Balance the 'equation' and work on getting fit this winter

Ladies, if you're trying to fit into a teenie-weenie yellow polka-dot bikini by spring, just hitting the treadmill everyday won't help much.

Gentlemen, if you want a body like a "œ300" cast member, then a billion curls and gulping down protein shakes won't get you there either.

Physical fitness is all about equations.

Each year, more than half of Americans' New Year's resolutions center around losing weight and exercising more than Jack LaLanne on crystal meth. If this is your goal, add regular visits to the Ping Center to your commitment to the grocery produce department (cancel the empty calories) and that should equal great results.

Ohio University Ping Fitness Director Sarah Shore has a lot of recommendations for students who are just starting an exercise routine or are continuing one. Her first word of advice - set goals, but keep expectations realistic.

Students trying to subtract weight from their "fitness equation" should only focus on losing one to 1.5 pounds per week, according to Shore. Everyone has goals, and goals with high expectations are great, but high expectations are usually not quickly accomplished.

"You're not going to see the results that you do on 'The Biggest Loser,'" Shore said. "Don't start off too fast. You want to start off at a slow progression, and if you haven't ever worked out, maybe start off with just five minutes and see how that feels. From there, increase your [workout] time and move on from there."

Ping Center offers several fitness classes such as Kickboxing, Pilates, Yoga, Step, Bootcamp and Zumba (the most popular class since January) that are free to members all week long.

"Zumba is a class that's brand new," Shore said. "It's kind of like a Latin dance that's really fun. When they actually do their exercises, the instructor performs the activity [but] they aren't talking; they are just showing the movements. It's a really fun class to just get out and move your hips, and it's one of our most popular group fitness activities."

Group fitness classes are a great way to spice up routines by "shocking the muscles" and preventing "muscle memory." To prevent boredom of the muscles and the mind, it's important to try new exercises that avoid monotony. Also, at least 24 hours rest per week is needed for your body to grow and to rebuild.

While exercising is important in order to balance the body equation, your diet should be the primary focus for maximum weight loss or muscle gains.

According to Deborah Murray, an OU assistant professor who teaches Introduction to Nutrition, simply being mindful of how hungry you are is the key. Murray suggests that students plan out what they are going to eat and when, and to take a great interest in snacks to control hunger.

Nutritionists, including Murray, have adopted the idea of "grazing" for food (eating every three to four hours) instead of the basic three square meals a day. Foods that are "nutrient-dense" foods (high in vitamins and minerals and low in calories) such as fruits, vegetables, whole-grain dried cereals and low-fat dairy products keep hunger down and prevent over-eating at meals, said Murray.

"It's a matter of economics and the energy balance equation," Murray said. "If you have too many calories going in and too few going out, you are going to be in the positive energy balance, and weight gain is going to be the result."

The rules seem simple. If you want to lose weight, subtract more calories through exercise. Then you add to your body, and weight loss will occur. For those who are trying to build muscle like Rocky Balboa, the common misconception is to eat as much protein as possible.

"The message I'd love to send to students is that they really don't necessarily need additional protein supplements like protein powders and protein drinks," Murray said. "Strength building requires more protein, but you're never necessarily taking in a high-protein diet."

According to Murray, too much protein can lead to adverse effects on the kidneys, cause dehydration and add unwanted saturated fats. Americans do a great job basing their diets around protein (especially animal-based protein), but overdoing it can do more harm than good. Muscle is built through more repetitions in the gym, not by chugging down whey powders.

I've never been really good at math, but this problem seems simple: Subtract Xbox and Doritos and add dumbbells and almonds, and I could be looking like the werewolf from "Twilight" (in three to five months, that is).