{"369531":{"#nid":"369531","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Campus Experts Offer Guidance for Reaching Fitness Goals","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EFitness centers across the nation, including Georgia Tech\u2019s Campus Recreation Center (CRC), are teeming with new members who have resolved to get in shape. According to the experts, one key to success is creating a routine and sticking with it after the novelty fades. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cApproximately 80 percent of those who start a fitness program will not be there in four to six weeks,\u201d said CRC Director Michael Edwards, adding that \u201cfor-profit fitness centers bank on this.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EAttendance at the CRC, which averages about 55,000 visits per month, is steady throughout January and February, but it diminishes around spring break. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cOver the years, we\u2019ve seen our biggest increases in attendance at the beginning of fall semester and the beginning of spring semester,\u201d said Edwards. \u201cWe\u2019re expecting the numbers will show we had a 10,000-visit increase for the month of January.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EEdwards notes that many newcomers want instant gratification, similar to clicking a remote control to make a change.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cYou may look at old photos from high school or college and wonder what happened,\u201d he said. \u201cRemember, it took you a while to get out of shape, and it will take a while to get back. But the rewards are great.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EHaving a healthy lifestyle is a marathon \u2014 not a sprint, Edwards said, and it has to become part of a person\u2019s daily schedule.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cProgress is slow,\u201d he said. \u201cYou should set steady goals for the short term. If you want to lose 10 pounds, aim to lose one to two pounds per week. There will be setbacks along the way, and you will have to make adjustments.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003ERuth Kanfer, professor of Psychology, agrees.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cIf it were easy, everyone would do it,\u201d Kanfer said. \u201cPeople start out strong with goals, but maintaining effort over time is often the most difficult part. Behavior change requires a specific plan and a way to monitor your progress. Breaking a larger goal into sub-goals allows you to feel good about your progress and to make changes to your strategy if necessary.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EVisualizing the process, as well as the end result, is also an important step.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cVisualizing your goal as a process, how you will make progress, how you will pick yourself up after setbacks, and enlisting the aid of others to support you in accomplishing your goal are all important elements for accomplishing difficult but important personal goals,\u201d Kanfer said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p6\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch5 class=\u0022p7\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EStart with Small Steps\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h5\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p7\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.news.gatech.edu\/2015\/01\/22\/experts-recommend-intermediate-physical-activity-goals-especially-older-adults\u0022\u003EA recent Georgia Tech study\u003C\/a\u003E found that, while all adults, even those over the age of 65, should strive to attain the weekly goal of 150 minutes of exercise, individual goals must be realistic, taking into account possible physical limitations and established patterns of inactivity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch5 class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h5\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cOnly about one in 10 adults aged 40 and older in the U.S. and the U.K. is getting what is considered to be \u2018sufficient\u2019 exercise,\u201d said Phillip Sparling, a professor emeritus in the School of Applied Physiology and lead author of the paper.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003ESparling and colleagues made the case that any increase in physical activity, even small amounts, will be beneficial. For sedentary individuals, a gradual transition to increased activity may be the most practical way to improve health.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cFor example, adding five to 10 minutes per day of light walking and standing is a good start, building up to 30 minutes per day during the course of a month,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003ELong-term sitting has been cited by the World Health Organization as a leading risk factor for death.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cA major point we were trying to make is that older adults should replace sitting with standing and light activity,\u201d said Sparling.\u0026nbsp;An inability to meet the 150 minutes-per-week standard shouldn\u2019t keep sedentary individuals from increasing their physical activity in small increments, though the greatest benefit will go to those who invest the most in their health, he added.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFitness centers across the nation, including Georgia Tech\u2019s Campus Recreation Center (CRC), are teeming with new members who have resolved to get in shape. According to the experts, one key to success is creating a routine and sticking with it after the novelty fades.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"One key to getting in shape is creating a routine and sticking with it after the novelty fades."}],"uid":"27713","created_gmt":"2015-02-02 15:44:54","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:17:50","author":"Victor Rogers","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2015-02-02T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2015-02-02T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"369511":{"id":"369511","type":"image","title":"CRC infographic","body":null,"created":"1449245856","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:17:36","changed":"1475894382","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:39:42","alt":"CRC infographic","file":{"fid":"74955","name":"crc_infographic2.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/crc_infographic2.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/crc_infographic2.png","mime":"image\/png","size":77539,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/crc_infographic2.png?itok=ivJUj3Ck"}}},"media_ids":["369511"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/crc.gatech.edu\/gitfit","title":"Campus Recreation"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"719","name":"CRC"},{"id":"4075","name":"exercise"},{"id":"4073","name":"fitness"},{"id":"116591","name":"New Year\u0027s"},{"id":"116581","name":"resolution"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:victor.rogers@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EVictor Rogers\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E404-894-6398\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["victor.rogers@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}