We found three women, each with different reasons for skimping on their workouts (which may sound distressingly familiar to you). Then, we asked Valerie Waters, personal trainer and motivational guru to stars like Jessica Biel and Jennifer Garner, for expert exercise tips to help each of these women stay motivated and get back on track. Did they really manage to start up their workouts again? Read on to find out.
1. Susan Houriet
Age: 43
New York City
Single, no kids
Her goal
“I’d like to lose 13 pounds and tone up all over.”
What’s getting in her way
Houriet currently manages to run two to three miles once a week and occasionally rides her bike—not nearly enough to help her shed the pounds she wants to lose. “My boyfriend hates exercise, so it’s hard for me to get motivated when I can stay home and have fun with him,” she says. She tries to get up at 5:45 a.m. to squeeze in a run before work, but she isn’t exactly an early bird. “I should go to the gym after work, but I often feel too tired.”
Exercise Rx
“Houriet needs to do whatever it takes to work out in the morning, including putting the coffee pot on a timer and setting out her clothes the night before,” Waters says. “Equally important, she needs to think of exercise as a must, not a should.” Waters gave Houriet a program including two early-morning 30- to 40-minute runs a week, plus two strength-training sessions at the gym to speed up her metabolism. The circuit-style strength workout has her moving through upper- and lower-body exercises with no rest in between to save time and burn maximum calories.
How it’s working
“Once I vowed to exercise no matter what, it didn’t seem so insurmountable,” Houriet says. “I’ve gone from working out maybe once a week to at least four times a week, and I’m planning to stick with it.” After just four weeks on her new plan, Houriet says, “I look thinner and my clothes fit better.” She’s only lost about two pounds so far, but that’s probably because she’s building muscle, which weighs more than fat.
