Starting 2018 with resolve
Cindy Barnes, Chris Eustace embark on physical fitness journey
How many people get up New Year’s Day and proclaim this is the year they are going to accomplish something — anything?
And how many of those resolutions go unfulfilled?
In fact, more than 80 per cent of resolutions aren’t, and within six weeks are like dinosaurs — extinct.
Fitness would be the leading resolution made by people heading into any new year, including Cindy Barnes and Chris Eustace.
They’re committed to getting fit and The Telegram is going to tell you why.
Should they still be participating in their fitness program on Feb. 21, we will update their progress. If they’ve dropped out by then, we’ll find out why.
Personal trainer Chris Hammond of Good Life Fitness in Mount Pearl has programs for both participants with their particular goals in mind.
And to help them reach those goals, he has plenty of advice.
“I can’t emphasize enough for these guys — or for the public — that they can’t do it alone,” Hammond said.
“And you can’t do it all at once. We have set goals, but we are using periodization — in this case, six-week increments — to achieve those goals,” he added.
When it comes to new year’s resolutions, certain patterns emerge that keep people from succeeding: trying to do too much at once, setting goals that are vague, attempting to do it alone and being too hard on ourselves if there’s a lapse
of willpower.
But by applying sports psychology principles, it’s possible to set realistic, achievable resolutions and train your mind to stick with it, even when the going gets tough.
Barnes is the mother of two boys, now 21 and 15, the latter a competitive hockey player who has been working out with Hammond for some time. She owns her own business and spends most days, 12 hours in duration, sitting at a desk.
This didn’t bode well for her fitness, either mental or physical.
“Chris has been a godsend,” Barnes said Wednesday.
“I felt useless, not putting my best me forward. My energy level is low and my eating habits are terrible,” she added.
Barnes said she complained enough about herself at home that her husband decided
enough was enough and bought her a gym membership as a Christmas gift. She said it was the best gift she could get.
Setting short-term goals, Barnes says she is happy to be out of her 12-by-12 office, meeting people and renewing her energy and outlook.
Unlike most people who start fitness regimes, she says she is not going to be fixated on measurements — like weight and inches lost, but instead wants to feel good about herself.
Ending neglect
“I am not an athletic person by nature. I would rather sit down somewhere with a good book,” Eustace said.
“But you can’t neglect yourself either.”
He’s been away from the gym for a time and was in between trainers when Hammond entered the picture.
The pair established some goals. and the process of attaining the shape, strength and conditioning that would allow Eustace to carry out his work and personal activities was set in motion.
Most of the year, Eustace is a stay-at-home dad, but he works for Parks Canada in the summer on projects that involve a lot of physical exertion.
“I march around Signal Hill (in uniform) with a 50-pluspound pack on my back. I couldn’t be like a sack of potatoes in order to pull this off. So stamina, cardio and overall fitness are what I am working on,” he said.
Being in shape and being happy with his appearance are his priorities, but getting started again in a fitness routine was also key.
“We had to re-establish his foundational movements in order to build strength when we started,” Hammond said of Eustace.
“He wanted to work on his upper body, be in better shape and have better cardio so he didn’t get winded as easily.”
Eustace said he’s noticing the results of his training and is pushing harder now to achieve his goals.