Q&A
with Karen Ghiron
Karen Ghiron owns Wellness Works, a personal training and weight
management company in Newton. Ghiron, a certified personal trainer who holds a degree in
exercise science, has been helping people reach weight and fitness goals for six years.
Last week, City Weekly reporter Kera Ritter talked to her about exercise and eating during
this, the season of resolving to get in shape.
Q. What services do you provide?
A. I provide one-on-one training in the home and I specialize in postpartum exercise
and people training for marathons and triathlons. I create a program with a combination of
cardiovascular exercise, either a step aerobic program or running or walking outside, and
free weights in the home.
Q. What fitness goals are people trying to reach?
A. Mostly, people are interested in weight loss, strength training, and feeling better or
getting healthier. A lot of people have limited time to exercise and they have to be
taught how to fit fitness into their life. I hear, "I want to lose weight right
away," and they want to jump into a diet program to lose weight quickly. I tell them
it doesn’t happen quickly. If they want to lose 20 pounds, I tell them they should
lose about a pound a week. Other people come to me with specific goals, such as running a
marathon. If they put the training in, they can see results quickly, but with weight loss,
it’s slower.
Q. When are people more interested in health and fitness, during the summer or winter?
A. Right now, this has been a pretty busy month. I think people are nervous about the
holidays and they are stressed out and they need a relief. December brings in a lot of
stress and this is a pretty good time to catch it and not to put on weight and maintain
their fitness before the holiday comes. You expect January to be a busy month because
after the holiday people are fed up with themselves and they want to lose the weight. They
call a trainer because they’ve tried diets and weight loss programs and they come to
us as a last resort.
Q. How long do most
people stick with a fitness program?
A. Generally, it’s three to six months for the people who have these ambitious goals
to lose weight. If they see it’s not working quickly, they tend to drop out. But if
people really put in the effort and the time, you usually see them for a year. Personal
training works best if it’s done on a longer-term basis. It’s not a quick fix. A
lot of people have never exercised before and it takes time for them to learn the
exercises and build strength, same thing with weight loss. It’s a huge commitment,
financially and emotionally.
Q. What kind of
information do you give them about diet and exercise, and what would you recommend for
those who want to be healthier this year?
A. I try to teach them it’s OK to eat, and to eat during the day. A lot of people
skip breakfast, skip lunch, and eat at night when they want to lose weight. You need the
calories during the day, but don’t need them at night. If they were to change it, eat
breakfast, eat lunch, eat a snack and small dinner instead of eating a lot of calories at
night, they will see results. It’s really looking at food differently. I also try to
teach them to plan ahead. People have such busy lives that when they get hungry, they grab
for anything, but if they plan ahead and eat before they get hungry, they reach for a
healthy snack. People often think they need to skip cookies or cake, but that’s what
holiday eating is about so they shouldn’t deny themselves food. But limit it, have it
at one party and not another. If they know they’re going to party at night, eat
during the day so they don’t pig out at the party. They should also keep up their
exercise program and really do four days a week of exercise. If they’re going to go
to a party, try to limit their alcohol intake and the extras, like the appetizers.
Everything adds up.