It’s so clich
é. Ask a few strangers on the street what their New Year’s
resolutions are, and you’re bound to hear it:
”
to lose a few extra pounds.
”
It’s so cliché. Ask a few strangers on the street what their New Year’s resolutions are, and you’re bound to hear it: “to lose a few extra pounds.” Cliché as it is, it’s still an admirable goal, so to help jump-start the road to a better, healthier body, here are some tips from South Valley personal trainers.
Rigo Retamoza, personal
trainer at Gilroy Health &
Fitness
“People have a lot of different reasons for getting into the gym, but the most common one is weight loss. Sure, you have to exercise to lose weight, but 70 percent of success comes from eating right. You can sit here and burn your wheels all you want, but you need to support it with good nutrition.”
Doing strenuous exercise doesn’t necessarily mean you’re burning fat, Retamoza said. If someone is exercising above his or her target heart rate, that person will begin to burn muscle for energy rather than fat. Cardio workouts are the best way to burn extra calories for weight loss, but they must be done at the target heart rate, Retamoza said. And though cardio will help people lose weight, people also need to do some kind of resistance training to keep muscles from atrophying.
“Everyone could benefit from a personal trainer,” Retamoza said. “We can help checking form, introducing people to new exercises. We’re motivators. We keep people focused on their specific goals, and we make sure to change up people’s exercise routines to prevent them from reaching a plateau. But most importantly, we’re going to show people how to do exercises correctly. About 80 percent of people who first come in here haven’t been shown how to use the equipment or do exercises properly.”
In addition to exercise and proper nutrition, the most important thing a person can do to get a better body is drink plenty of water, Retamoza said. People should drink a minimum of three quarts of water a day. When the body is saturated, it doesn’t feel like it needs to retain water, he said. Water flushes out toxins, helps the body process calories, and gives us energy and a better complexion.
Cathy Huggins, personal trainer at Rovella’s Gym & Health Spa in
Holllister
The best diet to achieve your best body is different for everyone, but the best meals have lots of protein, fresh fruits and vegetables, and potatoes – a diet Huggins calls “clean eating.”
Don’t eat anything two to three hours before working out or your body will be busy trying to digest the food, Huggins said, which can lead to sideaches. If you feel you need something on your stomach, have something light, such as a protein shake, Huggins said.
Though it doesn’t matter what time a person works out – exercisers achieve the same level of fitness if they hit the gym in the morning or evening – Huggins warns against sabotaging your workout by eating a heavy meal laden with creamy sauces, high carbs followed by a sugary dessert right after working out.
“The most important thing is to just go to the gym and be conscious of what you’re eating. You can never eat too many fresh vegetables, and most people lack protein in their diets,” Huggins said. “I see the biggest results when people stick to their workout routines and stay away from fast food and processed foods.”
