Shreveport-Bossier Personal Training

Reprinted from the Tribune-Star: By Howard Greninger

TERRE HAUTE — An employee wellness program aimed at reducing health insurance costs to the city of Terre Haute appears to be working, reducing claims 4.5 percent so far this year, said Sara Clark, risk management coordinator.

“Our insurance provider is Anthem, which has seen across-the-board 14 percent increases in their accounts, so for us to see a decrease is a really big deal. The only difference between this year and last year is the wellness program, which began last July 1. We attribute the savings to taxpayers to our wellness program,” Clark said.

Terre Haute in June 2007 signed a one-year, $108,000 contract with Fitness Experts, 811 Ohio St., for free gym memberships plus 42 hours per week of personal training plus health and fitness consultation. The company also tracks results and helps create interest in fitness, Clark said.

The city’s 545 full-time employees are eligible for the program, plus part-time employees and spouses can use the program at a discount of $20 per month, Clark said.

During the past six weeks, employees could participate in a “Biggest Loser” challenge for weight loss by percentage of body weight lost. (more…)

Personal trainer Brian Atterbury from Oklahoma has written a great article about fitness being about the journey, not just the destination. Below is a excerpt from the article at NewsOK.com:

Scheduling workouts is important, too. You must schedule times for weights, cardio and classes to make it happen. You should not decide to go if you “feel like it.” Realistically, not very many people feel like it as much as they actually do it. Many times I could have justified not doing my workouts because of various excuses, but I know the consequences, and being out of shape is worse to me than the exercise session I am wanting to skip. You must look past the process and focus on the outcome.

Personal training is another tool for success. Personal trainers offer accountability, knowledge and motivation. Many people get frustrated because they are not progressing but refuse to hire a trainer because they have been working out for many years and supposedly know a lot. That is even more a reason to hire a trainer. People sometimes can be their own worst enemy because they do not think outside of the box. Qualified personal trainers can offer a vast amount to clients from beginner to the more advanced. Make sure you check their credentials.

You must establish realistic goals. Set goals not only for the ultimate outcome but for how you are going to get there. For example, set up workout times for weights. Establish the mode, duration and frequency of the cardiovascular training. Establish your heart rate level on the cardio you choose. You need to set up calorie levels that are appropriate for your age, sex and activity level, then write down your food to see whether you are staying within those perimeters.

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Staying motivated is an ongoing process. I have been working out for 20 years and it is a challenge. Nonetheless, I still have my bad weeks even as a personal trainer. I just remind myself and my other personal trainers that, “fat trainers don’t make good money.” Stay on track and keep pushing ahead. Fitness is a journey, not a destination. Good luck.

Click here for the complete article at NewsOK.com…

Shreveport area Hospital Network Willis-Knighton held a contest encouraging hospital employees to lose weight. This is a great idea and I hope that other Shreveport and Bossier area businesses will follow their lead. Below is part of the article from the Shreveport Times:

Willis-Knighton workers shed pounds to win weight-loss crown
By Melody Brumble • mbrumble@gannett.com • April 2, 2008

A fitness contest modeled after a popular television show motivated Katrina Henderson to shed nearly 20 pounds.

The nurse is among 50 Willis-Knighton workers who competed for prizes and recognition during a 13-week diet and exercise contest similar to NBC’s “The Biggest Loser.” Teams worked with nutritionists and exercise specialists and weighed weekly. They stepped on the scales for the last time Tuesday.

“Nurses are the hardest people to get to do right,” Henderson said, shaking her head and laughing. “We motivate everybody except ourselves.”

Participants today will find out which team — Goal Getters, Knockouts, Eating Dis-Orderlies, Shrink’n South or Elle-iminators — takes home the title of biggest loser.

“For the most part, all but one in the group had gone up and down (in weight) and were frustrated from the get-go,” said Amy Yates, a nutritionist who worked with the Elle-iminators. “One of the things I was most pleased about was that they kept coming to the meetings.”

Yates and other nutritionists taught healthy eating basics, including appropriate portion sizes. They encouraged participants to plan meals so they wouldn’t turn to fast food or high-fat, high-sugar snacks.

Yates also asked the Elle-iminators to figure out why they were eating so emotions wouldn’t sidetrack them.

Click here to read the complete article…