Burnaby NOW • Wednesday, January 23, 2013 • A11
21 Paper Postcards
22 In the garden
24 Ice dancing
SECTION COORDINATOR Jennifer Moreau, 604-444-3021 jmoreau@burnabynow.com
Do what you love to achieve fitness goals
Starting small with walks and choosing enjoyable activities is key to maintaining resolutions Marelle Reid staff reporter
As January stretches on and many a resolute North American has lost momentum or given up on goals for the new year, an instructor at Simon Fraser University offers advice for weight loss and fitness. One of the main reasons it’s so hard to achieve fitness goals is because we think of exercise as just one more thing on our “to do” lists, says Tony Leyland, senior lecturer in the biomedical and kinesiology department at Simon Fraser University. “I think people do tend to “If you’re inacseparate fitness tive, don’t think or activity from their daily lives, that you have and I think that is to run a 10 K, part of the problem,” he told the because you do Burnaby NOW. have to walk Instead of before you can thinking of exercise as something run.” to be done at a specific time and SHAUN KARP location, like the Personal trainer gym, we should be incorporating more movement into our daily lives, says Leyland. Take the stairs instead of the elevator if you work on the second floor, for example. Get off the bus two stops before home. These are some of the ways Leyland suggests we can beat the chronic sedentary condition so pervasive in our society. Of course, getting to the gym to get your heart rate up and do strength training three times a week is ideal. But if this is your only form of exercise, it can be difficult to maintain as a healthy habit, he notes. “It’s that separation, thinking, ‘I can’t make it to the gym so I won’t do anything,’” he said.
Larry Wright/burnaby now
Keep at it: Burnaby-based personal trainer Shaun Karp suggests inactive people wanting to get fit should start small, walking or taking the stairs instead of aiming to run 10 kilometres right away.
Burnaby-based personal trainer Shaun Karp echoes this sentiment, suggesting anything is better than nothing. Karp says many inactive people believe activities like walking or taking the stairs won’t make a difference to their health, but he encourages people to start small.
“If you’re inactive, don’t think that you have to run a 10 K, because you do have to walk before you can run,” he says. “And if you have the goal that you’re going to run the 10 K, it’s fine if you’re a person who might be able to (only) walk a kilometre this week,” he said.
Karp says 90 per cent of the New Year’s resolutions he hears from his clients involve weight loss. Ultimately the most important factor besides incorporating exercise into daily life, is to pick an activity that you truly enjoy, he says.
Chances to quit during Non-Smoking Week MEDICAL FILE Marelle Reid
national campaign aims to help people quit smoking and prevent people who do not smoke from becoming addicted to tobacco. “During National NonSmoking Week, I encourage all British Columbians to take advantage of the
smoking cessation program and to consider quitting for their health and the health of their families,” said Health Minister Margaret McDiarmid in a press release. While B.C. has the lowest smoking rate in
Canada, at 14.2 per cent, there are still approximately 550,000 British Columbians who smoke, though an estimated 70 per cent of them want to quit, according to the release. To access the smoking cessation program, call
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HealthLink B.C., at 811. Have a health item for the Medical File, or a story idea for the NOW? Send it to Marelle Reid at mreid@bur nabynow.com, by fax to 604444-3460 or by mail to 201A3430 Brighton Ave., Burnaby, B.C., V5A 3H4.
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n recognition of National Non-Smoking Week, Jan. 20 to 26, the provincial government is urging smokers to butt out for good with the help of the B.C. smoking cessation program. Established in 1997, the