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Methods may vary but the commitment does not, fitness experts say

Yvonne Greer started doing aerobics in college, but not because she wanted to get fit. She was just accompanying a friend who didn't want to go alone.

It wasn't long before she started seeing the dividends and now the mother of two and former local television news reporter has made fitness her career.

But she is quick to advise others to approach getting fit in a different way than she did 20-plus years ago.

"The key is commitment, like with pretty much anything else you want to do in life. It can be overwhelming and it's probably best to do it in stages, expecially starting out," said Greer, who owns Yvonne Greer's Power Zone in Peoria.

"People want to believe there is some magic bullet out there, but there isn't one. You have to work it to get fit, there's no other way. How you do it is up to you, but anything works as long as you work it," she said.

The message was pretty similar from Nathan Palkovic, co-owner of CrossFit 309 in Peoria. "It takes commitment, sure. It is a whole lifestyle change for a lot of people. Whatever your motivation, you have to want it and be ready to make the effort. It works if you work. We will push you, but you are the one who has to do it," said Palkovic, a certified CrossFit trainer along with co-owner Justin Crick.

CrossFit is a brand created by Greg Glassman, while cross fit training is a method used by a growing number of facilities in the country.

The methods employed by Greer and Palkovic are quite different, but the message and the goal is the same. We'll take a closer look at the two.

Walk into the facility on Detweiller Drive where Greer meets with clients and it looks like many other gyms. There are machines that will work various areas of the body, whether it be for a light workout or an intense one meant to build muscle.

Greer's methodology starts with the phrase "Think – Move – Eat." Those three elements, she said, are the key to getting fit.

"Thinking is important for adherence, to know what you want to accomplish and figure out the best way to get there. But even before that we ask a client a lot of questions to determine their level of commitment and how best to get started," she said.

"For example, if you just want to dip your toe in the water, group fitness classes would be a good way to start. Or if you're not a social person, find a personal trainer. But get started," she said.

The "move" part of her methodology is, of course, the exercise itself. Greer said there are three main components in any sound exercise program: cardio vascular, strength and flexibility. "All three should be a regular part of your routine," she said.

However, how much of each component depends on body types, she added.

Greer said she calls the three body types bananas, pears and apples, then she pauses to let the imagery settle in.

Bananas have a hard time building muscle mass so they need more strength training. Pears burn fat slowly but build muscle quickly, so they need flexibility. Apples burn fat and build muscle slowly, so they need more cardio and strength training. "Apples have the greatest challenges physically and emotionally. They have to weigh whether they want the dessert or the weight loss," she said.

When it comes to eating, Greer counsels her clients that they have to eat because "food is fuel, and if you think of it first as fuel you are much more likely to eat things that are better for you."

Proportions are important, she added. "Each person's body reacts differently to food. It's good to know how fast your body processes food," she said.

Greer said exercise has no age limit. "Bodies naturally slow down with age, but they slow down even more if you slow down, too. The more we stand the more active we are, and the more we are able to stand and be active. I have clients in their 50s who do triathlons," she said. "If you can move it, you can make it. We all need some kind of movement every day."

Greer advises clients that they don't need to spend a lot of time or money to get fit. "Your body provides you with all the tools you need. You can work your entire body without a single piece of equipment," she said.

That's pretty much the theory behind Cross Fit training, as well. For sure you won't find sophisticated exercise equipment in a Cross Fit facility; rather, you're likely to see a large tractor tire, some rope that is just starting to show signs of fraying and bare wooden boxes. There will also likely be a row of bars attached to one wall and some kettlebells lying on the floor among various types of balls.

All in all it more likely resembles a garage than a gym; at least that's the case at CrossFit 309. That's how owners Palkovic and Crick like it.

"We're no frills here, for sure. CrossFit training is all about functional movements of the different parts of the body, constantly varied and with high intensity. Machines are mostly unfunctional in that they only work a limited number of muscles and joints. Life is not like that," Palkovic said.

CrossFit training, he said, "is all multi-jointed, the way our own body is designed. That's why it is great training for firefighters or others in jobs where they don't know what kind of physical demands may come up.

The daily routine is anything but routine, Palkovic said. The exercise regimen changes daily and is written out on a dry erase board for CrossFit 309 members to see when they come in. Varying the workouts like that, he said, "causes muscle confusion, which is good because it keeps the muscles from getting into a routine."

A regimen will combine components of calisthenics, such as pushups and squat thrusts, with aerobics and weight training, including dead lifts. Except the weights will be kettlebells or shoving the big tractor tire around the floor.

Flexibility is important to avoid minor injuries, Palkovic said.

"We never repeat a workout. Keeping it varied can push you as well as give you a sense of accomplishment when you complete it. It's harder, perhaps, and it is intense, but our philosophy is you have to build a foundation before you can build a house. Intensity is a shortcut to results," he said.

One of the first things a CrossFit 309 member learns with any exercise is the proper technique, which then must demonstrated to the trainer. Otherwise, Palkovic said, injuries are likely. "You may watch somebody do a certain exercise and think it looks simple, but I promise you it is not," he said.

Diet and nutrition are important in CrossFit training, as well. "We always say that you can't out-train a bad diet. I don't know who said it first, but it's true," Palkovic said.

He advocates what he called "the caveman diet." That doesn't mean finding a wild boar to slay and eat over an open fire. It means eating natural foods only, foods without preservatives.

"People are amazed when they really look into some of the preservatives that are put in our food. Then they're amazed when they taste the difference between that and all natural food," he said.

Still, Cross Fit doesn't have its own diet plans for members to follow. "We will give nutritional advice if people ask for it, but mostly we just say to eat healthy and find a diet plan that works for you," he said.

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