There are any number of ways to get in shape,
but best success comes from choosing one that's fun

Laura Bromhal, an avid fitness buff, throws a few left hooks
in Phase II Gym, owned and managed by Wade Harris, right.

By Suzanne Fischer

Laura Bromhal, who firmly states that she's not a natural morning person, hits the ground running every day to get to her gym when it opens. At 5:30 a.m.

“It nearly killed me at first,” she says with a rueful laugh. “But I just feel so good! You hear these athletes talk about a natural endorphin high and, my gosh, it's the truth. So now I'm so into this routine.”

Unlike the two out of three Americans who do not get regular exercise, Bromhal, a Raleigh realtor at Simpson and Underwood, works out at her gym six times a week and goes for a vigorous walk every Sunday. It's a routine she started three years ago with a New Year's resolution to get fit.

If a seven-day-per-week workout commitment sounds daunting, take heart: any amount of exercise is better than none, and for most people a slow, modest start is the ideal way to incorporate exercise into your life and reap long-term health benefits.

“You need to be realistic about it,” says Stewart Sill, assistant fitness director at the central Raleigh YMCA branch. “It's better to exercise two times a week for the rest of your life than seven times a week for a month.”

Which is good to hear because, let's be honest, there aren't many of us who will make time for a complete workout every day, particularly the typical overworked, overstressed executive.

“Executives tend to take care of everything and everybody but themselves,” says Raleigh personal trainer Holly Yoest. “A lot of them skip lunch, stay up late, sit in meetings all day. Sometimes they'll have poor diets from eating out a lot or being on the road all the time.”

And by ignoring their well-being, employees not only put themselves at risk but often affect a company's bottom line. According to the Surgeon General's report, 60 to 70 percent of all healthcare dollars are spent on illnesses that could have been prevented, and for each dollar a company invests in employee health awareness, three or more dollars are saved in lower medical costs, decreased worker's compensation costs, and fewer lost work days. In fact, companies investing in wellness programs have saved as much as 50 percent per person in medical costs for employees who changed their lifestyles from high- to low-risk.

Rob Yancey, president of Yancey Insurance Agency in Raleigh, offers all his employees free membership in the YMCA. “Exercise makes people happier, healthier and more productive,” he says. “Our whole office is a lot healthier. We've gotten all the smokers to quit, a lot of people have started exercising and even the diehard nonexercisers are getting interested.”

If you fall in the “just getting interested” category, or even if you're a long-time believer in the benefits of working up a good sweat, check out what some health experts and NCCBI fitness buffs we talked to had to say about working out, making exercise fun, staying motivated and improving your routine.

Easy Does It

Before you embark on a new fitness regime, check with your physician if you have any sort of health issues; he or she can make sure you're getting off to a safe start. Many fitness centers ask new members to fill out screening questionnaires so that staff are aware of any special limitations you may have.

Once you've got clearance, if necessary, to begin working out, start slow, particularly if you've been inactive for a while. Exercise should improve your health, not make you feel like you've been hit by a truck. If you join or belong to a gym, ask the staff to help you calculate your ideal workout rate or, as a general rule, exercise vigorously enough to break into a sweat but not so quickly that you can't carry on a conversation.

Consider Your Goals

Like most people, you'll probably want to chart your headway as you move from newbie to novice exerciser. So what determines progress? Mostly that will depend on your goals: Do you want to lose a few pounds? Improve general fitness? Run a marathon? Get stronger? Robin Brown, an exercise physiologist at Rex Wellness Center in Raleigh, recommends making realistic, measurable goals.

“Realism” pops up a lot in conversation with exercise pros, who want to see you succeed, not set yourself up for discouragement or failure. So, while shedding a few pounds is a pretty reasonable aim, looking like an air-brushed fashion model isn't within the grasp of most of us.

“We do a real injustice to Americans by putting implanted, cellulite-sucked-out women on the cover of all these magazines,” laments Yoest, the personal trainer. “That's just not what bodies are supposed to look like. It's unrealistic.”

Remember the Big Three

Once you've settled on a few goals, it's time to develop a workout program. A well-balanced routine has three major components, according to Sill, from the YMCA. The first is 20 to 45 minutes of sustained aerobic activity at least three times a week. Biking, walking, dancing, aerobics classes, swimming, running — they all get the heart pumping.

The second component is strength training, using free weights, resistance bands or Nautilus-type machines about twice a week. “Strength training makes you less prone to injury; increases muscles mass, making you leaner; increases your metabolism; and improves posture,” Sill explains. In addition to all these benefits, regular strength training also minimizes the risk of osteoporosis, Brown says.

Set up, or get some help designing, a program with 8 to 10 different exercises to work all your major muscle groups. Start with one set of 8 to 12 repetitions at a weight that isn't too easy but that isn't causing you to strain too much, either. Once it's no longer challenging to complete 12 lifts, up the weight by about 5 percent, Sill recommends.

The third and most neglected portion of a complete fitness program is stretching, to lessen your chances of injury, help alleviate low back pain and increase joint stability.

When you put it all together with the activities of your choice, a standard workout routine should go something like this: three to five minutes of a low-intensity warmup to increase the workload on your heart gradually. Following that, your moderate- to moderately-high-intensity aerobic activity. Next, a three- to five-minute cooldown. Then, twice a week, your strength training. And lastly, after every workout, your stretching.

“A lot of people think you should stretch before you begin working out,” Sill says, “but you should stretch after your muscles are already warmed up. You're more elastic then, and you get more benefit from the stretch.”

Be an Exercise Dilettante

Exercise needn't be a grind. If you find yourself getting in a rut, dabble and try something new.

Laura Bromhal, the 5:30 a.m. exerciser, jumps rope, throws some quick hooks at the punching bag, bikes, and takes spinning classes (trainer-led routines where participants ride special stationary bikes). Yancey runs, rollerblades, hikes, snow skis, and plays racquetball.

More than motivational, a shakeup of your exercise routine is good for you, too.

“Your body will steady-state,” says Brown, of Rex Wellness Center. “You can kind of reach a plateau for a while, and the body responds well to change.”

Have Fun!

The best way to make exercise a regular part of your life is to choose something that feels like play. Linwood Davis of Winston-Salem, an attorney at Womble Carlyle Sandridge and Rice, discovered the truth in this theory when he picked up rollerblading in 1992.

“I used to run, but the pounding and pounding wasn't easy on the knees and it wasn't fun,” he says. “Rollerblading is exhilarating, terrific fun. And it's a great workout. To me, running is a drag.”

Of course one man's poison is another's pleasure.

Scott Millar, president of the Catawba County Economic Development Corp., runs five to six times a week. He hit the road in 1982, ran his first marathon in 1983, and has participated in triathlons and ironmen competitions.

“I like to find a trail in the woods . . . something without terrible footing. It gives you something to concentrate on beside the fact that you're exercising. You get in the zone where it's more like playing in the woods, like when you were a kid.”

Figure Out What Motivates You

A good part of exercise is psychology: finding out what you like, what factors keep you from getting a regular workout, what you can do to find pleasure in fitness if it's not something you've ever really enjoyed.

For Millar, the key is in picking a long-term goal. He decided to run a 41-mile “ultramarathon” on trails in the Uwharrie mountains.

“I needed something long-range to motivate me, and for me, training for that was it,” he says.

Maybe the thought of a 41-mile drive, never mind a 41-mile run, wears you out. Motivation's a personal thing; perhaps, instead, you could focus on how being more fit will improve your quality of life.

“Once you exercise with sufficient regularity, it becomes self motivating,” Davis, the rollerblader, says. “You just feel better. You see how moving furniture or working in the yard gets easier. You get stronger and when you get opportunities to do fun things, athletic things, you can just hop in and do them.”

Davis once put his strength to good use when a woman fainted in church and he carried her out while the other congregants stood around looking at each other.

“So, yeah, working out has a lot of practical implications,” he quips.

Be Social

Several of our exercise specialists recommended working out with friends or joining a league, if team sports are your thing. Making a commitment to others might just work where promises to yourself fail.

Millar has been running 10 to 12 miles every Sunday with the same group for 10 years. “There's a friendly competition between group members,” he says. “It's motivational. They'll really help force me out the door.”

Anc Newman, with BizNexus in Charlotte, is an avid squash player who competes in some tournaments and round robins. “I love the competition,” he says. “It drives us all to become better players. My regular group of guys have all gotten a lot better. And they've done it consistently because no one wants to fall behind any of the others.”

Try not to become dependent on others' willpower to get you going, though. Bromhal stuck with her morning routine even as friends and workout partners fell by the wayside.

Hire a Coach

If you'd like an encouraging nudge, if you're a beginner who needs some one-on-one help, or if you're a seasoned exerciser who wants to add some depth to your program, think about hiring a personal trainer.

“There's no comparison between working alone and working with a trainer,” says Bromhal, who hired a trainer in December. “It's extremely motivational. They make you do the extra 10 pushups or go that extra minute. It's a thousand times better. They may fuss at you teasingly, but they're great and really want to help you.”

She says that one-on-one training has even convinced her husband, who tends to be sedentary, to work out three days every week.

Holly Yoest, the Raleigh trainer, chuckles good-naturedly when asked how peoples' motivation, or lack thereof, affects her business.

“The No. 1 reason I'm so busy as a trainer is that people find 2,000 other things to do with their time than exercise because it's not immediate gratification,” she says. “I supply them with accountability, and that's a huge motivator. They have an appointment with me, and if they sleep through it, they still have to pay for it.”

As with hiring any other kind of professional, you need to consider a number of factors to find someone who is well-trained and the right fit for you.

Rob Goodwin, a personal trainer and general manager of Spa Athletic Club in Hickory, and Yoest, who has been in the fitness business for 15 years and a personal trainer for 8 years, gave us some pointers:

u Research the trainer's professional background. Ask for references; find out how long he or she has been in business; and look for certification from one of a number of national fitness, health, or sports associations. “It's buyer beware,” Yoest cautions. “A lot of people can slap a sign on their door saying they are personal trainers.” Goodwin concurs: “Someone might have worked out a lot but that doesn't mean they have a really knowledgeable fitness background.”

u Talk about fees. Rates vary widely, generally between $25 and $100 per hour. Goodwin recommends looking for someone who offers free consultations, and Yoest warns against committing to purchasing a lot of sessions up front and instead paying on a per-session basis until you've decided you're comfortable with your trainer.

u Look for a good personality fit. A trainer could be a fitness Einstein, but that's no guarantee that the two of you will click. “Find someone you trust, someone you can talk to, someone who is a people person,” Yoest says.

“There's a lot of psychologist involved in this job,” she explains. “I have to be a good listener and very trustworthy and discrete. Sometimes people tell you things about their companies that would make your hair curl.”

Do not, under any circumstances, let your secretary, personal assistant or spouse pick your trainer for you. You're the one who will be spending quality time with the trainer, so interview them yourself.

u Discuss your goals. Many trainers enjoy working with a variety of clients with a range of goals, but some specialize in helping beginners or working with hard-core lifters or marathon runners.

“Make sure your trainer wants what you want,” Goodwin says. “They should help you reach your goals, not theirs.”

While the frequency with which you work with your trainer depends on your finances and needs, Yoest says she typically sees clients two to three times a week for the first six months or so, and then less often after that, maybe once a month or even less, for a checkup.

“I don't want to keep people forever,” she says. “I want to help them change their lives and then do it on their own.”

u Ask about equipment. Some trainers maintain business relationships with several gyms or wellness centers and can work with clients who are members there. Others meet in clients' homes, bringing equipment with them or using whatever machines or weights the client already owns.

Goodwin owns two mountain bikes and a host of portable equipment he can bring to a client's home, and Yoest emphasizes imagination and creativity in designing workouts with a minimum number of special accouterments.

Also, many gyms have personal trainers on staff who work there exclusively. If this is the case where you belong, feel free to try working with several people until you find the one with whom you're most comfortable.

u Ask about other services. In addition to fitness education, many trainers offer nutritional guidance, healthy-cooking tips, and stress reduction techniques.

Put it All in Perspective

Sure, exercise offers many important health benefits, but it ought not be deadly serious or approached in a manner that feels punitive or self-critical. Beginning and maintaining a fitness routine should be something we do because we honor our bodies, not because we're dissatisfied with them, experts say.

Too, goals motivate and give us something to shoot for, but reaching them shouldn't mean the end of our exercise routine, Goodwin says. “Fitness is a journey and a lifestyle, not a destination.

Suzanne Fischer can be reached at sfischer@nccbi.org or at 919-836-1411.

COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL. This article first appeared in the May 1999 issue of the North Carolina Magazine.