SPRINGBREAK One month and counting Slow and steady is the best way to lose weight and build fitness. Sometimes, however, there are events on the calendar that you just have to look good for: a class reunion, a girls weekend… or spring break, which rolls around in a little more than a month. Premier Fitness PT Owner and Trainer Tony Dempsey completely understands where you’re coming from. “I’m getting married April 20, and it’s a destination wedding,” he said. “It’s going to be on the beach and my bride-to-be is in phenomenal shape. I’m human and I don’t want to stand next to her in wedding photos and not feel good about myself.” Yes, even professional personal trainers need a little nudge sometimes, and Tony says there is a way to look your best in a short amount of time. “Through going on the diet and following a plan, I’m getting closer to my goal,” he explained. For those with a short-term goal like losing weight by spring break so they look better in a bikini, Tony says paying attention to diet is the No. 1 priority. “It all comes down to diet,” he stressed. “Seventy percent of weight loss is directly related to nutrition. When people get three or four weeks out from a spring break trip, they’re going to have to go on the diet. It is by far the most crucial piece and where they’re going to get that immediate impact.”
Getting started, he said, is easy, especially with the dotFIT program at Gold’s Gym. “They can come up to the front desk and get a complimentary appointment to meet with someone and talk about nutrition and be introduced to dotFIT, which is the weight management and meal planning program, in which they can actually log their food, track what they’re eating and also track how many calories they burn and be empowered with the knowledge to be able to make a difference and be proactive,” he said. “They’ll get a user ID and access to that program and that’s provided with their gym membership.” And the same person who helps them set up a diet with the dotFIT program can also help them with Step 2, which is exercise. Those with a specific goal like looking great for spring break need the diet-exercise combination to not only shed pounds, but look more toned. “Like I tell everybody, you can lose 50 pounds but you can be skinny fat, and nobody wants that,” he laughed. “So when you lose the 50 pounds you also want to build the lean muscle. You’re accomplishing the goal in looking the way you want to look not just, ‘Hey, I’m 50 pounds lighter.’” Tony suggests six days of cardio a week, as well as strength training. “They need to get 45 minutes worth of cardio and
a 15-minute cool-down,” he explained. “That’s what they have to do to get those type of rapid results. And then, obviously, you want to have the proper strength training in there 3-4 days a week also.” If it sounds like a lot of work, it is. But Tony says that Gold’s Gym will give the goal-oriented dieter all the tools she need to get her where she wants to be. And members will also have someone helping them who has been in their shoes. “Somebody can say, ‘Oh, he’s more advanced physically, he can do exercises than I can’t do.’ That’s true, but when it comes to nutrition, I’m not more advanced at putting a fork in my mouth than someone else,” he said. “I just empowered myself with the knowledge that they have access to as well. Like I’ve said for years, somebody has to be sick and tired of being sick and tired and ready to make a change and that’s where I was.” For more information about dotFIT, visit the front desk at any Gold’s Gym location. To talk to Tony Dempsey or any of the trainers at Premier Fitness PT, call 706396-4653.