Weigh value of realism, sensibility

With the new year comes New Year’s Resolutions — some realistic, some not. Some will be successful; some have already failed.

But bound to be at the top of many people’s list of changes is better health and more exercise.

The ever-so famous resolution to “get fit.”

Although there is nothing unrealistic about actually getting the extra exercise, there might be something unrealistic about the goals of the exercise. Tony Lawrence, general manager and personal trainer at Renaissance Health and Racquet Club in Houma, says the key to following through with the “get fit” resolution is to keep goals realistic and sensible.

“We see a tremendous amount of new people walk in (after the new year),” said Lawrence. “The main thing we want to do, is for them to set realistic goals; to stay consistent; and to train smart.”

Joey Hamner, a certified personal trainer at the Bayouland YMCA, and Mary Beth Clark, owner of The Workout Co., agree.

“Don’t expect results overnight,” said Hamner. “It’ll usually take about six weeks before they start seeing results. A lot of people will come in and after a week, if they don’t see results, they get frustrated and they’re ready to quit.”

Clark added, “The best advice I can give is when it comes to setting fitness goals for yourself, set them to be attainable one step at a time. We set our goals too high and too extreme. So they need to simplify the goals by making simpler resolutions, such as adding movement to their daily activity, other than their day-to-day activities.

“Pencil yourself in,” stressed Clark. “Pencil time in for yourself, because there’s 24 hours in a day, and we’re never going to have more than that. No one truly has time. You have to make time.”

Making time to work out is something that local ophthalmologist A.J. Delahoussaye has done.

“I’m super busy,” said Delahoussaye. “But I feel like if I work out for an hour, it usually gives me an extra four or five hours of productive time, whereas if I go home and sit on the couch, I end up doing nothing for the rest of the day except flipping the channels.”

The Houma ophthalmologist added that he usually works out at Renaissance three or four days a week, for an hour each day. “The first benefit is probably stress release,” he added. “At the end of the day you’re uptight, and you come to the club. It feels great just to release that energy.”

While Delahoussaye uses the time as stress release and to stay in shape, Lawrence noted most people he sees are looking to lose weight.

“We just want them to stay realistic,” he said. “You know that you’re not going to lose that 100 pounds, like on TV. We’re just asking to be realistic with your weight-loss goals.

“We’re not looking to put people on diets,” he added, “we’re just looking for lifestyle changes.”

By that, Lawrence means exercising right and keeping a healthy diet — one that does not include a daily dose of Whoppers and Big Macs.

“Just be sensible with diets,” he suggests. “Stay away from the fast foods. Stay away from the carbonated drinks. Or just use it in moderation. Or eat it in moderation.”

And while that advice may be common sense, Lawrence said that weight-loss traps still exist, the most common of which is the quick fix. “The quick fix pills… There is not one [a quick fix] out there. There’s nothing that is ‘quick fix.’ You’ve got to exercise and you’ve got to put your time in.”

Going along with the “quick-fix” theme, Hamner said impatience is the biggest trap he sees people fall into.

“A lot of people come and they try too much at once,” he explained. “They’ll come in and want to do everything at once, instead of getting on a good routine. They’ll just burn out real quick.”

Hamner added that while adopting a routine is vital, it is just as important to keep workouts fresh. “Try to mix up the routine a bit,” he advised. “Maybe do something for two weeks, then kind of switch it up. Or … work out with a partner. Because if you’re expecting someone to be here to work out with you, you’re more likely to come.”

Both Hamner and Lawrence stressed being realistic as their main advice to those resolving to get fit in 2007.

“Just set realistic goals, and don’t overdo it,” said Hamner. “You can miss a day or two, but try your best to stay with the routine.”

“Like I said,” concluded Lawrence, “it’s about what’s realistic and what’s sensible.”

However, Clark’s main advice for those looking to make a change is to do just that — make a change.

“Set and reach goals one at a time. Life has not changed from Dec. 31 to Jan. 1. Nothing’s changed. If you want something different on Jan. 1, you have to do something different,” he said.

Matt LeBlanc can be reached at matt@tri-parishtimes.com.