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TAKES FIVE; ERIC ZIAREK; Fit or Fat? Milwaukee's Identity Split

Posted on: Tuesday, 11 January 2005, 15:00 CST

Fit or fat? Milwaukee's identity split

With the new year under way, Milwaukee basks in its new status as one of the healthiest cities in the nation -- No. 15, according to Men's Fitness magazine. Eric Ziarek, 25, a personal fitness trainer at the downtown YMCA, talked about his observations of Milwaukeeans on treadmills with Journal Sentinel reporter Susanne Quick.

Q. A lot of people make New Year's resolutions. And, I imagine, one of the more popular ones is to lose weight and get fit. Have you seen your client numbers rise as the new year rolled in?

A. In general, we do see an increase in the number of people who join fitness facilities after New Year's. But so far, I haven't seen a big increase. I mean, we're only one week into the month now. And after the holidays, a lot of people might not have a whole of money. But, in the past, I've definitely seen an increase as the month moves on.

Q. Do the new clients generally stay on with your program, or do they start to dwindle as February approaches?

A. They usually start to drop off around March or April . . . some sooner. They don't get the results they want, and they drop off. They may have the best of intentions, but things come up, and they stop coming. I mean, when you're talking about weight loss, you're talking about maybe a seventh-of-a-pound per week. And that just might not be enough of an immediate result for some people.

Q. What happens? Why do you think they start to fall off the wagon?

A. People set too many unrealistic goals. I suggest people pick one word and use it as a mantra. Pick a word like fitness, happiness or frugalness. Keep saying it to yourself. And in 2005, work on improved happiness. Just keep saying it to yourself. So, set a small, measurable goal and make it realistic. And when you work at it, reward yourself.

Q. Having been a fitness trainer for three years in Milwaukee, do you believe we're one of the top 15 fittest cities in the country?

A. They based that on how many parks per person, and how many fitness facilities there are in a city, right? Yeah, well, I can believe it. The word obesity keeps popping up. It's a buzz word. And there are a million diet books. And I think people pay attention to that. We're going in the right direction. People just need to get out and enjoy what the city has to offer.

Q. How do we beat out Seattle (rated No. 1 by Men's Fitness) next year? Coffee diet?

A. With Seattle, I think it's the parks and the climate. Here, the weather works against us. The Riverwalk system is great -- you can walk up and down that and get good exercise -- but again, that's good in the summer. It's hard right now. We need to move. To get out. Use the stairs. Park farther away. And walk that imaginary dog - - or take a real dog on a walk.

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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