By By JAMES COLLINS / Niles Daily Star
NILES -- If you are like the millions of others around the new year, losing weight is at the top of your list of New Year's resolutions.
Many people will start off their new year with a regimen of exercising and eating right.
She said many people have purchased gift certificates for the holidays and expects business to increase around the new year.
Andre Gresham, senior program director at the Niles-Buchanan YMCA, said this is the time of year when people flock to the YMCA to workout.
Like many New Year's resolutions, people start out strong and then gradually begin to stray away from their plans, he said. Gresham said the crowds begin to die down around March when it starts to get warmer.
Gresham offers this advice to people who are trying to lose weight: "Make an attainable goal, start off slow and get some help if you need it."
He also points out if you want this to be a real change in your life, you have to stick with it.
Curves' Simmons pointed out the importance of following the obvious weight loss tactics of eating healthy and working out. She said a good way to get into the routine is to keep moving, whether it is through exercise or simply going for a walk.
Simmons said a healthy diet includes avoiding the fatty foods and eating lots of fruits, vegetables and other items low in carbohydrates.
In addition to watching what types of food you eat, Gresham thinks a key to dieting is watching how much food you eat.
The YMCA offers an assortment of ways to help you in your quest to lose weight including aerobics, water aerobics, power pump, a weight room and a cardiovascular room that has a variety of workout machines.
Curves for Women offers a place to get a total body workout for women of all ages. "We have women from ages 14 to 92," said Simmons. "Not only do they come here for exercise, it is also an outlet. It is like a getaway for a lot of women."