Sticking with fitness key to happy new year (Dec. 26, 2008)
By Emma Bouthillette
Staff Writer
As the ball drops in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, people will be celebrating with champagne toasts and sweetheart kisses and by dawn of a new year, they’ll start resolutions of one kind or another.
In a list of popular New Year’s resolutions, lose weight, get fit and eat right are among the most often heard. With a spike in gym memberships in the past during January, February and March, Northern York County YMCA Fitness Director Jen Wilson agreed people often make “get fit” resolutions.
If you are one of the many Americans making this new commitment, some local fitness experts have tips as you kick off the New Year and the new you.
“First and foremost, you have to do something you like. If you don’t like it you won’t do it,” said Caroline Fitzgerald of “Get Out There!” Fitness in Kennebunk.
The workouts Fitzgerald offers are based on interval training and strength cardio, and her boot camp classes meet outside in the Kennebunk and Kennebunkport area. In a recent e-book launched as part of “12 Days of Fitness,” she outlines 12 different workouts including 20 minute interval training and four-minute Tabata workouts, intense interval workouts named for the doctor who created it.
“Long, steady cardio is a waste of time. The key with intervals is to do short bursts of intense work and let the heart rate drop in between. It is two to three times more effective than steady state cardio,” Fitzgerald said.
If you’re thinking about heading outside for a workout, Fitzgerald said layering clothes with a wicking material for the base layer is the best way to stay warm.
Wilson agreed with Fitzgerald in picking something that you will enjoy to stick with a fitness program. She added people should keep goals realistic so as not to become overwhelmed starting a new fitness program.
Another tip would be to find a “workout buddy,” Wilson said. She said if you make the commitment to meet someone at the gym, you are less likely to talk yourself out of going.
Wilson recommends including cardiovascular, strength and flexibility training in every workout. She said focusing on those three areas will provide for a well-rounded workout with everything the body needs.
“It’s important to keep a variety in your workout to keep your body challenged,” Wilson said. “If you’re bored on the treadmill, try a class.”
Some classes offered at the Northern York County YMCA include yoga, Pilates, power pedaling, strength training, boot camp, step aerobics, kickboxing and a variety of water fitness classes for all levels.
“It’s worth it if you can stick with it to live a healthier lifestyle,” Wilson said.
If you’re interested in testing your skills at the downward dog or the tree pose, certified yoga instructor Amanda Curtis Kezal at Holistic Pathways in Gorham offers a variety of yoga classes for beginners to intermediate and family classes.
“Yoga involves strength training and toning, but at the same time brings you into a flexible and relaxed place,” Kezal said.
She said as people come out of the stress brought on by the holiday season, she recommends poses that focus on the detoxification of the body and nervous system.
“When you are feeling centered and balanced, you can handle more of what is coming at you in the way of stress. If there’s less stress in the mind, there is less stress in the body, which leads to a better immune system and better sleep,” Kezal said.
The yoga poses Kezal teaches helps elongate and sculpt the body, as well as strengthen the muscles.
Whether you are into boot-camp style workout classes, cardiovascular workouts on equipment or becoming a little more centered with yourself in the New Year, there is something out there for you, and all these instructors recommend starting off slow with something you like.
For more information on these exercise options, visit www.holisticpathways.com, www.getouttherefitness.com or www.nycymca.org.
Staff Writer
As the ball drops in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, people will be celebrating with champagne toasts and sweetheart kisses and by dawn of a new year, they’ll start resolutions of one kind or another.
In a list of popular New Year’s resolutions, lose weight, get fit and eat right are among the most often heard. With a spike in gym memberships in the past during January, February and March, Northern York County YMCA Fitness Director Jen Wilson agreed people often make “get fit” resolutions.
If you are one of the many Americans making this new commitment, some local fitness experts have tips as you kick off the New Year and the new you.
“First and foremost, you have to do something you like. If you don’t like it you won’t do it,” said Caroline Fitzgerald of “Get Out There!” Fitness in Kennebunk.
The workouts Fitzgerald offers are based on interval training and strength cardio, and her boot camp classes meet outside in the Kennebunk and Kennebunkport area. In a recent e-book launched as part of “12 Days of Fitness,” she outlines 12 different workouts including 20 minute interval training and four-minute Tabata workouts, intense interval workouts named for the doctor who created it.
“Long, steady cardio is a waste of time. The key with intervals is to do short bursts of intense work and let the heart rate drop in between. It is two to three times more effective than steady state cardio,” Fitzgerald said.
If you’re thinking about heading outside for a workout, Fitzgerald said layering clothes with a wicking material for the base layer is the best way to stay warm.
Wilson agreed with Fitzgerald in picking something that you will enjoy to stick with a fitness program. She added people should keep goals realistic so as not to become overwhelmed starting a new fitness program.
Another tip would be to find a “workout buddy,” Wilson said. She said if you make the commitment to meet someone at the gym, you are less likely to talk yourself out of going.
Wilson recommends including cardiovascular, strength and flexibility training in every workout. She said focusing on those three areas will provide for a well-rounded workout with everything the body needs.
“It’s important to keep a variety in your workout to keep your body challenged,” Wilson said. “If you’re bored on the treadmill, try a class.”
Some classes offered at the Northern York County YMCA include yoga, Pilates, power pedaling, strength training, boot camp, step aerobics, kickboxing and a variety of water fitness classes for all levels.
“It’s worth it if you can stick with it to live a healthier lifestyle,” Wilson said.
If you’re interested in testing your skills at the downward dog or the tree pose, certified yoga instructor Amanda Curtis Kezal at Holistic Pathways in Gorham offers a variety of yoga classes for beginners to intermediate and family classes.
“Yoga involves strength training and toning, but at the same time brings you into a flexible and relaxed place,” Kezal said.
She said as people come out of the stress brought on by the holiday season, she recommends poses that focus on the detoxification of the body and nervous system.
“When you are feeling centered and balanced, you can handle more of what is coming at you in the way of stress. If there’s less stress in the mind, there is less stress in the body, which leads to a better immune system and better sleep,” Kezal said.
The yoga poses Kezal teaches helps elongate and sculpt the body, as well as strengthen the muscles.
Whether you are into boot-camp style workout classes, cardiovascular workouts on equipment or becoming a little more centered with yourself in the New Year, there is something out there for you, and all these instructors recommend starting off slow with something you like.
For more information on these exercise options, visit www.holisticpathways.com, www.getouttherefitness.com or www.nycymca.org.
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