Getting fit in 2012 (SUN interview)
563 views · Published 3 January 2012 · 2:39 · Indexed 11 October 2026
Channel: Top Form Fitness · 2012 · Howto & Style
By Jenny Yuen,Toronto Sun First posted: Sunday, January 01, 2012 05:09 PM EST Costa Warwar extends his arms forward and picks up the rope. He grits his teeth and strains his face as he drags 31.8 kilograms of weights across the span of the gym, not once or twice, but four times. The Toronto chef came to Fusion Fitness several months ago to deal with a weight issue. He found that he was constantly tasting different dishes at work and that often translated to packing on extra pounds. "I fell off the wagon a few years ago," he said. "I had my first baby and I got busy with my own business and didn't have time to catch up with my own health. I thought, if I want to be there for my daughter, then I have to get into shape." Twice a week, the 40-year-old meets with certified personal trainer Josh Hewett at the Yonge St. gym for a gruelling hour-long workout session. They often switch up the weight training and cardio program to keep it fresh, and by the end of the session, Warwar is sweating buckets. "I want to be able to move about without getting tired," Warwar said. "I feel a lot of energy and better after the workout. I find that when I used to go to the gym by myself, I would injure myself, so having someone here helps and keeps you motivated." The new year prompts many couch potatoes to vow to get in shape after they realize those extra slices of turkey — and other holiday goodies — did a number on their waistlines. In 2012, there are more ways than ever to get fit without getting bored. Fitness trends are getting more creative and the days of sleepwalking on a treadmill are over. According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), turning to educated, certified and experienced fitness and strength training professionals for instruction will be among the most popular ways to get in shape in 2012. "There are a lot of fitness fads and trends coming out each year," said Hewett, who is also owner of Top Form Fitness. "You have to be really careful about what bandwagon you jump on. Typically, you can always fall back on science and what's tried and true and proven to work. The fundamentals are always going to be more effective. It doesn't have to be fancy to be effective." Hewett, who has been a fitness trainer for roughly 20 years, tells his clients to forget about quick fixes and to make for lifestyle and nutritional changes that slowly bring improvement. "You also have to find that internal motivation," he said. "For some people, that might be a longer life with their children, relationship, career or a family history of health issues — something that gives you a strong drive outside of wanting to lose a couple of pounds." Getting fit doesn't necessarily mean an expensive gym membership, either. You can do a lot of exercises at home, just using your own body weight. Diet and sleep are also key parts to how your body reacts to the workout. He recommends using basic pulling and pushing movements — squatting, lunging, bending and twisting with the upper body. Multi-joint exercises use several muscles together and burn a lot more calories. "A lot of people think doing long-distance training and slow cardio is the mainstay of a fitness program but you can get a lot more done if you keep your workout shorter and add sprint intervals," he said. Hewett has heard every excuse for not working out, but the most common complaint is a lack of time. He asks people to jot down excuses and rebuttals to each one. "There are effective ways to exercise effectively that take very little time," Hewett said. "Fifteen to 20 minutes of high-intensity interval training can get you similar results as doing an hour of cardio without any of the negative side effects — including muscle wasting. How many of us have a favourite television show we watch for hours a week or how many hours a week do we spend on Facebook? If we're willing to give something up, we can reach our goals." The prevalence of obesity among Canadians has been on the rise for the past 20 years, according to Statistics Canada. The increase was highest among women in the 20-39 age group and in men between the ages of 60-74. Hewett said while most fitness fads have some purpose to them, the problem arises when too much is mixed at the same time. "Yoga has a point to it — it helps with relaxation and lower blood pressure and improve flexibility," he said. "But when you start to combine yoga with pilates and yoga-boxing, that's when it loses what it originally was. Everyone is doing stability training on wobbly balls and whoopee cushions and they figure the less stable they are, the more they'll get. It will reduce the intensity of your workout if you're on unsteady surfaces." His last piece of advice: Set reachable goals. "Start with small goals and when you reach them and see success, that's going to be what motivates you to bigger goals," he said. "If you take action, you're going to get results." -Excerpt from the Toronto SUN
