My client Tiffany recently went through her spring routine.
Preparing for a spring break trip to the beach, she went out and tried on some bathing suits. And once again, Tiffany cringed. Probably my most irregular regular, Tiffany didn't like what she saw. Now she's on a short-term mission to lose some flab and tighten up for her trip.
She'll be doing the same thing next year.
Honestly, I, too, am motivated by the seasons. As the warmer weather hits and we're showing more skin, I do tend to increase my cardio and pay more attention to my diet. A little vanity is not a bad thing, y'all.
Typically, I'm at least five pounds lighter in the summer. Everybody is going to hit peaks and valleys; no one can train at a super-high intensity 12 months out of the year. The thing is to train consistently and maintain year-round.
You've heard it before: When it comes to working out and diet, it has to become a lifestyle change. Then when it's time to tighten up for that vacation, wedding or class reunion, the goal is that much more attainable. You can't allow yourself to get soft and pudgy over the winter and then think the fat is going to melt away quicker than Georgia snowfall.
Tiffany is not a fat woman; she's not even overweight. To see her in jeans and a sweater, one might even call her slim. But, what Tiffany lacks is tone and definition. Though small-framed, she's not a natural hard-body, a mesomorph. So, when she doesn't exercise for two weeks at a time, it's going to show. Tiffany is much more endomorphic --- soft, pear-shaped, more prone to being overweight.
Tom Venuto, a personal trainer and author, writes on www.leehayward.com, "endomorphs may have a slower metabolism, they are often carbohydrate sensitive, they gain fat quickly when they eat poorly, they gain fat quickly if they don't exercise, and they may hold on to stored fat, even on a clean, low-fat diet."
That's the harsh reality for Tiffany and a lot of people. It doesn't mean that she can't get lean; it means she has to work harder than a mesomorph or an ectomorph, who is naturally thin.
"If you have a slower metabolism, you have to work harder and do everything right with your training and diet to see results," Chris Aceto says in April's Muscle and Fitness.
That might not seem fair, but life isn't fair, Venuto said. "You may have to be more persistent than other people," he said. "The only question is 'Are you willing to do what it takes for you?' It's amazing what a human being can achieve when they have a crystal-clear goal and they are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that goal. Genetic limitations seem to evaporate."
Yes, setting goals is very important. And short-term goals tend to be more effective. However, make sure that you've set goals beyond that spring break vacation or significant date. A common acronym we use in the business is making SMART goals. Make your goals as Specific as possible; Make sure they're Measurable, so you can move on to another once you're reached it; Action-oriented, so you have a plan of attack; Realistic, so you don't get discouraged; (but be ambitious in setting it) and Time-oriented. It's good to have a deadline to make you that much more committed.
So, with spring here, set some goals. Set some short-term, some long-term. Or just a series of short-term. And once you hit that goal, don't stop there. Move on to the next one. Otherwise, you are only exercising in futility.
> AJC Gwinnett News staff writer Robert Haddocks is a certified personal trainer with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Send any comments or questions to rhaddocks@ajc.com.
Copyright 2008 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution