Stephanie Alexander
Entertainment Editor
@stephanierose2u

No matter what year it is, the most common New Year’s resolution is to lose weight. Gyms are packed in January and by mid-February people usually revert back to their old ways, thinking, “I have a whole year to achieve this goal.”

And the cycle continues up to the point that its already the next New Year’s Eve.

If you are too afraid to go in the scary muscular corner of weights or the front row of treadmills, find a few workout buddies and make it a routine to go to Zumba or PiYo every week. Having a workout posse can help you stay accountable for your fitness.

Coppell High School senior hockey player Scott Brownrigg and junior Lariette Riley O’Hearn are my two close friends and “personal trainers.”

“My motivation is to be better than I was yesterday; I don’t like being mediocre. I want to constantly better myself and be above average,” Brownrigg said. “If I push myself physically in the gym, it helps me push myself mentally and improve in other areas of my life as well.”

Brownrigg hopes to study kinesiology at Baylor next fall in hopes of ending up with a career involving health.

“I really want to learn in depth and advance stuff about the body: how to improve it, what makes it work, just everything about it so I can apply it to myself and pass it on to others so they can improve their life,” Brownrigg said.

O’Hearn is an employee at Coppell’s Texas Family Fitness and has learned a lot from her work experience and her parents. Her father is a general doctor and mother is a nutritionist.

“My mom always says losing weight equals 80 percent what you eat and 20 percent working out. You can workout all you want, but if you’re not eating healthy you aren’t going to see the result you want,” O’Hearn said.

Fad diets and counting calories are not the way to go about losing weight. Healthy eating is a lifestyle you adapt to.

Most people think they have to deprive themselves of their cravings, or sometimes skip meals. Skipping meals actually makes your body go into a type of defense mechanism that packs in more weight. Depriving yourself of anything is not healthy in the slightest. If you know you and your friends are going out to eat somewhere, order what you want and split it with a friend. Portion control and moderation are key parts to a healthy lifestyle. Don’t be afraid of using a to-go box, they say leftovers are better anyway.

“Breakfast should be your biggest meal so you can have all day to burn those carbs and calories,” Brownrigg said. “What you eat really depends on what your goals are. If you’re trying to get bigger, you want more carbs. No candy, have a high protein diet. If you want to lose weight, you need to cut down on the carbs, no sugar. Important to eat your veggies, lots of clean eating, clean proteins.”

After my workouts I drink a cleansing smoothie with greens like kale or spinach, fruits and coconut water. The thought of any leaf in my smoothie used to make me cringe, but with all the health benefits and surprisingly sweet flavor, the color of the drink does not seem to matter much.

Coppell’s Texas Family Fitness manager Robby Karl has a strong motive and drive to stay fit and does not hesitate to help out club members.

“My advice is come in here even if you don’t like it, it will be beneficial to you in the long run. Even though time is valuable, a little of your time will be a huge benefit to your body,” Karl said. “Give a little [time] now, and live a lot longer.

“Have a goal. If you are driven by your appearance, then look in the mirror each day and work till you get to the point you want and keep going,” Karl said.

Karl’s family health history is the first thing that motivated him to get fit.

“We have a long history of heart problems on my dad’s side of the family, except my dad because he was the only one that didn’t smoke and was active. So I’ve been very active so I don’t have to go through any of that,” Karl said. “I love to help people when they come in for advice I’m happy to show them what’s going on because I don’t want them to suffer from whatever problems they may have or get from not taking care of themselves.”

First try sprucing up your workout routine. Your body can get used to your usual workout regimen, so it is very important not to do the same thing each time.

For cardio, do intervals. The idea of walking up an endless staircase probably is not appealing or fun to anyone, but make stairmaster time fun with a motivating playlist and switching up speeds. What I do is two minute intervals of straight walking, skipping a step, walking sideways and then backwards. When on the treadmill, try running every other minute, maybe increasing the speed each interval and messing with the inclines.

Being a very music oriented person, the perfect workout playlist is key to make me go the extra mile (literally). You can make your own or find pre made playlists online that will take you to finish line.

The “burn” we hear about actually comes from lifting weights. Most girls are afraid of lifting weights because they think they will bulk up, when in reality females do not have enough testosterone to bulk up as easily as guys do.

“Most people think that cardio is the way to go to lose weight, but if you want to tone your body and be fit lifting weights is the better option,” O’Hearn said. “By lifting weights, you build muscle which burns fat faster than running or doing cardio.”

O’Hearn uses a ‘pyramid trick’ when doing weights.

“Do 12 reps as a warm up on a good amount of weight and as you go up in weight, you go lower in the amount of reps like 8,6,4 etc.” O’Hearn said.

So join your local gym if you have not already. There are people just like you working towards the same goals. Do not be afraid to ask questions to the workers, because that is what they are there for.

“Everyone is in there for the same reason, don’t be nervous,” Brownrigg said. “Don’t think that just because you haven’t started that you can’t start. It’s never too late to go in; start off easy and build your way into it.”

Once you keep up with your fitness routine, it will become a second nature for you. Once you get into it, you will become unstoppable. I hope you all have a happy and healthy 2015.