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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1999-01-20, Page 2322 Exeter Times.Advocate Making fitness a habitis possible Kendra Arthur checks out her father Tom's progress on the bike at Health First. Kendra believes people who are physically fit have more energy and feel bet- ter mentally. By Kate Monk TIDIES -ADVOCATE STAFF EXETER — Who hasn't made a New Year's reso- lution to get into shape? But_ three weeks into January, those resolu- tions are dropping like flies. Kendra Arthur of Health First in Exeter says mak- ing fitness a new habit is possible. Arthur says it takes 21 • Business Directory AUCTIONEER • • C gralson, FULLY LICENSED & BONDED, CAU. OR FAX (519) 666-0833 Pick up and sales of complete or partial estates. Specializing in Farm, Real Estate, and Genera Sales. Serving the community and area for over 40 years. REPAIRS Sewing Machine Repairs to all makes Free estimates 90 Day Warranty Experienced since 1952 Sew and Save Centre Ltd. 149 Downie St., Stratford Phone 271-9660 days to create a habit and if you can get to that three-week hump, you have a good chance of success. "Who can't do some- thing for 21 days?" she asked. Motivation is the ticket to becoming and staying physically fit and three factors help. The first is consistency. Arthur said people should exercise at the same time each day — it's more dif- ficult to stick to a routine when the time is varied. But the time of day may be different depending on the person. Arthur admits she's not a morning per- son and although she promises herself she'll get up when the alarm goes off in the early hours, she tends to push the snooze button. Her work sched- ule, however, allows her to exercise in the after- noon.Others may find the evening the -best time. time of day. "If you don't go to bed until midnight, there's nothing wrong with exer- cising at 10 at night," Arthur said. Exercise doesn't have to be in one block of time — three 20 -minute sessions em can be as effective as an be hour-long chunk. be "Anything's better than to nothing," Arthur said. Ins Variety is a second key Pic to success. She believes the people will discontinue red their fitness activities if ma they find them boring or ano monotonous. Last but not least, hav- co ing a workout partner or phy buddy is critical to contin- ove uing the regime. bec She said some days, no it t matter how diligent a per- me son is on their own, they and just won't feel like exer- cising. That's the day a workout partner pays off because they will goad you into exercising. "Once you're out, you'll have no problem," Arthur promised. Arthur says being physi- cally fit has many merits. Losing weight may be one reason but weight loss on its own doesn't guarentee fitness, partly because muscle weighs more than fat, As well, thin people are, not always in good shape. "You may be fit with lean body tissue but that doesn't mean you're fit aerobically or cardiovas- cularly," Arthur explained. A better gauge of fitness is how clothesfit and how you feel rather than watching the bathroom scales. Arthur said people who are fit have more energy and feel better mentally and sweating helps the skin. "You can tell when peo- ple work out," she said."When you feel good about yourself, your atti- tude gets better." But don't expect the inches and pounds to drop off instantly. "You may not see the physical results right away but you feel better mentally," Arthur advised. "The longer time period gives everybody a fair chance," Arthur explained. She suggests people Invest something in the competition such as cash or goods which the win- ner would receive. It's better the company not contribute to the prize because that would not be as great a motivator as the employee's invest- ment. Athletic skills not required Arthur stresses a person doesn't have to be active or athletic to start a fit- ness program — she ascertains the person's level of fitness and tailors the program to a pers m --s' goals and interests. A r t h u r describes her- self as an "idea board" for peo- ple who may know what they want but don't know how to reach the goal. While the fit- ness plans she devises can be used for general fitness, she can also get "sport specific," tailoring a program to an athlete's sport such as volleyball or hockey. She can also work with an entire team and incorporate the coach's goals. For a $ 50 fee, Arthur has a meeting with the client to determine goals and then develops a per- sonal fitness plan. Included in the price is second consultation to revamp the program as necessary. While people can use Health First's workout equipment for an addi- tional fee, Arthur will also visit the client's home to help them get the most from their equipment. Thus far, her clients have been looking for total body fitness by los- ing fat or toning muscles and have identified health as the main reason for wanting a personal fitness plan. Some may want to return to a healthy lifestyle or get back into shape after having chil- dren. Arthur admits nutrition is an important compo- nent of being healthy and refers people to a nutri- tionist if they wish. Arthur has a degree in human kinetics from the University of Guelph and an athletic therapy diplo- ma from Sheridan College. She has worked as an athletic therapist for three years. She says the fitness plan part of her business has "taken off" as well as the sports therapy work. Wednesday, January 20, 1998 Centralia man caught impaired ELGINFIELD — A- not too discreet driver who was drinking in his vehicle paid for it down the road. A 40 -year-old Whalen Line, Centralia, man was charged with impaired driving on Saturday after he was noticed drinking at the Esso parking lot at Highbury Rd. and Hwy. 7, London OPP Const. Doug Graham said. "Exercise is an awesome stress reliever?' KENDRA ARTHUR HEALTH FIRST Good health is good business Arthur promises compa- nies will see the results of having fit people on staff. "It can't do anything but help productivity," Arthur said, adding fit employees will also be more focused. Companies also benefit from less time loss for injuries, sickness or stress. "Exercise is an awe- some stress reliever," Arthur said. Coincidentally, the workplace is an idea place to start a fitness program. Arthur said competition is a great motivator and "it doesn't take much to bring out thecompetitive instincts." That competition will come to mind when you're looking at that bag of chips, she said. She suggests the ployee competition not based on weight loss cause people are mpted to crash diet. tead, everyone should k a part of the body y'd like to tone or uce. For one person it y be the hips, for ther the waist. he also advises the mpetition to become sically fit take place r a six-month period ause for some people, akes time for their tabolism to speed up start burning fat. PRATT DENTURE CLINIC Full Dentures Partial Dentures Repairs Relines ALL WORK DONE ON PREMISE * ASK ABOUT OUR ANTI SNORING APPLIANCE. 14 Ontario St. (Hwy. 21 N.) Grand Bend 1-800-265-0669 Capsule Comments with Ernie Miatello "Andropause" is the male equiva- lent of menopause. It is caused by a gradual decline in testosterone levels and is recognizable by a se- ries of symptoms: lack of physical and mental energy; loss of sexual desire; irritability and moodiness; sleep problems; weight gain; memory problems and social withdraw- al or apathy. Men are less keen on seeking help but they should. Andropause can be quite debilitating. Brain Facts: A man's brain (3 Ib) is slightly larger than a woman's brain but in both sexes the brain makes up a similar proportion of total body weight. But there is no correlation between brain size and intelligence. Also the average brain contains about 100 billion neurons or nerve cells. Nerve impulses to and from the brain move quickly... about 280 km/hr. and slightly slower in the elderly. There is more evidence that the herb ginseng has an effect on the clotting mechanism of the blood. If you start taking ginseng and take anticoagulant drugs (or "blood thinners"), inform your doctor and the lab of this fact. The addition of ginseng could af- fect your lab results. HURON APOTHECARY Ltd. Phone 235-1982 440 Main St., Exeter "Your Health Care Pharmacy" Finally... Programs For smokers who enjoy smoking smokers who are thinking about quitting smokers who want to quit for good ✓stop the program at any time ✓no meetings or lectures ✓no gimmicks ✓easy to use (To receive the program that is right for you, caN 482-3416 or 1-800.265-5184. Wafter 4:30 p.m. leave a massage In mailbox 721 • One Step at a Time is brought to you by Take Heart Huron through the Heron County Health Unit