Fitness fits and starts: Sticking with the program
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
LifeSpa consultant Brian Bildt calls it "the rhythm method of girth control".
He is joking, but serial fitness failures -- people who start a program but quickly give it up due to one of a litany of excuses -- is a serious matter.
Failing to stick with a program comes at a high price, not only in the loss of the investment in a program but also the potential health problems down the line.
Bildt realizes the importance of keeping clients to their program in the first few sessions so they are not tempted to give it up when their initial enthusiasm fizzles.
"I was reading research that about 50 percent of people who join a club quit after the first two weeks," Bildt said. "What we try to do here is give them the motivation to stay on, and our clients who do not miss their first six to 10 appointments are rewarded with a T-shirt."
"Jeff", who started a fitness program along with "Heidi", courtesy of LifeSpa at the Hilton in Central Jakarta, called it quits after only one session.
"I felt like I couldn't find the time to fit it into my schedule," Jeff, who works as a reporter, said. "It's an excuse, I know, but I also didn't always want to have the fitness instructor waiting for me when I couldn't be there on time."
Heidi, however, has managed to stick to the program, keeping to her schedule or rescheduling when other commitments come up.
The important thing, Bildt and LifeSpa instructor Thomas Weber said, is that Heidi has made her fitness routine a commitment in her life.
Here are some more of their tips for fitness novices to get back into the swing of exercise and keep to their program.
Prime Locale: When choosing a fitness club, Bildt advises that you make sure it is close to your home or office. "When it comes to excuses, one of the big ones is inconvenience," Bildt said.
"When you have a club which is close enough that you can be there within a few minutes, the likelihood is you will keep going there."
Buddy System: People who work out in pairs (or with a personal trainer) tend to be more successful, Bildt says. That can be a husband and wife, each spurring each other on to do better, or best friends who can provide a laugh and verbal prodding during a workout.
Of course, it's better to go it alone with your fitness instructor if you have strong competitive instincts and are always looking to do one better than the person next to you.
Right Timing: You have to decide on the best time for you to work out, although Bildt personally recommends a morning workout.
"When you have set a time first thing in the morning, you don't have the option to say that something came up," he notes. It also starts someone off on the right foot in fitness terms, and they will be more likely to make better nutritional choices for the rest of the day.
However, any form of exercise at any time of the day is good for you; if your preference is a walk around your housing complex at 9 p.m., more power to you.
Overnight Success? A great, enduring myth, but also one of the main reasons disappointed people give up their programs when the 10 kilograms they gained over three years do not magically disappear in three days.
"You can't get fit in a couple of weeks," Bildt said. "I tell people we should aim for two pounds a month, and they look at me like 'huh?'. But that's 24 pounds a year, and who wouldn't want to lose that much if they're trying to get fit."
The rewards of sticking with the program are significant to overall health.
Weber remembers a couple in their 70s who came to work out with him on their doctor's orders. They were motivated and stuck to their schedule of three workouts a week.
"The woman came and told me that she had been putting up curtains and she suddenly realized that she did not have the pain she had in the past. It was just a little thing, but it showed the difference the program made in her life."