It's resolution time, so that means fitness goals for many.
Or maybe they're just dreams. Some are realistic; some aren't.
They are, though, without question, a lifestyle change.
"Changing the appearance of your body is extremely difficult," said certified personal trainer Michael Grimes, who lives in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood and sees clients at a private gym in Lincoln Park. "That's why most of us don't look the way we want to look. Start with simple changes and work your way up to the big ones."
And definitely start with your dietdon't just focus on how much to lift, or how many miles of cardio conditioning to complete.
"Focus on your diet," said Grimes, 33, who has been a personal trainer for seven years. "Cardio and lifting are great and necessary supplements to the achievement of your fitness goals, but more than half of your success is going to come from your diet.
"Eat breakfast every morning rich in protein and complex carbs. Do cardio first thing in the morning or after you lift [ weights ] , and lift three times per week at least.
"Don't be shy about going to a public gym. I remember how intimidating it was to step into a gym for the first time. Everybody looks like they know what they're doing. Truth is, most don't, so fake it till you make it."
Grimes graduated from West Leyden High School in suburban Northlake in 1995, and then the University of Illinois in 1999. He is single and gay, and logs about 32 training hours per week, with 14 clients, ranging in age from 24 to 62.
"I have a pretty good mix of [ clients who I train ] both men and women, gay and straight, bears, twinks, muscleheads, you name it. I train 'em all," Grimes said. "The most common goal for my clients is to lose fat and gain muscle, but you have the occasional client who is trying to improve flexibility, even out a muscle imbalance, be better at a sport, or just keep active as they have trouble doing so on their own."
So Grimes always preaches the S.M.A.R.T. plan. Of course, that's the ritual that includes Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.
"The worst thing to do is initiate too much change too quickly," Grimes said. "That's why steady gym-goers know that the gym sucks for the first two weeks of Januarybecause of all the New Years 'resolutionists.' After that, 95 percent of the newbie's have disappeared. Make sure you know your plan of action. That'll help you be a part of that 5 percent that sticks with it."
To that, Grimes stresses learning how to maintain good form on your lifts. "Nothing is more important than that to keep you from injuring yourself," he said. "Swallow your pride and cut down on the amount of weight you're working with."
And always set realistic goalsor unrealistic goals lead to quick failure.
"You will stay more motivated by setting easy weekly goals, such as, 'Don't drink any alcohol all week,' or, 'Do cardio three times this week for a half hour.' Little changes will make a difference in your physique and therefore give you more steam to make more and more changes," Grimes said. "I understand that you may feel insecure about the way you look, or just feel at sea in a strange and foreign place when you walk into the gym. Have a plan of action written out. If you know which exercises you need to do for how many sets and reps, you'll focus more on the task at hand, and less on what's happening around you. Put those headphones in your ears and drown out the world around you."
Grimes said a realistic goal is losing one to three pounds per week, or decreasing your body fat by 1-3 percent per month.
"It can take as long as one year to gain 10 pounds of muscle," he said. "It is unrealistic to think you're going to look like the dude or woman in a fitness magazine in three months."
But, he added, "Exercising not only improves your body, it improves your emotional health, which improves every aspect of your life. That's worth making time for."
Certified personal trainer Michael Grimes can be reached by e-mail at mgrimes311@gmail.com .
More fitness tips from certified personal trainer Michael Grimes:
About nutrition: "Eat meals rich in protein and complex carbohydrates every two to three hours. Make adjustments to how many calories you ingest according to weight gain or weight loss. When you're at a bar, everyone wants to see you drinking, so make it a soda water with a splash of cranberry. That'll keep everyone from asking, 'Why aren't you drinking?'
Three things to make workouts beneficial: 1 ) Walk into the gym with a workout program. Don't fly by the seat of your pants. 2 ) Have proper form. Throwing weights around that are 25 percent heavier than they should be isn't helping you reach your goal. 3 ) Eat complex carbs before you lift to give you energy to get through your workout.
Weight lifting or cardio: Both! Weight lifting increases your metabolism, muscle tone, and bone density. Cardio is weight lifting for your heart, and helps burn off stored energy ( fat ) .
Fitness within the LGBT community: "It isn't easy shaking off the first two decades of shame instilled in us for being different. Feeling better about the way you look improves your confidence and makes your life better in many ways. When you have more confidence, you will make better decisions about how you treat yourself, how you let others treat you, and how you treat others."
About Mike, from client Darryn Dunbar, 42, who lives in Lakeview and is a nursing professor at Truman College: "I found Mike sort of by happenstance a couple of months ago. Originally connecting in a chat room, I noticed that he was a personal trainer with a goal to get into nursing school. Conversely, I'm a nursing professor who was looking for a personal trainer. After a couple exchanges back and forth, we decided to meet in person to see if this would be a good fit. I had already made a conscious decision to give up my usual team sports of volleyball and bowling this season to put that time, and money, into getting more toned and "muscularly" fit. Despite being an overweight guy, I am pretty cardiovascularly fit, having run several endurance and short distance events.
"More recently, I had been training for TPAN's AIDS ride, however, an unexpected surgery days before the ride sidelined me from that event. My body changing and weight loss journey began over 7 years ago when I weighed nearly 500 pounds and turned to gastric bypass surgery as a means to assist me in losing weight. One could say I am a gastric bypass success story with the weight I have lost and kept off. In the fall of 2008, I experienced a cycling injury that rendered me unable to exercise. In the next four months, I quickly tacked on an additional 30 pounds. Panic set in and it became clear what I needed to do. In February 2009, I began a weight reduction plan using principles of healthy eating and increasing physical activity. Since then, I have lost that 30 pounds and 50 more, now weighing the lowest I have ever weighed as an adult, even less than I did at high school graduation, and am very near to weighing half my former body weight.
"This is a secondary reason I see Mike; when one's skin has accomodated 484 pounds, it does not know what to do when that person hits the 240s. I needed to tone up and muscle definition; all the cardio in the world was not going to give me that.
"Since meeting and working out with Mike [ for ] about eight or nine weeks, I have dropped an additional 10 pounds, as well as a waist and shirt size. Our first meeting was an hour and a half long where we discussed my goals, timelines, eating patterns, cardio activity, etc. From there we developed a plan and got to work. Each session he checks in with me about my weight, my eating and my cardio activity. By week three, I had already noticed changes in muscle tone, strength as well as how clothing was fitting differently. He is energetic, kind, and cares about his clients. I have worked with two other trainers before, and while both of them were very good, he is something different. If you are thinking about giving a trainer a try, give Mike a call. He offers a deal for purchasing multiple sessions together: Get the 10-pack to start working on your six-pack! You won't regret it, trust me."
Final thoughts: "Make sure you tell your friends and family about your plans and that you expect their support. Making a serious commitment to getting in shape will cause you to change how you socialize, and your friends won't be happy about it when you don't want to go out to the bar three nights per week. It helps to have a friend to workout with to keep each other going. Once you start to see your body change, you will feel more inclined to stay away from your old habits that made you fat, or skinny, or weak, and that will change your taste in methods of socializing."