Back on the wagon

Vic Nigri has noticed that new clients are coming to his gym later in the new year, rather than rushing through the doors in the first days of January.  

Vic, owner of The Fitness Center on Montclair Avenue, said he attributes the trend to the classic New Year’s Resolution story: individuals, excited about getting in shape, try to work out on their own only to realize they can’t stick with it.

“I think one of the biggest things,” Vic said, “is the reason they fall off the wagon is because they wind up putting too much pressure on themselves.”

Vic said many people try to do too much too fast—and end up getting discouraged at not attaining their “perfect” goal.

“It’s not about perfection. It’s about progress and improvement,” he said.

Vic and his wife, Beth, have been operating The Fitness Center for 22 years, making the location a fitness landmark in the Mountain Brook area.

Beth said she attributes their success to the success customers find by turning to a personal trainer rather than trying to exercise alone.

“It keeps you focused,” she said. “You’ve got to stay focused on what you’re doing if you want to get results.”

Vic agreed, adding that the accountability a personal trainer provides can give individuals a push to succeed that would not exist if they simply tried to go to exercise when they felt like it.

“That’s where the personal training comes in. It gets you over the hump. It gets you the progress that you need,” he said.

Across town on Overton Road, a group of three trainers is also hoping to encourage those who have had slip-ups on their resolution plans to give it another try.

“If you did start a New Year’s resolution, and here we are coming up into March and maybe you didn’t accomplish the goals you had initially set out to do, the first thing I would say is don’t be discouraged,” Meta Fitness Studio co-owner Matt Crane said.

Meta Fitness Studio, which opened in late February, brings together the combined 30 years of training experience of owners Crane, Scott Cannon and Mike Smith. 

The trio, who worked together for four years at another fitness location, hope to bring personalized, one-on-one training to the area and create a place where people can see real results in an environment that is accepting and non-judgmental.

“A lot of times, what I see, is people go in really hard at it. They set these really lofty goals for themselves that are just really unrealistic, and when they don’t reach those they get really frustrated and discouraged,” Crane said.

The best way to individuals to combat that, he said, is for them to be conscious of how their body feels, not necessarily what the number on the scale says.

“Everybody’s needs are different,” he said.

Tips and Advice

For those claiming they have no time for a fitness plan, both Crane and Vic Nigri had thoughts on finding the time to exercise.

“Treat it as you would any other appointment that you need to go to that’s necessary,” Crane said, “because it’s your health. You only get one body.”

For Nigri, it’s a simple trade-off: the time is going to be spent either in the gym or in the doctor’s office.

“I say, ‘Well, if you don’t have time for your sessions, do you have time to get sick?’” and he added that if you try, it’s usually easy to find a time that will fit.

For those looking to start a new, sustainable fitness program, both Crane and Nigri again had advice on things to be mindful of and to avoid.

“Anything promising big-time results in a short amount of time, I would be wary of that,” Crane said. He added that it is important to look for programs that take the individual’s specific needs into account.

Nigri agreed that fads and programs with grand promises are often fraudulent, and can even be dangerous.

Instead, he suggested taking the “slow and steady” approach and looking for a lifestyle change.

“By working out on a regular basis, by eating healthy, you can do it, but you can do it in a safe manner,” Nigri said.