In a life packed with work, family, and friends, exercise sometimes falls by the wayside. However, incorporating activity into a hectic week is possible, and these locals are proof.
Allison Holt
Under 30 and an administrator at Wadesville Christian Day Care, Allison Holt makes time for exercise by focusing on small changes to everyday life.
“I’ve actually adopted a morning routine lately that helps me get ready for my workout and my day most productively,” says Holt. “I wake up an hour earlier than I need to get up for work, drink a glass of water, read and journal for a few minutes, then start my workout DVD.”
From there, it depends on the day.
With experience in several workout programs, she says she usually alternates between cardio and weights and includes abdominal work every other day.
Generally, the routines last about 30 minutes, the same amount of time as one television sitcom episode. They include a few minutes of warm-up and stretching to prepare the muscles, followed by a circuit of five different one-minute moves.
“That circuit will then be repeated two more times, with a short break in between, before it’s time to cool down from the workout,” she says. “You don’t have to work out for long periods of time in order for fitness to be effective.”
Brent Thorn
“Only on leg day does my face cramp,” says Brent Thorn, who works with Oswald Marketing and works out with Michelle Garrett Thomas, trainer at the YMCA and owner of Iron Mayhem Fitness.
Having sustained a spinal compression fracture while kickboxing, the 44-year-old had to overcome a few obstacles two and a half years ago, when he began training with Garrett Thomas.
Today, he exercises an hour or more five days per week — three with her and two on his own.
His specific routine depends on the day and varies by body part, but generally a workout with Garrett Thomas involves warming up on a cardio machine called Mad Max and heavy reps with relatively light weights.
Leg day means squats and Romanian deadlifts, among other sets to strengthen each individual muscle group.
Thorn, whose mother was a personal trainer, says Garrett Thomas is the only other person he knows with that same mindset and work ethic, and he appreciates it.
Jerome Stewart
Jerome Stewart is the President and CEO of Diversity Supply Company and approaches the age of 62 in October.
“I want to be as healthy as I can for as long as I can,” he says. “I’m in the best shape right now that I’ve ever been, because I keep pushing myself as I
get older.”
He exercises 2.5 hours per day, five to six days per week at the YMCA, often with his workout partner David Jones.
Each morning, he logs in to ActivTrax, which generates a report and gives structure to his routine. In a typical day, he completes an hour of cardio on a stationary bike, followed by weights or floor exercises for core strength.
Currently, Stewart is ranked No. 1 in the YMCA’s ActivTrax system. He plans to stay on top, but working out goes far beyond competition for him.
“The Y promotes body, mind, and spirit,” says Stewart, “and I incorporate all of that when I exercise.”
