Joey Payeur
It’s the most popular New Year’s resolution—and typically the least successful one.
The changing of the calendar always brings a resounding chorus of pledges from people seeking to get themselves in better physical shape.
While the number who stick to the pledge is far lower than those who fall by the wayside, Energy Fitness owner/operator Jackie Lampi-Hughes said the gap hasn’t been as wide of late.
“In this day and age, fitness is more accepted as an important part of one’s lifestyle,” noted Lampi-Hughes, who also a fitness instructor at the King’s Highway facility.
“People are lingering longer and many of them are making it at least to March now with their goal,” she added.
“It’s up to me to keep them challenged.”
In that vein, Energy Fitness has such programs like its 10-week challenge.
As well, Lampi-Hughes said a group of about 30 staff and members are planning to enter the annual “Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard Run” next Saturday (Jan. 16) as part of “Icebox Days” in International Falls.
The centre also features a $5 day pass throughout this month that started back in December.
“It’s non-committal,” stressed Lampi-Hughes. “After a month, a person can see if it is something that does fit their lifestyle.
“They can tiptoe in rather than plunge.”
Lampi-Hughes prefers to focus on what those coming to Energy Fitness can do rather than what they think they can’t do.
“I always want to concentrate on the positives of the people at least coming out to try, rather than the negatives of people falling off their promise to themselves,” she reasoned.
She also noted staff are on hand to walk any newcomers through the process of formulating a fitness routine that meets their needs.
But Lampi-Hughes also warned that a good exercise regimen is only half the battle.
“It’s 50 percent diet, 50 percent workout—and sometimes the diet is a little more important,” she remarked.
“There’s 24 hours in a day and you work out for one hour. What are you doing the other 23?” mused Lampi-Hughes, who chooses to trumpet the concept of “eating clean” rather than the notion of dieting.
“You have to do what works for you,” she maintained. “Not every person in the world can be on 1,200 calories a day.
“I always recommend people to see a certified dietitian,” Lampi-Hughes said.
“And by certified, I mean not weekend certified but someone who has been doing it for years, and who can walk the walk as well as talk the talk.
“Because you can reach 1,200 calories with five Timbits and three double lattés,” she noted.
“That’s not necessarily healthy for you.”
Shannon Jackson, a fitness consultant and personal trainer at the Memorial Sports Centre here, is promoting a pair of new programs that are family-oriented in different ways.
The “Mommy and Me” yoga program is for parents with children up to age three, with Yoga Fit-certified instructor Jessica Shoemaker leading the classes.
“We want to provide parents and their children a healthy, family-bonding experience that also provides the benefits of yoga,” said Jackson.
She added no yoga experience is necessary for the Saturday morning classes, which will run from 10-10:45 a.m. in the upstairs auditorium.
“Yoga is becoming more and more popular all the time, and there are yoga programs beginning in elementary schools now,” she noted.
Jackson herself will guide the “Fit for Parents” program, which is being done in conjunction with the Best Start Hub.
“The program is for parents wanting to get back into an exercise routine,” explained Jackson, who will hold the classes in the centre’s weight training room.
“During the classes, ‘Best Start’ will provide child care upstairs in the auditorium.”
Pre-registration is required for both classes, with only six spots available for the “Fit for Parents” program.
Signing up can be done online, with dates and times available in the winter edition of the “Recreator.”
