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Sticking to Your Resolution
YMCA Success Story
By Tom Roussey
troussey@wbtv.com
CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - Fourteen months ago, Tim Wallace was 32, weighed 238 pounds, and was completely out of shape.
"It was the heaviest I'd ever been," Wallace said. "And I didn't work out -- ever."
Today, he's dropped nearly 50 pounds, has competed in a triathlon, and plans to do two more. And he has no plans of ever going back to the way he was.
"I know if I stopped working out, that life would be kind of miserable. I couldn't do it," he said.
November 5, 2008, was the day Tim's life started to change. He joined the YMCA and started working out at the University City branch.
"I just decided I had to lose some weight, so I started coming here," he said while talking to us beside the branch's pool. "I've pretty much come every day since then."
Early January is the time many folks make New Year's resolutions to get in shape. But while many start full of energy, oftentimes by February they've stopped going to gym altogether.
So how did Tim stick with it?
He says he almost didn't.
"I was doing things that I didn't like at all, and I could have quit very easily," he admitted.
Tim says a common mistake new gym members make is to do something they don't enjoy. He says you have to find something that's fun for you. He eventually discovered that he loved to run. But for you, it could be swimming, kickboxing, spin class, basketball, you name it.
"You just have to find [what it is]," Tim said. "Otherwise you get discouraged and you're going to stop."
Tim says the employees at University YMCA were experienced and very willing to help him meet his goals. He also got to know others while working out who encouraged him. He recommends finding a gym where people are friendly and helpful.
"You create a sense of community, and everybody really just pumps you up and keeps you going," he said.
He said in the past he'd tried other gyms where people weren't as helpful.
Tim says he wants to encourage everyone who's just starting to work out to not give up for two months. After that, he says it becomes harder not to quit than to quit.
"If you keep going all the way through February," he said, "you're going to probably feel great, you're going to have to keep going."
Pam Looby is the group exercise coordinator at the University YMCA. She helped train Tim for the triathlon he competed in.
"I think Tim just decided to start working out, and now it's a habit for him, it's a lifestyle. So you have to make that lifestyle change," she said.
Pam says newcomers don't need to spend more than an hour at the gym when they work out, even with breaks included.
"If you just have 30 minutes, that's still good," she said.
She says setting a goal can help you stick to your workout plans. In Tim's case it was a lofty goal -- a triathlon -- but Pam says even something like running a 5K can be a good goal to set.
She says it's never too late to start working out -- but the earlier in life you start, the better.
"Your quality of life is going to be so much better as you're older [if you work out]," Pam said. "And if you're younger, you're not thinking about that, but it's going to matter down the road."
As for Tim, he says he has a lot more energy than he used to, feels terrific, and wouldn't dream of quitting.
"There's no way," he said. "I couldn't do it."
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