Vim & Vigor - Summer 2019 - UVA - 13

Find Fitness That Fits

Having a consistent exercise routine
is critical to sustained weight loss.
Goodman worked with fitness expert
and author Mackie Shilstone, whom
he met in his adopted home city of
New Orleans, to create his program.
Shilstone, who also trains tennis legend
Serena Williams, helped Goodman set
up a routine he could stick with, working out at a boxing gym when he was
in town and exercising at home on his
elliptical machine and recumbent bike.
The goal was to gradually increase his
heart rate to maximize weight loss.
But you don't need a celebrity salary
to get fit. Goodman also used low-cost
resistance bands for strength training.
"It's important to have the right workout structure, something that fits your
lifestyle," Shilstone says. "Resistance
bands are great because they're convenient and easy to use at home or travel
with." They're also relatively inexpensive: You can pick up a set for $20 or
less online.
And Goodman's workouts have
brought benefits beyond weight loss.
"I'm getting to the age where I can't
afford to sit still anymore, and it gives
me the energy to work, because work is
very draining," he told film critic Peter
Travers in 2016.

Stay Strong

Like losing your keys and forgetting
where you parked, muscle loss seems to
be a natural part of aging. In fact, you
can lose up to 5 percent per decade after
age 30, and most men lose about 30 percent of their muscle mass throughout
their lives.
"It's called sarcopenia, this aging loss
of muscle, and dynapenia is the aging
loss of strength," Shilstone says. "In
order to grow stronger, you're breaking down muscle tissue, repairing

and rebuilding it, and the rebuilding process becomes more difficult
as you age. It's something we all
face-women, too, especially after
menopause, due in part to a loss
of estrogen."
To help preserve lean muscle and
burn fat as you age, Shilstone recommends regular circuit training,
in which you complete a series of
strengthening exercises using dumbbells, weight machines, resistance
bands or your body weight.

Set a Goal

Having a goal to improve your health
gives you something to focus on, like
dropping a pants size or getting your
blood pressure, cholesterol or glucose
numbers in check. For Goodman, his
primary goal was to lose weight so he
could have knee surgery.
Goodman says he didn't target a
number for his weight loss when he
started, and he doesn't know exactly
how much he's lost. But that doesn't
mean he's not paying attention to
progress-or signs of a slip-up.
"I don't want to know [my weight];
I just go by belt sizes and pants getting smaller," he told Travers. He
reached his goal and has had two knee
replacement surgeries.
Al Bochi recommends starting with
small changes-one or two things
that will have a better impact on your
overall health. It could be as simple
as walking 30 minutes three times
a week or having one more serving
of vegetables each day. Once they're
accomplished, you can add more. And
focus on progress, not perfection.
"Don't wait until everything is perfect in your life to get started," she
says. "You'll always have things going
on, so just focus on your goals and
take it one step at a time." ■

Winning the
War on Weight:

DIET VS.
EXERCISE

When it comes to diet versus exercise,
which matters more for weight loss?
Most recent research tips the scales
in favor of diet, and studies have shown
that adding exercise alone may not be
effective for weight loss because of
compensatory behaviors, where people
often eat more when they're working
out and reduce their activity after hitting the gym.
But it's important to remember that
exercise can be critical in maintaining
weight loss, and it offers invaluable
benefits beyond moving the scale, like
reducing your risks of cardiovascular
disease and diabetes.
"There's a lot of ongoing debate
around this area," says Rahaf Al Bochi,
RDN, dietitian and media spokeswoman
for the Academy of Nutrition and
Dietetics. "Having that balance is important, but in general diet tends to play a
larger role."

WEBSITE

A Coach in
Your Corner
Need sound nutrition advice?
Experts at the UVA Nutrition
Counseling Center can help you
with individualized, one-on-one
support. Or take advantage of
classes and workshops. Learn
more at uvahealth.com/
nutrition-care.

SUMME R 2019

13
http://www.uvahealth.com/nutrition-care http://www.uvahealth.com/nutrition-care
Vim & Vigor - Summer 2019 - UVA

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Summer 2019 - UVA
