Story and photos by R.J. Oriez
GUIDON staff

It is common knowledge that the most direct way to lose weight is to eat less and exercise more.

“Sounds simple, right?” said Capt. Mary Staudter, Chief of Clinical Dietetics at General Leonard Wood Army Hospital. “We realize, though, that the easy part is knowing what you need to do, and the hard part is doing it.”

One thing that Staudter and Waka Hallas, a physical fitness instructor with Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, both stress is that any diet and fitness plan needs to be tailored to the individual.

“Depending on your goal, you have to change the way you work out,” said Hallas.

When Hallas gets a new client, the first thing she asks is whether they have been exercising. If the answer is “no,” she has them make another stop.

“The first thing I’ll suggest is to go see a physician and maybe get a physical,” she said. “They might find high blood pressure or something else you might have and not know.”

Even with the doctor’s clearance Hallas cautions people to start slow.

“Start easy by doing something like walking instead of running,” Hallas said. Another possibility is to alternate between walking and jogging.

“Gradually you will build strength and endurance, and you will be able to jog the whole time,” she adds. “Or, there’s nice equipment at the gym — elliptical trainers, recumbent bikes, stationary bikes — these are low-impact machines you can use.”

Hallas advises people not to be embarrassed to ask for help if they are unfamiliar with the equipment at Davidson Fitness Center or Specker Gym.

“If you don’t know how to use the equipment, it’s best to ask instead of just getting on the machine and hurting yourself,” Hallas said.

After a five-minute warm up, resistance can be increased. How much depends on the individual and their goals. Those interested in burning fat should keep it to a relatively low intensity, Hallas said.

“You should be able to have a conversation with someone while you’re working out,” Hallas said. “If you can’t talk anymore, that’s high intensity. That’s more for improving your cardio fitness then for burning your fat.”

The important measurement during cardio workouts is the heart rate. Hallas cautions against using the heart rate monitors built into the machines.

“These machines have been used for a long, long time. It’s not real accurate,” Hallas said. One solution is for someone to buy his or her own heart rate monitor.

Another is for people to take their own pulse. Most of the machines’ displays include a timer showing either how long it has been in use or the amount of time left in the workout. Counting the heart beats in a 10-second period and multiplying by six gives a useable heart rate number.

The target heart rate is more complicated. The formula Hallas uses includes a person’s age and resting heart rate. Those wanting to know their target heart rate can use an online heart-rate calculator at www.webmd.com/hw-popup/target-heart-rate-20512.

The importance of the target heart rate is to help find a level of exercise that effectively burns calories without risking injury or heart damage. According to WebMD.com, a heart rate of 50 to 65 percent of the maximum is good for weight management. A target rate of 65 to 85 percent is good for weight loss and cardio fitness. A prolonged heart rate above 85 percent of the maximum risks injury.

 

To find a person’s resting heart rate to use in the calculation, Hallas recommends checking their heart rate as soon as they wake up in the morning, before getting out of bed. This should be done three days in a row so that an average can be established.

Another option is for the person to sit quietly for approximately 15 minutes and then take their pulse.

 “If you are sitting, you shouldn’t be doing anything. If you are constantly talking, your heart rate will stay up,” Hallas said. Once someone has their sitting heart rate, Hallas suggests they subtract 10 to get closer to their resting heart rate.

Hallas advises daily cardio exercise.

“It doesn’t have to be on the machines, just something active every day,” Hallas said. She went on to say that some experts are increasing their recommended amount of daily cardio activity.

“It used to be 30 minutes a day,” she said. “They raised that number to where 60 minutes a day is recommended. Some people just don’t have the time to do 60 minutes a day. I think 30 minutes should be fine, but if you’re only going to be doing 30 minutes a day, your intensity should be high.”

Once endurance starts to improve, the intensity can increase.

“When you start to feel the exercise you’ve been doing for a couple weeks is starting to get easy, if you feel you can do more, you should be ready,” Hallas said.

Weight training should be done in addition to cardio work in Hallas’s opinion.

“By doing weight training, you gain muscle mass,” Hallas said. “You might see a slight weight gain but it’s not going to last long. Once you gain some muscle mass, it’s going to be easier for your body to burn calories and fat.”

Hallas again stresses getting help from the gym’s staff if you are unfamiliar the weight equipment to avoid injury.

“Some people do get hurt by doing it wrong,” Hallas said. “So, it is best to ask for help.”

 

How much weight to lift depends on the person’s goal. It does not have to be a huge amount.

“The people who do a lot of weights, they can only do a few reps at a time,” Hallas said. “They’re not trying to get skinny. They’re trying to get bigger or they’re trying to get maximum strength.”

Working with lighter weight builds endurance instead of strength. Hallas says working with a weight that lets you do 25 or 30 reps at a time is good for building endurance. She also urges people to work all parts of their bodies.

“I know a lot of people say they want to get rid of their big belly,” Hallas said. “But, there is no such thing as spot reducing. You cannot just get rid of your belly by doing sit-ups or crunches. You have to do everything.”

Hallas says that getting rid of belly fat is a multi-front battle.

“You have to watch your diet, nutrition and do some cardio, too,” she said.

Hallas has several suggestions to help someone stick with a fitness program.

“For the beginner, I suggest they find something to do they can enjoy,” Hallas said.

She also suggests getting family and friends involved. She points out that family members can help support someone trying to lose weight to eat healthier at home. And, that working out can be easier if it is done with someone else.

“It’s more fun and easier to work out if you have a friend to work out with,” Hallas said. “And, you can help motivate each other.”

Something else Hallas thinks is helpful is to keep a log to help see and track progress.

“You may want to pack a bag with your shoes and clothes,” Hallas said. “Have it ready in your car. That can help you not make excuses.”

She advises taking a day off between weight training sessions.

“Do not over-train — working out at high intensity every single day without a rest day,” Hallas added.

Cardio training can be done every day, but vary the intensity.

“Mix it up — easy today, hard tomorrow,” Hallas said.

Most important, Hallas says, is to stick with it. Do not expect drastic changes.

“Losing 1or 2 pounds a week is a healthy way to lose weight,” Hallas said. “Don’t expect dramatic change in a short amount of time. Three months, four months, six months; if you do good you will get results. But, you have to be consistent.”

David Ulerich, a civilian historian with the Army Engineer School, is one of Hallas’s clients motivated by the potential to be deployed to Afghanistan.

“This is designed to get me in better shape,” Ulerich said. “To be able to run from here to there and not be to much of a burden to the real Soldiers.”

After two weeks he is beginning to see some changes.

“I feel better, although I’m sore,” Ulrich said. “I feel better in terms of having more energy.”

(Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part series. Next week, Weight Loss Basics concludes with information on diet and nutrition.)