Dunedin fitness expert Gary Dawkins will write a regular series of articles for Body & Soul on the broad and fascinating subject of health and fitness.
Since graduating from the University of Otago in 1998 with bachelor of physical education and bachelor of commerce degrees, Mr Dawkins has been heavily involved in the health and fitness industry.
He has worked closely with elite athletes and sports teams, including the Otago Colts rugby team, the Otago Nuggets basketball team and individuals such as former All Black Paul Miller, Highlander Ben Nolan and Auckland Blues player David Gibson.
For the past six years, Mr Dawkins has been the director of Creative Conditioning, a results-guaranteed personal training studio.
The weather has improved, the days are lighter and longer, shorts and short-sleeved tops are noticeable on tanned bodies as I walk down the street - it's that time again - time to get back to the gym and shed the 5kg of stomach fat that has built up over the holiday period.
Does this sound like you?
If fat destruction, along with weight loss, is such a popular goal at the beginning of the year for so many of us, then why do we so often fail?
Let's have a closer look at this.
Firstly, losing fat is simple, but it requires hard work!
A combination of a healthy eating plan and regular exercise is all it takes.
The problem is work is required.
We all lead hectic lives with pressing time commitments. We all know the importance of keeping fit.
We are all constantly reminded that we should do this, that and the other - usually by our friends who seem to have ample time on their hands.
Secondly, holidays have finished and it's time to get back to work.
It sounds like a grand plan when we are in holiday mode. Then the routine of life begins again and we tend to become buried in that rut of daily stresses.
However, this is one of the prime reasons why we must remain active.
If we don't stay active we run the risk of increasing stress levels and potential burnout.
Stress is when there is a substantial imbalance between physical and psychological demands placed on an individual and their response capability.
Burnout generally results after experiencing extended periods of stress with little or no improvement.
Thirdly, we simply just don't see any results so we quit!
A growing body of research is suggesting that we do not all respond to exercise in the same way.
When researchers at Louisiana State University put 742 sedentary people on a progressively challenging 20-week training programme and measured their responses, they found mixed results.
For any given indicator of fitness (fat destruction, cardiovascular fitness, insulin resistance and blood pressure), there are people who have a quick and large response (high responders), those who have a slighter response (low responders) and some who see no change at all (non responders).
Does this mean our New Year's resolution of going to the gym is a waste of time?
Thankfully, no.
Just because an individual is a non-responder in one aspect of fitness, this is not carried over to other aspects of fitness.
The researchers found there was no universal non-responder. But if we are wanting specific fat-destruction results, the answer may well be yes.
This may be why all those countless times pounding away on the treadmill this time last year brought you nothing but pain and sweat!
You simply may not have the genes to destroy body fat quickly past a certain predetermined point.
What does this mean for you?
It is important that you focus on all aspects of your health and not judge your life and wellbeing by a single set of figures on the scales.
You may have your parents to blame for a lack of fat-loss potential, but do not throw in the towel yet!
You will still be reducing your blood pressure, improving your cholesterol levels, improving your cardiovascular fitness and feeling significantly better from the release of endorphins to your brain each time you exercise this summer.
So, if the benefits of adopting a 2009 exercise programme are so crucial, we must prepare the mind and the body will follow.
Research by E.F. Auvin found people who regularly exercise use positive self-talk, while sedentary people use self-defeating, negative self verbalisation such as "exercise is hard, and it hurts".
You need to adopt a willingness to change your attitude to break free of the rut.
Now get out a pen and paper and write down five of your own health and fitness values for this year.
These could include 100% commitment, discipline, fun, being honest to yourself and drive to make it happen.
Check out the first of our training programmes (see below)and start today!
(Remember, tomorrow never arrives.) We will publish a new programme each week to get you up and running.
Good luck.
Your 2009 fitness programme
WEEK 1:
Friday: 25-60 minute walk along the beach. Walk at moderate pace which on a scale of 1-10 (1 being easy and 10 being extremely intense) would be a 5. If you have not exercised for six months or more, start at 25 minutes duration. Beach options: St Clair to St Kilda, Warrington, Long Beach.
Saturday: Five repeats of a staircase near you that has 150-200 steps. This workout should take you only 25 minutes. Always work at 7-8 to 10 on the scale on the way up and take as long as you like to walk down. If you have no access to a stair case then choose a steep hill that is about 200 metres.
Sunday: From home, complete 100 step-ups on any step that comes up no higher than mid-way up to your shin. Work at 6/10 on the scale of effort level. Repeat this three more times today.
Monday: Repeat the walk along the beach that you completed on Friday. Add another 5 minutes on to the time and work at 6/10 today.
Tuesday: Rest day
Wednesday: Repeat the staircase that you completed on Saturday. Add another one staircase climb and work at 7-8/10 on the scale.
Thursday: Repeat the step-ups from home like you did on Sunday and add another set of 100 today while still working at 6/10 on the scale.
Remember, effort only fully releases its rewards after a person refuses to quit. Good luck on your new journey for 2009.
-Gary Dawkins is the director of Creative Conditioning, a results-guaranteed personal training studioresultsguaranteed@creativeconditioning.co.nz