Hitting a fitness resolution plateau? Stay motivated

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SILVER CITY - It's early April and most New Year's resolutions concerning health and fitness have either been shattered or are stagnant.

I am going to offer a couple of tips to get you back on track or to help keep you motivated and obtain those goals you set for yourself way back in January.

First of all, it's very easy to get discouraged because goals that most people set aren't realistic. Transforming one's body takes months of hard work that includes a daily change in eating habits.

According to Biye Yniguez, a personal trainer at the Billy Casper Wellness Center, keeping goals small and realistic can easily keep you in the gym for a long period of time.

"If you are trying to lose weight, setting a goal of one to two pounds a week is what is typical," Yniguez said. "I think if you get on that scale once a week and see that, your motivation would be to keep coming back and sticking with it. But, losing 10 pounds a week is not a very realistic goal."

Physical therapist Zeke Morales for Iniguez Physical Therapy and Fitness Center in Bayard says that it's going to take time.

"People typically don't understand that they are not going to see a big difference right away," he said. "The more you stick with it, the more results you will see. I like to give people a specific diet based on their needs, and if that doesn't work, I go back to using the target zone for the heart rate."

Morales also added that a lot of people come in for one month, don't see a change, and quit. He said that people should give it at least three months to get a habit going, and it will become more like a routine, and that's when you will start to see a difference.

For those people that have hit that plateau regularly seen in exercise, a change in routine can help shock your body to new growth and or weight loss.

"If you always use the bike, switch to the elliptical or the treadmill," Yniguez said. "Keep things varied so your body doesn't become accustomed to the same thing."

I like to vary my exercises every couple of months so my body isn't always used to the same thing. I know it works because I have regularly been sore on a daily basis when I change things up.

Probably one of the biggest factors to working out is finding the time to get to the gym. In this day and age, both parents work, and when you include raising a family, and running the kids around to baseball or softball practice, there isn't any time for working out.

I always wondered when was the best time to exercise. I asked that question when I was in the military once, and some of the drill sergeants told me that the best time was in the morning.

I am no morning person, but I do know that I feel a lot better when I attend the gym in the a.m. because I have more energy throughout the day.

Morales says everyone is different and that people should work out when they feel they have the most energy.

"I work out at lunch," he said. "It's the only time I have. But, the main thing is that you have to give yourself that time. If you have that boost of energy at a certain point during the day I would recommend that you work out during that time."

Motivation is also another factor that seems to be lacking. Finding a good partner to go to the gym that has your schedule is a way to keep both of you going in day after day. My wife, Yolanda, and I keep each other motivated by trying to go together. Even though we don't do the same exercises, we encourage each other to get to the gym, and once you're there, that's more than half the battle. I know when one of us doesn't feel like going, after we are done with our workout, we can say that we are glad we went.

We are that family that has to alter our days and times around our work and kids. But, we have made that time for at least an hour three to four times a week, and we are happy to be able to do that for ourselves.

"I recommend to families to come in together," Morales said. "I know that moms have to fix dinners, and dads have to coach at games so finding time together can motivate the whole family to get healthy together."

The key seems to be getting there and doing a good hard workout for the allotted time that you have set for yourself. I know there are people that are at the gym and all they do is spin their wheels.

"To see results, you have to push yourself a little bit," Morales said. "Not doing your exercises sufficiently will keep you from seeing a difference. For the average person, I recommend that you mix in some cardio with some weight training."

There are plenty of gyms with various hours to keep everyone in Grant County healthy. Iniguez Physical Therapy has two fitness centers, one in Silver and Bayard, to keep its members busy. Bayard's hours are Monday through Friday, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The gym is also open Saturday's from 7 a.m. to noon.

The Billy Casper Wellness Center is open Monday through Friday, from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Danny Udero can be reached at

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