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The good news is that it is Spring. With the official start of summer still weeks away, there is still time to get that taunt swimsuit figure. If there is one message from fitness expert Melanie Marchard is that the time has come for those who want to attain that bikini figure to get moving. Marchard, a native of New Orleans, gears up dozens of Philadelphians for physical activity and lounging on the sunny beaches in their swimwear. This she does at a state-of-the-art facility as she insists that they work smarter not harder. "A good exercise program should have five key components," said Marchard, who left her corporate chemical engineering career to help get people fit. "They are strength and flexibility, cardiovascular exercises for your heart and to burn fat, strength exercises to build muscles so that one will not hurt yourself and have the strength to increase intensity, good nutrition to support the workout of the muscles and muscle repair, and getting plenty of rest because this aids the body in restoring itself. We need a solid six to eight hours of sleep a night for overall health and wellbeing." Marchard suggested that one have a plan, a goal, a formula and a program for shaping up for the summer. First, the plan should be one that can fit into one's lifestyle. Secondly, one should set a goal of what is to be achieved whether it is weight loss, weight management, stress reduction, a healthier body, to be more toned or fit, or any combination of these. Thirdly, one should choose a formula. This is where a little legwork comes in, said Marchard. She recommended researching the various types of programs. This ranges from visiting several gyms, looking at exercise videos checked out from the library, watching various cable and other television workout programs, and learning about nutrition. "I do not feel that fad diets last in the long term," says Marchard. "If you want long term success then you have to choose a formula that you will stay with. You have to have realistic expectations because often people want rapid change. If there is a program that promises you lost say 10 pounds in a week, that program is probably unsafe. It's best to lose the weight slowly through exercise and good nutrition." Furthermore, Marchard pointed to the benefits of
having a personal trainer. Recently, national reports have been released that
shows that one can even be skinny and are classified as obese if they have too
much body fat. Marchard further recommend not using the bathroom scale to assess fitness progress. She said that the way one's clothing fits is the best barometer whether one is gaining weight, especially in the wrong places. "As far as the scale I would say do not use one," says Marchard. "If you have to use a scale then use it only about every six to eight weeks. The best took to use is a tape measure. You can measure your waist, hips, thighs and upper arms at the midpoint between the shoulder and elbow. That's a better indicator that you are slimming down or staying in shape then the scale. Since a good workout involves strength exercises you may not lose that much weight. This is because muscle weighs more than fat." Once one does start a program initial weight loss will be immediately evident, says the experts. Yet as the body gets used to the workout the weight will stabilize. Consequently, if one wants to lose weight they will have to increase their workout to get those benefits. "Your program needs to be progressive," says Marchard. "It should involve strength so that you can push harder. At some point your body will get used to the workout and it won't be as effective anymore. You have to increase your resistance to get more results. You have to change something. Change creates changes. If you want do create something different in your body then you have to be willing to change and keep changing what you are doing."  There are many other by-products to getting fit beyond just how one looks, according to the experts. Marchard is quick to point out the health and wellness benefits of moving the body. Back in the 1990's when studies were released that African Americans were dying of an alarming rate from heart disease and other ailments prevalent in the community, Marchand did not feel that this was being adequately addressed. No one at that time was really talking about the physical changes those in the Black community needed to make to reverse this trend, she says. At that time Marchard had just received her MBA from the University of Pennsylvania in 1991. She returned to the corporate world working in corporate planning, product management, technical sales, and marketing management. Previously she was a production and efficiency engineer a leading corporation. |
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Temperatures are climbing slowly. Soon those African
American men and women will be able to shed their outerwear for at least several
months. While this will be a welcome relief to many, for some taking off the
layers of clothes is something they dread. This is because the winter coats and
bulky clothing has been hiding their bourgeoning midriffs, flabby thighs, and
sagging upper arms.
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