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Ruth Potter, Leigh Ann Sutton, and Susan Beale volunteered in a pilot program
that combines personal training, health education, and nutrition counseling. Trainer
A.J. Johnson, second from the left, helped the trio stay on track.
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Prince William Employees Choose Healthier Lifestyles
By Patty Snellings
Exercise enthusiasts say the hardest part of any workout is putting on the
tennis shoes, and George Mason employees Susan Beale, Ruth Potter, and Leigh Ann
Sutton would agree. But these Prince William Campus staffers took a deep breath,
reached for their shoes, and headed to the gym. The results, they say, changed
their lives.
Beale, Potter, and Sutton were volunteers in a Freedom Aquatic and Fitness
Center pilot program to assess the results of a planned, individualized fitness
program that combines personal training, health education, and nutrition counseling.
Ron Carmichael, general manager of the center, explains that he and his staff
were exploring new ideas and techniques center members could use to improve personal
fitness. “These three women already were active participants in Freedom Center
activities, each had individual goals in mind, and all were interested in making
changes to improve their personal fitness levels,” he says. “Because
they were university employees and agreed to have their progress monitored periodically,
we liked the idea of involving them in our test.”
The adventure began in December 2000, just in time to curb holiday indulgences
and excuses to stray from regular exercise routines. The program initially was
set to last three months but was so successful that it was extended to six months.
The participants were each allotted 36 sessions with a personal trainer and six
sessions with a nutritionist. They developed individual schedules and programs
that fit their lifestyles and received physical fitness assessments upon entering
the program and at subsequent three-month intervals.
Beale, assistant director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service
distance-learning program, was an avid walker but felt she needed to expand her
fitness routine. “Although I wasn’t concerned with weight loss,”
she says, “I was interested in building strength and muscle tone. I also
wanted to learn how to use free weights and feel comfortable using the exercise
equipment.” In addition to strength and weight training, she attends classes
in aerobics, yoga, and pilates. Beale credits a decline in bone density loss caused
by osteoporosis to her daily routine.
“I was given the best Christmas present ever—my health,” says
Potter, an enrollment services specialist in Initiatives in Educational Transformation
in the Graduate School of Education. Although she already was dieting and working
out before the program began, she credits her work with a personal trainer as
the pivotal change. “The pounds began to melt off,” Potter says. She
works out three or four times a week, following a balanced program of cardiovascular,
flexibility, and weight-training exercises. In addition, she’s made major
changes in her eating habits and shuns refined sugar. “Sugar controls my
mind: when I eat it, I can’t stop. Giving it up is easier for me than reducing
consumption.” Potter has lost more than 50 pounds and is working steadily
toward losing another 50.
Learning how to become healthier was the primary motivator for Sutton, children’s
program coordinator at the Freedom Center, but she also gained another benefit.
“For the first year I worked at the Freedom Center,” she says, “I
didn’t even go upstairs to the workout areas. I was too intimidated and thought
I’d be laughed at if I even tried to exercise.” But she overcame her
fear and now enjoys a new sense of confidence and competitiveness and a marked
improvement in cardiovascular endurance. Dropping two clothing sizes was a boost
to Sutton, as well. One of the most important things she’s learned is that
“exercise reduces stress and rejuvenates you to keep you going.” She
varies her workout routines to include swimming, cardiovascular conditioning,
and weight training.
All three women agree that personal training is the key to formulating a fitness
program that meets individual goals and offers a tangible measure of success.
They are quick to credit trainers A.J. Johnson and Carolyn Kievenaar and nutritionist
Sharlene Holladay as unwavering sources of information, encouragement, and motivation.
Chip Betzner, Freedom Center fitness coordinator, adds that some people are in
awe of the idea of personal training and a balanced, professionally structured
program. “They don’t know how it works, how to get started, and question
their ability to succeed,” he says. Betzner recommends three sessions with
a personal trainer to give a beginner a decisive edge: one session to discuss
personal goals; one session to learn about equipment and how to achieve desired
results; and a final session to make adjustments and plans.
“Working together on this program was a win-win situation for us all,”
says Carmichael, “and I hope other university employees will take advantage
of the comprehensive fitness and health opportunities available on campus and
begin developing their own programs.”
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