Ah, it’s a new year. Time to break out those resolutions – save more, eat less, get in shape.
About that last one. It might seem like a great idea to increase your personal fitness, but how do you stick with it over the long haul? And better yet, how do you avoid injury?
Luckily, there are plenty of experts in many fitness pursuits in the Riverside and Brookfield areas who can lend a hand.
For Grace Roman, recreation supervisor at the Riverside Parks and Recreation Department, 43 E. Quincy St., taking classes makes a lot of sense for one important reason:
“You have an instructor that can help you, keeping you interested and engaged and making it a permanent decision,” she said, adding the department has a gaggle of fitness-based classes, like yoga, tai chi and taekwondo.
But that’s not all.
Consider its Abdominal Assault class on Mondays, which targets abs, the back and legs. Right after that is Cardio Kickboxing, so residents and non-residents alike can take them back-to-back for maximum effect. Cardio kickboxing is a full body workout class, focusing on muscle endurance, strengthening and toning.
That’ll get the blood flowing. But so will another martial art – Brazilian jiu jitsu, which is a lot like wrestling, with the goal to get your opponent to submit to one of dozens of holds.
Jon Tutaj is the owner of Tutaj Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, 1770 S. Harlem Ave. in North Riverside, which offers a free introductory class to those who want to give it a shot. Once on the mat, he said, they’re usually hooked.
The focus of his program isn’t only on physical well-being. It’s the mental aspect of dealing with the pressures of life.
“When you come in here, you have all these things going through your head – work, kids, job,” Tutaj said. “Everything bouncing around. When you’re on the mats, you can’t be thinking about that stuff. You have to be in the moment, and you have to be paying attention.”
He added, “You forget about that other stuff while you’re here, and when you leave, you’re not focusing on that stuff.”
Lots of people swam as kids, and perhaps that’s something you’d like to dive back into (pardon the pun). Mike Laurich, the Riverside-Brookfield High School boys and girls swim coach and head coach for the Academy Bullets Swim Club, provides counsel.
The first lesson: If you have swum before, in high school or even college, take it easy. You might have swum 500 yards back in the day, but now, try swimming 10 times from one end of the pool to the other. Then build from there.
“Each day I’m going to go a little further and faster, but not put the pedal to the metal, so to speak,” he said.
The hardest part, even for Laurich, is to actually get into the pool.
“It’s just getting in the water, the shock you have when you jump in,” he said. “But when you’re in the water, it’s awesome. It’s also almost meditative.”
What about hiring a personal trainer? That’s a good route for someone who wants either in-home or facility-based training.
Matthew Kornblatt is the founder and owner of RightFit Personal Training, which is based in Chicago but has trainers and clients in both Riverside and Brookfield.
Fitness, Kornblatt said, isn’t cookie cutter. That’s to say one size doesn’t fit all. It’s important for a person to work with a trainer who understands their unique goals and physical capabilities and limitations, in order to structure a personalized program.
“Another benefit is when you’re working with a personal trainer, that creates an extra level of accountability,” he said. “You’re going to set a schedule, once a week or three times a week, and you’re committing to exercising.”
You also don’t need a home gym and lots of exercise equipment. A trainer can bring exercise bands and medicine balls to your residence, for example.
But maybe all you want to do is just get out and simply run. Sarah Sexton Martinez is treasurer of Best Foot Forward Road Runners Club, a women’s club based in Oak Park but counts residents from this area as members.
Since we’re in the dead of winter, it’s obvious that stretching profusely and starting slow is the way to go. Consulting with your doctor beforehand also isn’t a bad idea.
But consider what you wear, too.
“A good base layer that will wick away the moisture from your skin,” she said, “and then another layer, [like a] fleece. Gloves or mittens so you don’t lose the sensation in your fingers. A good hat, and depending on how cold it is, a facemask would be a good choice.”