Page 5 - Healthbeat March 2016

I DID IT!
‘I LOST 39 POUNDS.’
success story
Name: Ralph “Buddy” Olsen
From: Maumelle
Age: 52
Occupation: CEO of Horticare Landscape
Starting Weight: 263 Current Weight: 224
My story: In July 2015, my family and I went on a beach vacation. I was embarrassed, did not want to be in family photos and just, overall, wasn’t happy. Around that time as well, I went for my yearly checkup with my doctor, and he told me he was concerned about how my weight was beginning to affect my health and my blood-sug- ar levels. I decided I had to do something. I started my own walking program and lost some weight, but I decided I needed something more. I joined the Metabolic Research Center and haven’t looked back. From the first time in the center to now, the consultants were there to assist me every step of the way. I loved the fact that this program allowed me to eat real food — food I bought at the store and prepared at home with my family. I also liked that Metabolic has a plan for eating out. Since I am so busy during the day, being able to eat out at lunch was a necessity. Now that I have lost my weight, I am eating the same great food but have learned the prop- er combinations of foods to eat in or-
der to maintain my weight loss.
My eating plan: I loved my eating plan! I was able to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, and was able to have snacks between meals when I needed
them.
My exercise plan: When I started my weight-loss program, I was struggling to walk 1 mile. Now I am walking 4-plus miles and have added weight training with additional cardio, such as the sta- tionary bike and the stair-stepper. I have
more energy than I could have imagined.
fast fitness SPRING INTO FITNESS
COMBINE A VISIT TO THE PARK WITH AN EFFECTIVE, FUN-TO-DO WORKOUT
WITH AMY JACOBSEN, CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER
Even though spring has just begun, it’s not too early to start thinking about summer. Now is the time to get yourself into shape for those fun summer days at the lake or pool. As the temperature goes up, we wear less clothing. For many of us, that means those pesky problem areas — you know, the ones that need a little work — that have been covered up for the past few months will be exposed to the world. Start now, and get that body bathing-suit ready!
Here’s a great way to combine a walk in the park with an effective, fun-to-do workout.
Stop by your lo- cal park or ele- mentary-school playground, and map out a circle that will include benches or play- ground steps.
CIRCUIT (do four laps):
• Choose your starting point and perform 15 walking lunges, with each leg, as you move toward the first bench, then jog the rest of the way.
• Perform 20 bench dips on the first bench; then perform 20 modified pushups with your hands
on the seat of the bench.
• Jog to the next bench. Perform
15 step-ups on each leg. Jog back to your
FINISH AND COOL DOWN:
After you complete four laps of this fun, find a hill or a set of stairs; run or walk up and down it 10 to 15 times to finish up. Go at your own pace
— it’ll be tough, but the walk down the hill or stairs will give you time to recover
for the next walk/run up.
Remember to stretch when you are done; maybe walk one complete lap of the circuit route to cool down.
Try doing this workout two
or three times a week, always giving yourself
time to rest between workouts. Of course, you
can mix up the routine and the location — see what fun routes you can come up with!
starting point.
One
circuit completed!
My goals for the future: This year, my fam- ily and I are going back to the beach. It is a whole new year and a whole new me. I am looking forward to having a great time and enjoying activities with my family that I refused to do last year. I am even looking forward to family photos. Finally, I believe so much in the Metabolic Research Center program that my son decided to join. He BEFORE has lost more than 50 pounds and feels like a whole new man as well.
Amy Jacobsen is an American Council on Exercise-certified personal trainer and an Aerobics and Fitness Association of America-certified group exercise instructor, and manager of Little Rock’s Downtown Athletic Club. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in kinesiology and has nearly two decades of experience as a personal trainer.
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