One man's resolution to get fit and healthy beat the odds of typical New Year's goals

That wasn’t true for 62-year-old Juan Hernandez. He’s a familiar face among those who workout at Rex Wellness Center in Garner.

Hernandez says he was always into sports as a youth, but that changed in adulthood. “I ran into some issues working too much. I became sedentary, and I had some medical issues,” said Hernandez.

Those issues included high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels. Nine years ago, Hernandez decided to fight back. He said, “I guess you could say I had an epiphany. I needed a lifestyle change.”

Lifestyle change is what nationally accredited instructors like Rodney Jenkins specialize in. The challenge, he says, is helping those who come in with New Year’s resolutions get over the hump, that moment when workouts become less frequent.

“They stick with it, generally, for several weeks,” said Jenkins. He says the most common trip-ups are family or work obligations. “Or just losing that mojo or drive.”

Jenkins' prescription for Hernandez or anyone is to set tangible goals as opposed to just working out. His favorite method is to get class members to sign up for a 5K or 10K race and work toward that goal.

Hernandez never took him up on that idea. Instead, he always picks out someone else in his exercise classes to compete against even if they aren’t aware of it. He’s also found a motivation in food. “Since I like to eat, I like to work out”, explained Hernandez.

Jenkins says, for Hernandez, that method has worked. “Juan has managed to stay on track, and he has been here (attending Rex Wellness Center) for years.”

UNC REX Healthcare registered dietitian Shelley Wegman says, “Exercise and fitness actually do go hand in hand because when exercise falls off, usually nutrition falls right behind it.”

She says a common mistake people make is trying to start a new diet and fitness routine with an “all or nothing” attitude. She says those people begin with a goal like “I’m going to work out seven days a week, and I’m going to eat exactly everything I need to, and I’m going to give up all the sugar.”

“It’s too much!” said Wegman. “It works better if you say, 'let’s get into this. Let me find what classes I like or what routines I like or if I want to run.'”

With nutrition, she recommends a lifestyle approach. “Let me find what foods I need to change, talk to a dietitian. It might be the baby steps changes that get you to where you want to go,” she said.

That’s how Hernandez found success. “As a matter of fact,” he said, “last week, I got off my meds. So I’m pretty proud of that. And my weight is right now where I was when I was in my 30s because I lost 50 pounds.”