Get moving

By CATHY SECKMAN
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
The world's favorite New Year's resolution -- to exercise and get in shape -- is staring many of us in the face this January. Along with the solemn vows to respect our bodies and establish a regular workout are the unshakable convictions that we'll never be able to do it. After all, how many times have we made and broken that same promise?
If this is the year you've resolved to be resolved, take a look at what's new in fitness.
"Over the last years," says Janet Pitzulo of Lady of America Fitness Center in Boardman, "the fitness industry has changed dramatically. People used to do aerobics barefoot, but we know better these days. Also, we know how important it is to stabilize your lower back. Things like [leg] lifts aren't done quickly anymore, but with purpose, with a controlled contraction of muscle."
Certification of trainers has changed as well. "Non-medical people are so specialized in their certifications," Pitzulo said. She is director of group fitness at the center, certified by the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) as a personal trainer and weight-lifting instructor. She has a bachelor's degree in education but has worked in the fitness industry since 1982.
Heart rate: Another big change in the industry is the popularity of heart rate monitors. "Ten years ago, the average person had no way of knowing where their heart rate should be. By the time they stopped exercising, found their pulse and counted, their pulse had already dropped. With a heart rate monitor, you can instantly determine your target rate. A monitor is about $50, but that's not much when you consider what you spend on shoes and workout clothes."
Training, certifications and improved monitoring translate to better service for the customer, and Pitzulo reports her clients are in great shape.
"We're always a few years behind the coasts, but the latest thing here is mat science." Designed through the AFAA, mat science develops core strength -- in other words, getting rid of that flabby potbelly. "Yoga, Pilates, the balance board -- anything focusing on functional strength in the midsection, elongating those muscles -- is incorporated in mat science classes. We don't just work the biceps, but the body as a whole."
Mat science is good for the lower back, for flexibility and for upper body strength, Pitzulo reports. "It's all about quality, not quantity. You may only do five [repetitions], but they're done slowly, with a lot of thought for the quality in each one."
Diverse crowd: At Club Olympia on Boardman-Canfield Road, fitness is more popular than ever. The club reports that its clients come from all age groups. People with back trouble and other health problems make up much of the clientele, and they seem to prefer traditional exercise options. Spinning is the most popular activity at Club Olympia, followed by aerobics, kickboxing and karate. The gym also has high-tech machines.
Besides gyms, fitness centers and aerobic and dance studios, many chiropractic and physical therapy offices in the area provide places for patients to exercise, along with structured fitness and wellness programs.
Christopher A. Morakis, a licensed massotherapist and certified fitness trainer at the office of chiropractor Dr. James Graneto, uses a strict thoracic and lumbar protocol for fitness training.
Floor exercises, elastic bands and exercise balls are used.
"It's like rehabilitation," he said. "We work on proper body mechanics, postural analysis and stabilization, then strength and conditioning. When we send a patient off on their way, we recommend they try to maintain as much of the exercise protocol as they can. We try to have a certain level of exercise embedded in them when they leave here."
The important thing, says Pitzulo, whether you use a structured exercise program or not, is as easy as this: get moving.