(ARA) – Megan Johnson did something at 33 that she’d dreamed of since college — she entered a bodybuilding, figure and fitness competition and placed a respectable seventh in the figure category.

What’s the big deal? In addition to her age — the average female figure contestant is about 28 — she’s a mom of four: Max, 7, and triplets Hank, Sam, and Sophia, 6. She also employed a rather unusual workout regimen for a competitive figure contestant.

“I gained 25 pounds in college,” says Johnson, “mostly because I’ve always hated cardio. Weights I would do, but I just wouldn’t do anything aerobic.”

When Max arrived, Johnson knew it was going to be even harder to lose weight unless she faced her cardio phobia. That’s when she found a local women’s-only fitness center whose philosophy combined strength training and cardio.

“I belonged to a serious weight-lifting gym and I had doubts,” says Johnson, “But I knew I would never realize my dream unless I changed tactics, so I quit my gym and jumped right in.”

Johnson checked her progress against a friend who was training for the same event. “She lifted weights and did cardio two to three hours a day, six days a week. I did my 30-minute workout, three to five days a week, and nothing else. Our results were comparable.”

Research supports Johnson’s experience. Addressing the American College of Sports Medicine recently, Dr. Richard Kreider presented the results of the 2008 Curves/Avon Fitness Study, which tracked 43,000 women through the 30-day challenge. Participants worked out at Curves three times a week and were encouraged to walk an additional 120 minutes a week. The women saw considerable decreases in weight, body fat, inches, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar. “It’s possible to make significant improvements with this type of program,” says Kreider.

Johnson took multivitamins and followed her gym’s eating plan. She loved the flexibility, meal plans and recipes. “I make the chili all the time,” she says.

“People think you have to work out for hours a day to get really fit,” says Johnson, “but I’ve proven to myself that’s not true. As a mom of four, I don’t have time even if I wanted to. And the good news is, if I give it my all during those 30 minutes, I don’t have to.”

Megan’s Favorite Cozy Comfort Chili

“I make this in batches of 25 servings and freeze in one-cup portions,” says Johnson. “Take one out, reheat, top with cheese and enjoy.”

Ingredients:

Garlic, to taste
Onion, to taste
Celery, to taste
Bell Pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon oil
3 ounces 95 percent lean ground beef
1/2 can diced tomatoes, with juice
1/4 cup black beans, cooked
1/4 cup pinto beans, cooked
1/4 cup kidney beans, cooked
1/4 cup shredded low-fat cheese

Directions:

Saute your favorite vegetables and spices (you can use unlimited amounts of them) in oil. Add lean ground beef and cook through. Stir in diced tomatoes with juice, black, pinto and kidney beans. Stir and cook until bubbly. Top with 1 ounce (1/4 cup) shredded low fat cheese.

Recipe from the “Curves Fitness & Weight Management Plan.”

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans released by HHS states that adults can gain substantial health benefits from physical activity by doing two hours and 30 minutes (150 minutes) a week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity coupled with strength training activities. A review by the American College of Sports Medicine states that a greater level of activity is needed to prevent weight gain, produce weight loss, or maintain a weight loss. Maintenance of a weight loss takes the most activity — 250 minutes a week. Starting slow and maintaining motivation are key to staying active for the long term. A great way to get started is to join a walking team and set a goal such as walking a 5K. The camaraderie and team spirit will help you stay motivated and keep you on track.

To boost your weight-loss efforts, Weight Watchers has engaged the Active Network, a leading online community that promotes exercise, to help encourage the importance of physical activity and support efforts to get more active. Active.com trainer Jenny Hadfield suggests the following tips to start moving more:

Go for the goal
Whether it’s to walk in a 5K, or simply set up a course in the neighborhood to walk with friends, set a tangible goal. Write that goal on paper and mark a date to reach it to stay accountable. Keep in mind that trainers estimate it takes an average of three weeks to form a new habit and eight weeks to prepare for a 5K (3.1 miles).

Evolution versus revolution
Evolve into a fitness routine; don’t give your body a reason to revolt. Start where you are instead of where you want to be to prevent injury or burn out. To determine your level of activity, get a pedometer and see how many steps you take in a day. Each week, try to increase the number of steps by 500 to 1,000 with a long-term goal of walking 10,000 steps per day.

Switch to manual
Bypassing everyday conveniences can help a person move more. Take the stairs. Climb the escalator. Keep your car parked at a large strip mall and trek from store to store. Walk to your coworker’s office instead of calling or e-mailing them. These small changes can add up to big results.

Get fit with friends and family
Gather a group of friends and set a time to walk or run each week. The commitment provides a built-in source of accountability and can make it more fun. Make activity a family event as well, by adding a sense of variety and adventure on the weekends. Whether it’s organizing a hike with your spouse or a treasure hunt with the kids, getting the buy-in from family with help you reach your goal.

Fitness checking account
Think of the food you eat as money spent, and the activity burned as a deposit, similar to a checking account. For those with busy schedules challenged to find a slot of 30 minutes to exercise, break it up throughout the day. Ten minutes at lunch walking the parking lot; 10 minutes power shopping at the grocery store; and adding 10 minutes to the walk to get the mail. Just like money, whether it’s one big deposit or three small deposits, all denominations add up. If you’re following the Weight Watchers program, adding up activity POINTS values can translate into extra POINTS values for food.

Visit a Weight Watchers meeting for additional support. To find a meeting location near you visit www.weightwatchers.comor call (800) 651-6000.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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