One Step at a Time: The David Wheeler Story

“Before, I would go work out, and when I finished I would feel hungry. That hunger made me scared, and after leaving the gym I’d run down the street and get a burger. Any weight that I had lost at the gym was put back on, and probably more,” said Professor David Wheeler of Suffolk University. Before, Dr. Wheeler weighed 274 lbs.

Before, he had a cholesterol level of 229 mg/dL (too high) and triglyceride level of 242 mg/dL (also too high). Before, he was running a risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Before was just two years ago, in February of 2007, when Dr. Wheeler decided to get serious about his health. His transformation started off slowly, knowing that “a lot of people will come into the gym trying to get it all done in one day. They have a bad experience and end up not coming back,” he said. Dr. Wheeler began tracking his weight with a digital scale. He continued to exercise at Fitcorp, already a member here, going on walks with a digital pedometer clipped to his pants, and eating less “bad” foods.

“Giving up four donuts in the morning wasn’t easy,” said Wheeler, “and it sounds like it wouldn’t be that hard but when you’re used to that routine it is.” And that is why the first ten pounds are the hardest to get rid of. “You feel like you’re going to die,” he said. “You get nervous because sometimes that feeling of light headedness makes you think you need to eat to live, but your body can live on its fat. I could have lasted on my fat for a while at 274 lbs,” he said, laughing.

After the first ten pounds, the next ten, and the next, are easier and easier. Dr. Wheeler started walking further, using Fitcorp’s resources, and eating healthier. “The trainer, Ryan, was phenomenal. He was good at showing me exactly how to use the machines and tell me what I was doing wrong. And Maria is my and my wife’s favorite. She has that personality that makes you want to come back,” he said. Inside the gym, Dr. Wheeler likes to use the stationary bike so he can read screen plays that he’s working on at the same time. And, after injuring his bicep in an accident, the adjustable weight machines have been helpful in building back his strength.

He is also now participating in Fitcorp’s, “Commando Krav Maga,” Israeli self defense class, which he feels is really pushing his endurance, but says yoga is still out of his limits. “I’m almost 70,” Wheeler said, “it’s hard for me to stretch like that.” Outside the gym, Dr. Wheeler has been pushing the distance of his walks. “Once the endorphins get flowing,” he said, “I feel like I can glide along.” In one instance he walked from Beacon Hill over to Brighton and upon returning felt good enough to ride Fitcorp’s stationary bike for a while. Throughout the month of October, Dr. Wheeler recorded that he walked a total of 150 miles.

Now instead of a burger, Dr. Wheeler recommends stopping in at Kinsale Irish Pub for a caesar salad topped with salmon. He also enjoys cereal with Whole Foods orange/banana juice, and has given up meat. Now Dr. Wheeler weighs 219 lbs. Now his cholesterol and triglyceride levels are perfect. “The biggest change is how I feel,” he said, “It’s good for your body and your mind. I’m more prolific in my writing and activities and my thinking has improved. I no longer feel like a sloth.”

He has published a best selling book called, “Journey to the Other Side, Life After Death”, has a sailing license, a pilots license (which he mentions is good until you kill somebody), has traveled the world, has taught in Thailand, and participated in a two week “walk-about” with Aborigines in the Australia outback. “I don’t want to grow old,” he said, “I can’t do much about growing old… but I don’t have to be stodgy.” And so far, he’s not slowing down.

FITCORP ADVICE ON HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT HEALTH CLUB

As the President and CEO of Fitcorp, I have seen thousands of people join our network of fitness centers over the past 30 years. I’m pleased to say that most of these people have had a very pleasurable experience and have succeeded in accomplishing their fitness goals. However, the key to success lies in choosing the right health club, one that fits an individual’s specific fitness needs.
Many people hope that joining a health club will provide them with the motivation to exercise on a regular basis. But all health clubs are not the same. Take a deeper look at what each club offers so you will be joining the club that has the best chance of helping you develop a steady fitness habit. Make sure you include a visit to Fitcorp. For over 30 years, Fitcorp has been a leader in the fitness field, and our experience and professionalism has stood the test of time. Here are the factors you should be looking for before you make your final choice.

• Convenience and Hours of Operation
  I rate convenience as the most important factor that a person must consider when choosing a health club. Your attendance will steadily decline if your health club is not located near your home or place of work. If it takes longer than 10 minutes to walk or drive to your health club, you will not likely attend on a regular basis. What hours and days of the week is the club open? Does it open early enough or stay open late enough to accommodate your anticipated workout schedule?
• Facilities and Services
  Make sure the health club has the kind of equipment and facilities you most want. Do they have enough cardiovascular equipment, strength training machines and free weights? Do they have a functional training area for you to stretch and use a stability ball, foam roller, etc? Do they have group fitness classrooms, a basketball court, squash, racquetball, or handball courts? Do they have a sauna, steam room or whirlpool? Ask about the other services that they might offer. Do they offer massage, physical therapy, nutrition services, acupuncture, etc.?
• Staff
  How friendly are the club’s employees? When you walk in the door, are you greeted with a warm hello from the front desk staff? Do all the Trainers have degrees in Exercise Science? Do they act like knowledgeable fitness professionals? Are they fully familiar with the equipment and able to give you help and direction? Do they display their credentials? Are they wearing name tags? Are the Trainers available to meet with you when you join to show you how to properly us the equipment? Does the club charge extra for this service? If you plan to hire a Personal Trainer, what hours are they available?
• Overcrowding
  Is the club packed with members during the hours when you expect to workout? How difficult will it be for you to find an open piece of cardiovascular equipment or to participate in your favorite group fitness class? Almost all health clubs experience heavy use during January, but there still needs to be room for you.
• Group Fitness Classes
  It’s very important that you review the club’s group fitness schedule if you plan to participate in classes like yoga, Pilates, Zumba or spinning. Does the club offer these classes at times that work for you? How crowded are the classes? How often does the club change it class schedule? How long has the instructor been teaching the class? Does the club charge an extra fee for these classes?
• Cleanliness
  Is the club clean? Check out the locker rooms. How clean are the showers? Are dirty towels lying all over the floor? Is the equipment kept in good repair (check to see how many pieces of equipment have out of order signs on them)? How clean are the exercise mats? Is their dust underneath the exercise equipment?
• Safety
  Are you going to be safe in case you have a medical emergency? Are all of the staff members certified in CPR and First Aid? Does the club have an AED (Automatic External Defibrillator)? How many staff members are certified to use it? Does the club have an emergency plan?
• Members
  Do the members look like the type of people that you would feel comfortable around? Will you feel intimated when you are wearing your gym clothing? Ask a staff person how long the average person remains a member at the club.
• Guests
  Find out what guest privileges you have -- is there a fee for bringing a guest, and are you limited to certain hours or numbers of guests?
• Cost
  Purchasing a health club membership can be confusing. Be sure you understand the basics:

1. Joining fees
2. Are you buying a month to month or a contract membership?
3. If it is a contract, how long is its duration?
4. How it will be billed, and whether it automatically renews if not actively stopped
5. Can you put your membership on freeze? If so, for how long? Is there a fee for this service?
6. Are there extra fees for classes, personal training, child care, and parking?
7. Can the membership be used at other locations?
8. Are there any time limits on using any bonus items such as personal training sessions?
9. Will the fees go up after an initial discount period?
10. Are the fees refundable if you decide to terminate the contract?
11. Do they offer corporate or health insurance discounts or discounts for family members? Can you receive any membership credit for referring friends?
    

• Trial Memberships
  The best way to test out a health club is to try it out for free. Any good and reputable health club should be more than willing to let you try them out for free!
  

Fitcorp Fitness Centers by far exceed all the expectations you may be looking for in a health club. Over the years, Fitcorp has continued to provide the ultimate in cleanliness, safety, convenience, customer service and state of the art programs and equipment. For over 30 years, the Fitcorp staff has continued its professional excellence. They are carefully selected from the most outstanding in Boston, and they come with the credentials that will ensure your safety and success in reaching your fitness goals.

Deciding what health club to join is a little like deciding where you want to live. Ultimately, you want to be in a clean, safe, convenient location, surrounded by pleasant people and a professional, knowledgeable and accessible staff. When you walk into any of our fitness centers, ask any Fitcorp member, and they will tell you that you are in the right place.

So do your research before joining a health club. It may mean the difference between a great experience at a Fitcorp Fitness Center and a disastrous one elsewhere!

Take to the Mat Like a Pro with Power Vinyasa Yoga

In the past few years, Yoga has become a staple class offered at gyms everywhere. A standard, yet complex stretch routine centered around breathing practices, yoga is a relaxing but challenging way to get in a solid work out. In fact, everyone is jumping at the opportunity to get in on the Yoga craze. However, not many can say that they have had the opportunity to experience what Fitcorp Cross Point yoga instructor Darlene Pina calls, "the body's nature rhythm."

What Pina is referring to is Vinyasa Yoga, or a form of yoga that concentrates on your body's fluid flow through poses. It also doubles as a great muscular and cardiovascular endurance work out. It is something completely different and anyone at any fitness level can benefit from it. The class combines core strength, flexibility, balance and a meditative aspect that you reap the benefits of when you have finished the class. It is an intense hour of power class but once that hour has passed, you will feel relaxed but yet had a great workout from the inside out.


Offered Tuesday and Thursday nights at 5:30pm at Fitcorp's Cross Point location, Power Vinyasa Yoga is quickly becoming one of the gym's most popular classes. The class is designed to help each individual seek stillness of the mind so that the inner body can heal and strengthen. When you focus on your inner body, the outer body will naturally shine. Even though you are focusing on the inner you, make sure the outer you is ready to feel the burn!

"The room is mildly heated, so be prepared to sweat!" Pina says. "But don't worry, the first class is the hardest because you are there to learn what your body can and can’t do at that present moment."

Despite the challenge, most members who take this class once become permanent members.

Says a member of the class, "It is a very rigorous workout and for someone who has not taken yoga before or may have a biased opinion of a yoga class. They will be very pleasantly surprised and hooked after their first class experience. You will also see where the word “power” comes in to play and why it is called “power yoga”. Darlene is a great instructor and even if it is your first time she will make you feel right at home. All you have to do to prepare for her class is to show up, find a space and take it at your own pace."

Pina explains, "The best part of the class is not doing everything perfect but to just explore the possibilities of strength, endurance and inner peace. You will leave the class feeling toned, stretched and completely free in spirit. Namaste and see you on the mat!"

Jump Rope Is More Than Child's Play

Sure, everyone spent their childhood jumping rope at recess, but who would've ever thought that it would come to be one of the best ways to stay fit as an adult?

Rope'n, a group exercise class offered at Fitcorp Prudential, combines childhood roping with plyometrics, and strength training to help participants burn up to 700 calories in an hour.

This high energy class is a great anerobic work out. By pairing exercises that cause your heart rate to rapidly rise and fall, one is able to burn more calories than a basic cardio work out.
Jump roping also tones muscles in the entire body and maximizes athletic skills by combining agility, coordination, timing, and endurance.

"Not only is this class efficient, but it is fun," says Jackie Glandon, Group Fitness Director. "It is my favorite class to teach."

And don't worry, if your not a jump roper, practice makes perfect. - Says Group Fitness Teacher Corinne Donovan, "Don't get nervous if you haven't jumped rope since you were 12 years old. It's easy to pick it up again, it's addicting.. And most importantly, it's a great work out!"

[Both Jackie and Corinne teach ROPE'N at Fitcorp Prudential; Mondays from 12pm-1pm, and Thursdays from 6:45pm-7:30pm - For more information visit www.fitcorp.com]

Study: Experiences make us happier than possessions

By Elizabeth Landau

CNN
Even in tough economic times, you may find yourself with a bit of cash to spare. You've been working hard, and you want to treat yourself. Should you spend it on an experience, such as a baseball game or concert, or a material object?

An experience may generate positive memories that outlast the allure of a new material possession. Psychological research suggests that, in the long run, experiences make people happier than possessions. That's in part because the initial joy of acquiring a new object, such as a new car, fades over time as people become accustomed to seeing it every day, experts said.

Experiences, on the other hand, continue to provide happiness through memories long after the event occurred. Ryan Howell, assistant professor of San Francisco University, presented his findings this week at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology annual meeting. The study looked at 154 people enrolled at San Francisco University with an average age of about 25. Participants answered questions about a recent purchase -- either material or experiential -- they personally made in the last three months with the intention of making themselves happy. While most people were generally happy with the purchase regardless of what it was, those who wrote about experiences tended to show a higher satisfaction at the time and after the experience had passed.

The most striking difference was in how participants said others around them reacted to either the purchased object or experience. Experiences led to more happiness in others than purchases did. A sense of relatedness to others -- getting closer to friends and family -- may be one of the reasons why experiences generate more happiness.

"When people spend money on life experiences, whether they also take someone with them or buy an extra ticket or whatever, most of our life experiences involve other individuals," Howell said. People were fulfilling their need for social bonding while having these experiences, he said.
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Another reason for increased happiness in experiences, the researchers found, was that people felt a greater sense of vitality or "being alive" during the experience and in reflection, Howell said.

"As nice as your new computer is, it's not going to make you feel alive," he said. Most psychologists who study the phenomenon say people adapt to a new purchase in six to eight weeks, up to a maximum of three months, Howell said. That means the initial pleasure we get from a new possession generally fades in a matter of months. Howell's study builds on earlier work by Thomas Gilovich, professor and chairman of the psychology department at Cornell University. Gilovich and colleague Leaf Van Boven's seminal 2003 paper "To do or to have: That is the question" found similar results about possessions bringing less happiness than experiences.

Experts also point out that people are less self-conscious when comparing experiences than they are about possessions. It will probably bother you more that your friend's home theater is better than yours than if your friend saw more sights on her South Seas vacation, Gilovich said. Experiences form "powerful and important memories that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world," Gilovich said.

It's not just individuals who should be thinking about investing in experiences when making purchasing choices -- policy makers should also keep this reasoning in mind for their communities, he said. "If you create municipalities with more parks, bike trails, more hiking trails that make experiences easier, then I think you're going to have a happier population," he said. With Valentine's Day coming up, does this research mean you should give your honey a nice dinner or weekend getaway rather than a material present, such as a necklace or watch?

The issue of happiness conferred to others has been studied less, so the answer is unclear, experts said. While Howell would expect this principle of experiences over possessions to still apply, Gilovich agreed that it may, but also points out that the act of giving or receiving an object as a gift is an experience in itself. "Gifts of material possessions often become keepsakes and have sentimental value that increase with time, instead of diminishing like most material goods," Gilovich said.