Photographs by John Hicks
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Real Fitness
By Sarah Mahoney, May & June 2005
Seven former couch potatoes tell how they went from flab to fab—and how you can too
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The Dancer
Name: Julia Zawatsky
Age: 51
Height: 5 feet 7
Weight: 110
Lives in: Bethesda, Maryland
Occupation: Psychiatrist
Old fitness activity: None. "I played a little squash
back in medical school, but that was it."
Turning point: She signed her son up for a dance class at
Maryland Youth Ballet, a local school, and on a whim decided to
try a ballet class herself. "As hard as it was and as
awkward as I felt, I loved it. I felt inspired."
New fitness activity: "I've worked my way up to
seven 90-minute ballet classes a week. I'm really
lucky—I have the right body type, and so after just four
years I'm allowed to go en pointe. It's kind of like
having your black belt in ballet."
Motivation bonus: "I'm much stronger, more
defined in my back, my arms, my shoulders. My posture is much
better. I've always been a sloucher, and ballet has made the
difference in learning to stand up straight. I feel more
beautiful."
Unexpected payoff: "It really challenges me
mentally."
Try it: While all ballet schools teach children, not all
of them can meet the needs of adult beginners. Ask around for a
reputable teacher, then make sure he or she has taught grownups,
says Julie Miles, Zawatsky's teacher. Make sure the schedule
is reasonable: Zawatsky chose her school in part because it could
accommodate her hectic life, offering both day and evening
classes. Aim for one to two classes a week in the beginning;
yoga, Pilates, and stretch classes all help.
The Runner
Name: Richard Murray
Age: 59
Height: 6 feet 1
Weight: 170
Lives in: Ipswich, Massachusetts
Occupation: Bookbinder
Old fitness activity: None
Turning point: "My wife finally said to me,
'You're getting fat.' "
New fitness activity: "I run every day—40 miles
a week in the winter, 55 or so in the summer. I enjoy being
outdoors, and I enjoy the solitude."
Setback #1: The way he yo-yoed. After first taking up
running, he went from 225 pounds down to 170. Then he stopped
running, kept eating, and beefed back up to 225. A physical
therapist warned him that if he tried running with all that extra
weight, he'd hurt his knees. (He used Nautilus weights and
the Stairmaster to get back on track.)
Setback #2: A few years ago, Murray developed asthma,
which required a new approach to training. "After working
with different medicines, I'm able to keep it in
control."
Motivation bonus: Murray joined the Boston Athletic
Association, sponsor of the Boston Marathon. "Working out
with younger people made it more fun and more challenging."
Unexpected payoff: "I'm really fast—much
faster than I ever was before. After 50, I ran a five-minute
mile. My record is 4:42. I've run the Boston Marathon seven
times."
Try it: Training for a 10K race is one of the most
effective motivational tools. (If you're a complete beginner,
start by alternating walking and running until you can
jog—even if it's at a glacial pace—for two
miles.) To find 10K races in your area, contact Road Runners Club
of America (www.rrca.org); it can steer you to a local chapter.
Then set up a training schedule; www.runningplanet.com can help
you devise one.
The Swimmer
Name: Debbie Cavanaugh
Age: 47
Height: 5 feet 5
Weight: 148
Lives in: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Occupation: Former physical education teacher
Old fitness activity: In college, Cavanaugh was a
competitive swimmer. Later, she became a gym teacher and a
swimming and water polo coach.
Turning point: "I saw a picture of myself and went,
'Yikes!' " At age 44, Cavanaugh had completely
stopped exercising, and her weight had shot up to 165 pounds. It
happened after she and her husband, Cav, quit their jobs to live
out their dream of sailing the Caribbean. "It's very
easy to fool yourself about being fit," she says. "You
think that because you're somewhat active on the boat,
you're exercising. But believe me, you're not."
New fitness activity: After giving up their extended
boating vacation, she and Cav returned to Florida, and they both
started swimming again. Although she got stronger relatively
quickly, the scale wasn't budging. So she switched to a
low-carb diet and started cross-training. First, she added a
Spinning class to her swimming workouts, then two weekly two-mile
runs. She not only dropped 17 pounds, she says; "I'm
faster now than I was in college at breaststroke."
Unexpected payoff: A bunch of new friends. She joined a
masters swim team—a group of adults that trains and
competes together. The teammates often go out for coffee after
workouts. "I just love the camaraderie of working out on a
masters team."
Try it: Swimming, which works the heart and all major
muscle groups without stressing joints, may be the perfect
workout. Even if you never swam for more than a pool length, it
may be time to try again. New teaching methods have transformed
the sport for even casual swimmers: a simple tune-up course can
turn you from a splashing thrasher into a sleek machine. Check
out your local Y or Red Cross chapter for lessons to refine your
technique. And if you can swim 400 yards or more, Cavanaugh
suggests, find a U.S. Masters
Swimming Club to help keep you on track.
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The Rider
Name: Andy Pollard
Age: 56
Height: 5 feet 10
Weight: 195
Lives in: Camden, South Carolina
Occupation: Chemist
Old fitness activity: Pollard hit 250 pounds while in
college, thanks to plenty of beer and pizza, and then spent
decades trying to get fit but only getting fatter. To try to lose
weight, he'd exercise, often injuring himself because he was
heavy. Then, because he was injured and couldn't exercise,
he'd gain more weight.
Turning point: When Pollard was 40 years old, he and his
daughter both signed up for horseback-riding lessons. "She
was over it by the end of the summer, but I was hooked," he
says. "There I was, this big man in class with a bunch of
little girls in braids, riding on their gray ponies."
New fitness activity: Dressage, in which the horse is
trained to make very precise movements. "I ride my horses
for two hours a day, and while I don't have a six-pack, I
have tighter abs than I've ever had. And I'm throwing
around heavy bags of grain and hay bales, so my upper body is
stronger than ever. I'm down to 195, which is great—the
lighter you are, the more control you have over the horse."
Motivation bonus: "The thrill of knowing I could
never have done this when I was younger—I just didn't
have the patience then."
Unexpected payoff: Pain-free knees and a level of grace he
hadn't dreamed possible before. "When dressage is done
well, the casual observer does not see the cues the rider is
giving the horse telling him what to do, and it looks like the
two are dancing to some music no one else can hear."
Try it: Admit it—you've been wanting to get on a
horse ever since you saw National Velvet. Just about any riding
discipline provides great exercise, and you don't have to
spend a fortune to get started. Many commercial stables, whether
they're found in cities, suburbs, or rural areas, provide
horses for lessons. And plenty of dude ranches offer reasonable
weekend packages, which can help you decide if you're meant
for the saddle. To learn more about dressage, visit the U.S. Dressage
Federation, which can provide information on more than 130
clubs around the country.
The Weightlifter
Name: Yvonne J. Davis
Age: 55
Height: 5 feet 4
Weight: 125
Lives in: Eastpointe, Michigan
Occupation: Retired autoworker
Old fitness activity: None
Turning point: "My blood pressure was going up, my
cholesterol was rising—I had even been hospitalized with a
blood clot. My doctor told me I had the bones of an
80-year-old—and I was only in my 40s. After raising three
children, I had adopted a fourth, and there were times when I
would think, if you don't do something, you're not going
to live to see her grow up."
New fitness activity: "I went to my local Bally's
and signed up for 24 sessions of personal strength training.
Today, I still go four days a week—I do a half-hour of
cardio and then lift weights for an hour." She also
practices yoga twice a week.
Unexpected payoff: "My bone density is increasing, my
blood pressure and cholesterol are down, and I feel great. I feel
like a butterfly that's gone through this metamorphosis. I
feel better, I sleep better, I have a better attitude."
Try it: Even if you wind up using free weights at home,
take at least a session or two of instruction. A trainer can show
you a routine that hits all major muscle groups, and make sure
your technique is sound. For tips on finding a trainer—and
free exercises—go to American
College of Sports Medicine or American Council on
Exercise.
The Walker
Name: Marie Silva
Age: 66
Height: 5 feet 2
Weight: 148
Lives in: Jarales, New Mexico
Occupation: Retired school bus driver
Old fitness activity: None
Turning point: After her husband died of colon cancer, she
realized she had been packing on pounds by eating to compensate
for the stress of his illness. "I looked so terrible that
when I was invited to a family wedding I didn't even want to
go," says Silva, whose top weight was 213 pounds.
"That's when I knew I had to do something."
New fitness activity: She walks every night with her new
husband. The two also love to dance, and she strength-trains
three times a week, "all with no pain—I mean
zero." To get started, Silva signed up for Weight Watchers,
and she slowly began to slim down. At first, she thought her
arthritis would completely prevent her from exercising. "It
was a big struggle to walk for even 10 minutes," she says.
"I'd get so out of breath, and the pain in my knees was
terrible." As her body grew stronger, though, she could walk
farther, and the weight kept coming off. "I've lost 65
pounds in three years."
Unexpected payoff: "I feel great—it's like
I've been reborn. And I love chasing my grandchildren around.
No one can keep up with me, and they are so proud of me."
Try it: Walking is America's favorite exercise, but
many people walk too slowly to get its full benefits. Of course,
any kind of walking is better than no walking at all, but in
order to improve your cardiovascular health, you need to walk
fast enough to elevate your heart rate. You can measure your rate
of exertion with something called the "talk" test: if
you can speak easily in full sentences while walking, you're
not working hard enough; if you can barely get a word out,
you're pushing too hard. Look for something in the middle.
The Boxer
Name: Mike Lawley
Age: 55
Height: 5 feet 10
Weight: 192
Lives in: Birmingham, Alabama
Occupation: Porsche salesperson
Old fitness activity: A former U.S. Merchant Marine,
Lawley had done some training in martial arts.
Turning point: "My cholesterol had been rising, and
when it got so bad my doctor put me on medication, I knew I had
to do something."
New fitness activity: Working out at the Champions Boxing
Gym, he starts with 15 minutes on the bike, shadowboxes with
weights, does movement in the ring with a medicine ball, and then
does footwork, sparring, and bag-work exercises.
Motivation bonus: Lawley started slow, but now tough
workouts two or three times a week keep him challenged.
"After two hours, I still feel like I've been beat to
hell. But the kids I'm training with are much younger guys,
and they are always here. They're so dedicated that it keeps
me inspired."
Unexpected payoff: In two years, he's not only shed 15
pounds but seen his cholesterol tumble 40 points. "My doctor
is amazed at the change." There are also the intangible
rewards of the sweet science. "Boxing is kind of romantic. I
remember growing up, all the boxers had such great names.
It's a kind of a brotherhood."
Try it: Look for a trainer certified by USA Boxing and for a good-natured
crowd: "The emphasis needs to be on technique, not
brutality," says Lawley. Women are a fast-growing segment of
boxing. Local clubs can refer you to good gyms. Remember: check
with your doctor before beginning an exercise regimen.
Sarah Mahoney wrote about people who reunited with their
former sweethearts in the September-October 2004 issue.
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