mimics strength-training movements done on machines, Smith says.

However simple workouts can be, obstacles arise. Angela Mielke of Westland struggles with consistency. The 26-year-old insurance agent aims for cardio workouts four to five days a week and strength training two or three times a week.

“In reality, I probably do one or two strength-training and three or four cardio workouts,” she says. “You’re putting off other stuff to go work out.”

When other responsibilities occur, don’t quit. Missing a week or two over the course of your lifetime should not deter your overall lifestyle commitment.

“You have to be willing to put yourself first; that’s probably my biggest obstacle,” says Mielke. “Sometimes it’s as simple as not hitting that snooze button an extra time in the morning.”