A three-month regimen to reclaim long-lost fitness

A three-month regimen to reclaim long-lost fitness

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

It's bizarre but true: Even as much of the world wonders when
and where its next meal is coming from, lots of us are getting
fatter.

Americans are supposedly bigger than ever before, even after
the proliferation of nonfat products in the 1990s, and are
reportedly now throwing dietary caution to the wind entirely
after the Sept. 11 horror.

Britain is said to be just a little behind its American
allies, its crisis of obesity leading to an average waistline of
38 inches for the British man (obviously, that's not Jude Law or
David Beckham being surveyed).

Even in Indonesia, with all its troubles, the irony is that
middle and upper income people living in urban centers such as
Jakarta eat too much, too often and do not exercise enough.

We did not have to look too far to find two volunteers, both
reporters in The Jakarta Post newsroom, to take part in a three-
month fitness program to get fit, and in the process shed some
weight.

The candidates: Jeff, 34, at 1.79 cm and 117 kg, is clinically
obese. His body fat ratio is a whopping 39 percent (it should be
about 19 percent). He has not exercised regularly for about two
years, and has ballooned more than 27 kg since the age of 24, due
to his sedentary lifestyle, overeating (usually at night) and
eating mostly junk food.

Heidi, 25, at 1.55 cm and 64 kg, has to forget about wearing
funky tank tops and sexy tube tops without revealing a fat
stomach and bulky upper arms. Her body fat ratio is 27 percent
when it should be 23 percent at most. Ever since she started
working 19 months ago, she has gained eight kilos due to a lack
of exercise, poor diet and from not looking at herself in the
mirror!

The helper: Assigned to assist the couple in their quest to
become fitter is Diding Waluyo, the head of fitness at Quantum
fitness center and spa in Menara Imperium, Kuningan, South
Jakarta.

Problem areas: Diding gave both Jeff and Heidi a thorough
fitness evaluation before the program began. For Jeff, poor
eating patterns, particularly his habit of rarely sitting down
for a complete meal and nibbling food throughout the day, were
identified as part of the problem.

Diding advised Jeff to do away with the poor food choices,
such as fried rice and hamburgers, and instead eat at least three
meals a day, concentrating on grains and lean protein. He also
advised Jeff to keep a food diary of what he eats each day.

During the evaluation, Jeff's fitness was found to be on the
borderline between fair and poor. During the Harvard step test,
designed to measure cardiovascular strength, Jeff could only
complete three minutes of the five-minute test.

Heidi, meanwhile, was slightly better than Jeff, completing
four minutes of the test. However, her heart rate was too fast
which, according to Diding, meant she was not fit enough. And her
blood pressure was unable to be measured as her pulse was
undetected. Although Heidi almost turned hysterical at the
thought she was probably an alien being, Diding calmed her down,
saying that it was due to an excessive period of "inactivity."

As for diet, Diding asked Heidi to skip the gorengan (fried
food) breakfast and between-meal snacking, and to eat sliced
fruit instead.

"It's OK to eat three times a day. But eat proportionally.
Don't drink carbonated drinks, as a can may have up to 200
calories, and you can only burn it off after an hour of running,"
he said.

"And no more meals after 8 p.m.," he added.

The program: Diding is putting Jeff on a combined program of
cardiovascular exercises (stationary bike, treadmill, rowing
machine) and weights three times a week.

Heidi also has to do the stationary bike, treadmill and weight
training three times a week. But Diding also added exercises for
her stomach, including a series of sit-ups and other abdominal
workouts.

Targets: Diding said both Jeff and Heidi needed to reclaim
their fitness, which would bring other beneficial effects,
including weight loss.

"Of course, it's about getting fit for me, because I can feel
the effects of being overweight whenever I climb a flight of
stairs," Jeff said.

"But it's also about feeling better about myself, and having
more choices in what I can wear, instead of the same 38'' jeans
all the time."

As for Heidi, it's not about reaching a higher fitness level.
"I just wanna look good wearing a tank top!".