New Year’s resolutions have always been a mystery to me in the sense that we wait until January 1st to change something in our lives that must be important – otherwise, why make a resolution? According to Webster’s Dictionary, a resolution is “the act or process of resolving; the action of solving or a solution” (i.e. something resolved is a resolution that is upheld; therefore, it is obviously something that needs fixing.) My point is, if you want to change something in your life, you need a plan that can hold up (or, it’s not a resolution). Otherwise, you will virtually guarantee disappointment, leading to another try at a similar resolution the following year.
Approximately half the adult population makes a New Year’s resolution (NYR), of which 50% give up by the end of the first quarter, and before the year’s end, up to 90% of all these “resolvers” have abandoned their promises – that basically makes the act of setting NYRs an exercise in futility. Of the people who make resolutions, fewer than 20% have a plan for how to accomplish their goal.
It’s no surprise that fitness goals are the most popular of NYRs, with “weight reduction,” “exercising more” and “eating healthier” holding the top spots. Most of us in the fitness industry meet these people who make resolutions. Unfortunately, this includes many individuals who lack proper planning. People think joining a gym is a weight-loss plan and they believe that a membership will magically melt the pounds away. It doesn’t, and national health club statistics validate this number. There are 35 million health club members (of which a little more than half are active, and the vast majority of those were fit before they joined), and there are just as many (35 million) former members.
Preaching to people to follow guidelines or counseling them on how to incorporate current recommendations doesn’t work. Just look at America continuing to get fatter while being told what to eat and do. We only have to consider those of us who do manage to stay in shape without even coming close to following “guidelines.” This means the vast majority of the population has no idea how much they can eat because they can’t “connect” with calories. If no one really knows how many calories they burn, how can they be expected to know how much they can eat – especially when daily gains or losses are easily tolerated and virtually unnoticeable until pants or dress sizes change? If you want to make a fitness New Year’s resolution and keep it, you need to know how many calories you are consuming and burning each day.
The problem is getting an accurate measurement of calories. You can get this information by going to a clinic that uses a metabolic cart (considered a “Gold Standard” in measuring total energy expenditure). Although this will give you highly accurate information, you cannot get this information in a continuous manner throughout each hour of each day. And, this is the information that we need on a daily basis to learn our “true burn.”
People need continuous visibility as to the number of calories they burn, and they need feedback on their progress so they can control their weight their way. Because we know the laws of energy (calories in < calories out = body fat/mass reduction), you only have to let individual lifestyles become the weight control program. In essence, each individual sets their own guidelines: their world is their “gym,” and their foods are their “diet.” Movement is their exercise, and whatever they consume is their diet – but, they own it. The calorie education and success in doing it their way leads to behavioral change. As people lose weight, they begin to move and eat more healthily.
A big lesson for fitness professionals to learn is that you can’t tell people to change; you have to make change easy for people to accomplish or figure out by themselves – and if they do, the individual will own it and generally maintain it. The good news is that new technologies are entering the market that will allow you to learn a person’s calorie burn, steps, and physical activity duration – in realtime. Today, multi-sensory devices are being used that can accurately measure various physiological signals and states – which has significant potential in making lifestyle changes to improve health. The biggest benefit is that these devices provide a means for people to visualize energy balance in a real-world environment. It is well-recognized that regular, accurate self-monitoring can provide important feedback that increases self-awareness – a prerequisite for healthy decision-making and long-term lifestyle change.
We are in the midst of a massive epidemic of weight-related disease. There are products that have the potential to turn the tables by becoming a part of everyone’s life, whether it’s to prevent weight gain or reverse it. These new devices can revitalize health clubs and give new life to member programs. For club members, it’s a simple and effective way to manage their weight. For club owners, it’s a costeffective way to increase member compliance and results, as well as a new revenue stream from current and new members. These new, innovative systems are being embraced by consumers, fitness professionals and the country’s leading experts. So, if you feel the need to make a fitness resolution, you are now free to keep it! And, you don’t have to wait for January to start your new beginning.
Neal Spruce is the CEO and President of Apex Fitness. He can be contacted at 800.656.2739, or by email at neal@apexfitness.com, or visit www.bodybugg.com.
