A fit new year

It’s the beginning of a new year, and most people generally want to get fit and healthy. Fitness experts from around Mountain Brook have offered their advice to make 2016 your healthiest year yet.

 Iron Tribe of Mountain Brook

15 Dexter Ave.

Dustin Graham said he hears from people all the time who want to get healthy.

“Most people know the basics of it,” said Graham, manager of Iron Tribe of Mountain Brook. “They know they need to eat better, they know they need to get exercising. Anyone can go online and find plans for those things, but if they are by themselves, the chances of doing it alone and sticking with it are very low.”

What so often bridges the gap, he said, is doing it with other people.

What are some reasons it’s so important to have other people doing it with you? At Iron Tribe, you start out with a lot of people who are in the same boat. So there’s a community dynamic there. You help each other. You compete with each other. You push each other harder as you see each other progress toward goals.

What else about Iron Tribe helps you stick with it? At typical gyms where you pay for a membership, go in and do your thing and leave, a very high percentage of the people who have that membership don’t use it regularly. And when they do go, they don’t know what to do. We are more like personal training. We have guided programs, warm-ups and a guided process of learning all our movements well. Everything is directed, and they get to meet a lot of people who are very much like them and start to develop community.

Chambers Total Body

600 Olde English Lane #104

Marlon Chambers, a personal trainer who owns Chambers Total Body Personal Training and Weight Loss Studio in English Village, says “team dynamic” is so important to sticking with fitness goals.

Getting a personal trainer might seem like a big or intimidating step for someone who isn’t in a regular workout routine. So what makes it something worth considering? The team effort is so important. That way, you’re not in it alone. We offer one-on-one personal training, but we also do couple and small-group training. In every one of those scenarios, you’ve got someone else with you. You can sit down, write those goals out and have others hold you accountable to those goals. Progress comes with consistency and accountability, and through progress you meet that overall goal that you want to achieve. Many people have goals, but a lot of them never sit down and set up the steps for achieving those goals.

What’s one example of a tip you give your clients? Keep your meals frequent. Don’t go too long without getting balanced nutrition. A lot of people think they are OK or better off by not eating, and that’s the exact opposite of how you want to go about losing weight. The longer we go without eating, the more your body holds on to fat or stores fat. These are the kinds of small goals that need to be put in place to see your major New Year’s goals materialize with accountability.

So what exactly does that accountability look like at your studio? I make phone calls and send emails and text messages to encourage people and make sure they are sticking with their exercise and nutrition regiment, even on days when they don’t have a workout schedule. In my opinion, it definitely helps to have more than just themselves vested in their health. I think it’s very effective.

Mountain Brook Yoga

2416 Canterbury Road

Brooke Smith also talks about the community aspect of exercise when she discusses her experience at Mountain Brook Yoga. 

“Our students become part of our yoga family,” she said. “We offer a lot of personalized attention.”

So what does that personalized attention look like? We offer private sessions if someone’s a little nervous about doing yoga for the first time, if it feels like it’s too much of a step out of their comfort zone. But even in our regular classes, a lot of our teachers modify their classes so that they are great for everyone, including people who have never done yoga before. And another beautiful thing is that we are still such a young studio that the classes are small right now. It’s a great time to step in and try it and get comfortable with the teachers. Everyone is personable and knowledgeable.

And you have a class called Fat Girl Yoga? Tell me about that. Fat Girl Yoga is a class on Thursday nights. Nancy, our instructor who leads it, wanted to eliminate the stereotype associated with that word. It’s designed for women with fuller figures — or larger men — to learn how to move in a way that’s comfortable and safe for them and love their bodies. But it really is for everybody.

Why do you like yoga in general? It changes so many people’s lives. You’ll get strength. You’ll get balance, not just on your mat but in your life. Yoga can help with depression and anxiety and aid in digestion. It’s a help for your total mind, body and spirit. It’s made me more patient with my children and more patient with my husband.

What would you say to encourage people who aren’t sure about it? Come in the door for the first time and talk to us, look at the schedule and ask questions. If you’ve got a fast-paced life and need to chill out, it may be for you.

Grand Jete Barre Fitness

2008 Cahaba Road

Whitney Owenby said for people who might be a little curious about what barre fitness might be like, “You’ll never come to Grand Jete Barre and not feel welcome.”

What’s so welcoming about Grand Jete Barre? We make a point to learn your name and follow up with you, and we get together outside of class. There are little coffee groups who go up to Continental Bakery for coffee after class. What makes us unique is that we are a community of women who get together and get to know each other. That’s what keeps me there — it’s more than just a workout.

But the workout itself is fantastic, you said? What’s it like? Yes, it’s fantastic! It’s something your body can handle year after year, and you don’t grow tired of it because we change the routine so frequently. There are also so many fitness levels participating that it’s not intimidating. It’s modeled after the barre method in classical ballet. You do everything from ballet moves to squat jumps and planks. We incorporate yoga, plyometrics, Pilates and cardio, and in every class there are ways to make it more doable and ways to make it more challenging. Clients range from sixth graders to women in their 70s. We have some high schoolers, but we have older women too.

And the first class is free? The first class is free, and we offer a four-class discounted package in January, so January’s the perfect time to come give it a try.