There are no short cuts to shaping up

In our industry we are constantly meeting people looking for a quick fix to their healthrelated problems. They want to be thinner now. They want to run faster now. Now, now, now.

The truth is that it took years to get into the condition they are trying to fix, and the truth is that “now” isn’t realistic.

That’s not what they want to hear.

If you are someone trying to get yourself in better shape, please stop and take a moment to think about what the honest truth is. Do the math on how long you have had bad habits.

If you want honest, lasting results for weight loss, for example, you should aim for one pound of weight loss per week. And that may not happen in the first three weeks.

Changing longterm bad habits is not easy.

The greatest success on something like this is when an entire family or a few friends work together keeping each other incheck and accountable.

People see the television show “The Biggest Loser” and want what those contestants get: 3 to 16 pounds of weight loss every single time they weigh in.

What those people don’t realize is we only see 40 minutes of the actual work they did in a full week. Not to mention, the contestants on “Biggest Loser” are whisked away from everything except exercise. They have zero distractions.

And who really knows what they are actually eating every day? Again, we only see a few moments here and there.

You cannot safely lose that much weight and live a normal lifestyle—“normal” meaning you have a job and a family to be a part of every day. Plus, you need to squeeze sleep in there. Oh, and don’t forget vacations and fun time with friends.

Now look at all the advertising surrounding your life. It’s everywhere. Promises, guarantees and lots of things we want to happen now, now, now.

It’s irresponsible and lazy to advertise like this. Does anyone actually follow through on the guarantee? Probably not. Read the fine print.

We are all smart people. Somehow we’ve managed to survive Planet Earth up to this point in our lives. We’ve been through a lot already.

So wake up to the reality of your personal health situation. Stop being treated like an idiot. Do something to push yourself toward a better lifestyle that you can actually maintain.

We are each different in every way. The common sense and most honest way to improve your health (lose weight, get off medication, get stronger, get more energy, etc.) is to eat nutritious food and increase your physical activity every day. It’s not rocket science.

Here in Simi Valley we have hundreds of options, from free to expensive. Here are some ideas:

•There are incredible trails, and the Rancho Simi Trail Blazers have regular hikes you can join for free. Visit the website www.RanchoSimiTrailblazers.com for more information.

•You can take your family to Rancho Santa Susana Park or Lemon Park (Rancho Tapo Park) where the city has kept a dirt track perfectly manicured to walk or run on, which has less impact on your body than concrete or asphalt. Go to the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District website, www.rsrpd.org, to see the many different parks. Surely there is one in your neighborhood.

•Have a gym membership? Go! Find a few friends and pick out some classes you’ve never tried before. Gyms sell the majority of their memberships over the New Year’s resolution “season.” You pay every month whether you go or not, so go.

•Go to your local library and check out books about nutritious eating, not low-calorie, low-fat, no-fat eating.

•You can always pay a personal trainer or join a boot camp.

Whatever you do, don’t sit still.

The bottom line for each of us is that if we want lasting results we have to put some “skin in the game,” as they say.

You cannot get lasting results in four weeks by starving yourself. Set a one pound per week goal, and then you have to get moving and eating nutritiously.

Sarita Shoemaker is co-owner of 805 Boot Camp in Simi Valley and a certified group fitnss instruc tor and lifestyle and weight man agement consultant with the Ameri can Council on Exercise (ACE). Shoemaker can be reached at (805) 823-3409 or send an e-mail to Sarita@805BootCamp.com.