Patience, not diet, key to success in getting fit

BY RACHEL GRACE TOUSSAINT
newsletter@seacoastonline.com

NEWMARKET - As 12 fresh months stand before us, it seems the perfect time to break old habits and work toward something to better ourselves. And while we all have our wishes for 2004, it’s the hope of losing weight and getting in shape this new year that likely falls on the most lists of New Year’s resolutions. Still, despite good intentions, a large percentage of those who resolve to lose weight at the dawn of a new year quickly give up on the cause, according to Rocco Boulay, a certified strength training and conditioning specialist and owner of Health Oriented Technologies (HOT). "Typically, people at this time of year join a (health) club," said Boulay, "and 86 percent within the first three weeks of joining are gone."

At HOT facilities, located at Great Bay Athletic Club in Newmarket and Positive Steps Fitness Center in North Hampton, however, Boulay says New Year’s resolutions to shape up hold stronger. "Eighty-eight percent (of those) we serviced during 2003 are still members of the club, still working out, still doing well," said Boulay.

What’s their secret? Boulay says it’s the components of HOT’s "wellness programming." Most people stick to the program’s basic principles, he says, because they produce results while being both realistic and healthful. While Boulay says those who join the HOT program are likely to achieve greater success with weight loss and increased fitness and health, he shared some of the program’s basic philosophies for those trying to shape up sensibly on their own.

First, says Boulay, focus on proper nutrition is "No. 1." "A healthy body needs good nutrients in order to change," said Boulay, who along with his degree in exercise physiology has a minor in nutrition. "If you start putting empty calories into it, you can’t build a healthy body." Boulay recommends that rather than going on a diet, people starting eating balanced meals containing quality protein, carbohydrates, monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids.

"You can’t be on a diet forever - that’s not easy to do," he said. "(A meal plan) has to be based around easily accessible food that people like and eat." Another tip from Boulay, which may surprise some, is that people should never wait to get hungry before they eat. "People are under the illusion that if they don’t eat, they’re going to lose fat," he said. "But instead, the body turns down metabolism, so it can hang onto fat."

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