Now that the holiday season is behind us, it’s time to get focused on creating the best version of you in 2015. Jump on the New Year bandwagon and make a commitment to yourself to not only get in shape this year but to make this resolution last throughout the year.
In order to find out the best ways to make this goal a reality, a few of Hillcrest’s top personal trainers shared their tips for staying fit in 2015 with San Diego LGBT Weekly. There’s no need to panic. It may be easier than you think!
There are a variety of ways to work out and many gym options in Hillcrest and the surrounding areas, including Function First, CrossFit Hillcrest and Fix Body Group. While each gym offers fitness and physical training, they each also specialize in certain areas. Hopefully one of these gyms will be the right match for you!
Function First
Named as the best gym in San Diego’s “Best of” awards in three of the last four years, Mission Hills’ Function First offers an assortment of classes and training sessions.
Two of the most popular workout options at Function First are the corrective exercise programs, which are internationally recognized and meant for helping people with either chronic or moderate pain, and semi-private personal training.
“The semi private training is exceptionally popular and allows many people access to our high level trainers who might not normally be able to afford them,” said Anthony Carey, the CEO and founder of Function First.
Carey, who was named the Professional Fitness Magazine’s 2009 Personal Trainer of the Year, opened the gym in 1994. He credits the quality of the staff for the gyms’ success over the years.
At Function First, the trainers try to help the client discover why they want to reach certain fitness goals.
“Someone doesn’t set a goal of losing 10 pounds just to lose 10 pounds,” said Carey. “By dipping just a little deeper, you can find it is usually tied to something much more important and personal.”
CrossFit Hillcrest
Mike Stoll, owner of CrossFit Hillcrest and a certified trainer, believes that CrossFit has one of the fastest results of any form of exercise.
Stoll discovered CrossFit in 2010 through some Navy Seals while stationed overseas in Bahrain. He began training with them and was amazed at how quickly he saw results. In six months, he went from one of the slowest players on his rugby team to the second fastest.
“I’ve been working out my whole life and I never did anything that worked as rapidly as CrossFit,” said Stoll.
CrossFit differs from other workouts because of the high level of intensity of the workouts. Most workouts take between 30 minutes and one hour and involve a variety of moves, including Olympic lifts, gymnastics and anaerobic cardiovascular training.
CrossFit Hillcrest, which opened in 2013, offers classes six days a week for people at least 18 years of age. Each class is open to all skill levels and the instructor tailors the workout to each person’s ability.
“Honestly the people who are in the worst shape get the best results after,” said Stoll. “I can take someone who is in awful shape and in three months CrossFit can have a huge impact on their health and fitness.”
Starting in January, CrossFit Hillcrest will begin a new class for people 55 years of age and up that will focus on strength and agility.
“It’s amazing how many people, as they get older, fall into the trap of believing that they’re not capable of doing the things that they were capable of when they were younger,” said Stoll. “It’s something that society has dumped on us, this image of the frail elderly person, but I’ve seen amazing results from the over 70 crowd.”
Fix Body Group
While Hillcrest’s Fix Body Group offers a range of health and fitness activities, including buddy training, outdoor group workouts and corrective exercise training, their most popular workout service is private one-on-one personal training.
CJ Marsh brought 11 years of personal training experience to Fix Body Group when he joined the gym in July to begin the personal training department.
“Our trainers work with some of the most elite athletes and Olympians,” said Marsh. “If they trust their fitness, conditioning and performance goals to us, we feel like anyone can.”
Before getting started with training at Fix Body Group, everyone undergoes a comprehensive initial assessment, which measures your blood pressure, heart rate and other important health information. Then the trainer works with you to create a fitness plan.
“It’s almost impossible to get where you’re going without a plan,” said Marsh. “Especially if it’s been a long time since you’ve been there, or if you’ve never been there.
“(Also), it tends to be helpful to seek out professional assistance, someone to guide you and motivate you to keep on the path to success; for some it’s just a matter of having someone hold you accountable,” Marsh continued.
In addition to the fitness department, Fix Body Group also offers chiropractic, physical therapy, acupuncture, massage and other services to keep your body in top shape.
Stay motivated
Now that you’re aware of some of the workout options available in the Hillcrest area, let’s talk ways to stay motivated and turn your New Year’s work out resolution into a yearlong activity.
The trainers agree that setting an incentive is a great way to go. Make a promise to yourself that if you reach your goal, you can get a special treat. On the flip side, you can also create a punishment for skipping classes.
“You can’t say, ‘if I don’t stick to my New Year’s resolution then I’ll give someone a dollar,’” said Stoll. “That’s not enough of an incentive. But if you say you’re going to give someone a hundred dollars, it can help you stick to your goals.”
CrossFit Hillcrest is even offering their own incentive to new clients who sign up during the first week of January. Anyone who signs up for their Fundamentals class, which is required before joining the regular classes, and sticks with the gym for three months will receive a $50 refund and anyone who lasts six months will get $100 back in their pocket.
Forming a sense of community at the gym can also help people stick to their fitness goals. By taking the time to meet your fellow gym members, working out can turn into a social event as well as help to hold you accountable to your commitment to staying in shape.
“What gets people to come back over and over again is that their friends are here,” said Stoll. “We encourage new members to do really well and stick with it. There’s a lot of community support with CrossFit.”
Starting slow and creating small goals works well for beginners as well.
“People do best by beginning with a few small changes that can be expanded upon over time,” said Carey. “It is helpful to experience some success and build momentum. Trying to totally revamp your health all at once is a recipe for overwhelm and frustration. Both can lead to total abandonment of fitness goals.”
It’s also important to continue to re-evaluate your fitness goals throughout the year.
“What someone wants on Jan. 1, most likely will be very different from what they would want June 1, or on Sept. 1, and so on,” said Marsh. “Because of that we continue to re-evaluate each individual and set goals with them that relate not only specifically to them, but to exactly where their body is at in the process.”
While exercising is important to maintaining a healthy body, what you eat and put into your body is equally important. Revamping your diet in the New Year will greatly improve your overall health and will make achieving the body of your dreams much easier.
“Science tells us that if we are not putting quality fuel into our body and the right amount of that fuel, our health will suffer the most,” said Carey. “Having said that, optimal health comes from quality nutrition and quality movement combined with adequate rest and restoration.”
Function First
3974 Dove Street
San Diego, CA 92103
619-285-9218, functionfirst.com
CrossFit Hillcrest
3746 Sixth Ave.
San Diego, CA 92103
858-859-2809, crossfithillcrest.com
Fix Body Group
1010 University Avenue C201
San Diego, CA 92103
619-295-9791, fixbodygroup.com
