Fitness pays : Gyms, nutrition stores among those to cash in on health craze
October 27, 2004
By Jordan Hernandez
LAFAYETTE — If proper diet and regular exercise are the keys to a healthy lifestyle, then Angie Caesar is on her way.
Caesar, a surgery unit coordinator at Southwest Medical Center, said she had started walking and trying to eat better but got discouraged after she didn’t see results right away.
That same problem plagues many people trying new diets or exercise routines, said Herman and Sherman Smith, the “Subway Twins,” who were in Lafayette on Tuesday to promote the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk.
“It’s not going to happen overnight,” Sherman Smith said. “It took us two years and a complete lifestyle change to reach our goals.”
Getting educated about what works for individuals is the real key to getting fit and maintaining it, he said.
“Do something different — pick something that works for you, choose well and do well with it,” Herman Smith said.
For some, that choice is a particular diet; for others, it’s joining a fitness center, said Angie Hebert, fitness manager at the Fontana Center.
Hebert said the center saw a drop in members after
the low-carb diet craze because people thought they
could lose
weight simply by changing their diet.
“You’re not going to get anything sitting on the couch,” she said. “It’s not a quick fix. It takes a lifestyle change.”
Current gym-goers tend to be people looking more for a healthy lifestyle rather than just trying to lose weight, Hebert said. But, education is the key, she said.
“Every individual is different, and they’ve got to do the research to find out what you specifically need to do for your goals,” she said.
Another avenue is through nutritional stores such as Planet Nutrition in Lafayette. Owner Chad Simon said he sees around 75 to 100 customers a day, several of whom spend nearly $100 for a month’s supply of dietary supplements.
“They’re all looking for quick-fix products, but that’s the problem ... there is none. These supplements don’t solve all the problems,” he said.
Some bodybuilders come in for muscle and weight-gain products such as creatine, which can cost about $75 for a month’s supply.
“They tell me it’s worth it,” Simon said of his customers. “But, it’s really a three-step process with diet, exercise and these supplements. There’s no miracle pill.”
While some may spend the money on supplement pills, others, like Caesar, will just stick to the exercise.
“I was walking three times a week but now I’m going five times a week,” she said. “It takes time.”
Source:www.acadiananow.com
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