4B - Th~,1ichigan Daily - Thurac~ January 20, 2005 U V V V V V i 4B - Thgichigan Daily - Thurso January 20, 2005 a 0 0 0 0 w MOVING UP HEALTH AND FITNESS CLASSES CATER TO STUDENTS Fad diets offer no real solutions By Nikki Black For the Daily Too much turkey, candy binges and the "freshman 15" worries can send students swarming to the gym. The University has many options for stu- dents, faculty and other members of the community to get in shape and feel confident in a program they can stick with. U-Move, one of the University's health and fitness programs, offers affordable and fun group exercise classes and, at the same time, gives Kinesiology students and faculty the opportunity to work and study in leadership roles relative to their field. This year, the rush of students to U-Move left staff and fitness profes- sionals wondering just how long they would stay. "U-Move is a great program, with group fitness taught at the highest professional standards. The big ques- tion, then, is not why there are tons of people lining up for class during (the first) week," said Johann Borenstein, an Engineering research professor who has been teaching aerobics at U- Move for more than five years. "The big question is why, on a Sat- urday afternoon at 1 p.m., you can find only a handful of participants in the only group fitness class being taught in all of Ann Arbor at that par- ticular hour," Borenstein said. Borenstein's wife, Laurie Finch, also teaches with the U-Move pro- gram. She taught high-low impact aerobics for five years, and, this year, she is teaching spinning classes for the first time. A large part of her spinning class is the music, which she chooses carefully to best moti- vate her classes. In a single session, participants 77- "The big question is why, on a Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m., you can find only a handful of participants in the only group fitness class being taught in all of Ann Arbor at that particular hour." -Johann Borenstein U-Move aerobics instructor are likely to hear anything from John Cougar Mellencamp to The Tramp's "Disco Inferno." She began with a New Year's resolution to get healthy in 2000, and Borenstein's classes helped her to make a permanent com- mitment to personal fitness. "He made that hour of fitness so much fun that I was immediately hooked," Finch said. "I quickly real- ized that I was a person who needed a scheduled class with an instructor and great music as well as the sup- port and camaraderie of a group class to make the New Year's resolu- tion promise a permanent part of my weekly routine." "We take into account student, faculty and staff schedules. We offer a few early morning classes, a good variety of half-hour noon classes and then a slew of evening classes," said Danielle Vincent, assistant director for U-Move. "A lot of what we offer By Amanda Shapin Daily Arts Writer Walk into a Barnes and Noble or Bor- ders and undoubtedly you will run into a table solely devoted to diet and nutri- tion. Filled with books claiming that you can eat more and lose more or ensure that following simple guidelines will reduce your pant size, there is quite a lot of information to take in. However, many of these diets hold empty promises and lack actual healthvalue. "Although the low-carbohydrate diet is still a popular fad diet, its use has dras- tically declined over the past months" said Marilyn DeMuth-Nakamoto, a registered dietician and counselor with the University's Nutrition Services, a division of University Health Service. "It was a 'fad' followed feverishly for a short period of time, but not lasting as a lifestyle." Below are four different diet plans promising quick weight loss, and why you should beware of their claims. The Atkins Diet The Atkins diet focuses on cutting out carbohydrates from meals and sug- gests eating foods that are high in pro- tein, according to "Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution" by Robert C. Atkins. In turn, many of these foods have a higher fat content. While OK for short-term weight loss, the Atkins diet can become dangerous if dieters keep up high fat consumption over a long period of time. One study done by Tim Crowe, a reser- acher from the Deakin University Cen- ter for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, came to the conclusion that low-carb dieting is not the correct way to lose weight. "Serious complications such as osteoporosis, kidney damage, cholesterol, cancer, heart rhythm dis- turbances and sudden death can all be linked to long-term restriction of carbo- hydrate foods." Crowe said. Other problems with this diet, accord- ing to Atkins's book, are symptoms some followers have reported, including the shakes, fatigue, lightheadedness, head- ache, leg cramps, irritability and cold sweats, all due to sudden carbohydrate withdrawal. The South Beach Diet This diet is also based on a low-carb lifestyle, yet not as extreme as the Atkins diet. South Beach is broken down into three phases, beginning with no carbs, and then slowly re-introducing good carbsbackintothediet,accordingto"The South Beach Diet" by Arthur Agatston. The book comes with an easy-to-follow guide, complete with meal plans, recipes and lists stating what is acceptable to eat and what is not in each phase. This diet does have its good side. While it seems that carbs are now being seen as the most evil food group on the planet, this diet emphasizes that not all carbs are bad; some are good and should be kept in your everyday diet. However, many meals recommended on this diet are highly involved and hard to keep up with, practically impossible for a busy college student. Additionally, while many have succeeded on this diet, others find it hard to transition through the phas- es and simply get stuck in the first stage, which cuts out all carbohydrates and can be harmful to your health. This stage does not allow for any fruits, which are an importantpartofahealthy diet. Following stage one too closely and for too long can lead to disordered eating. "I was on South Beach for about two and a half months and at first it was easy, but once I stopped, it was really hard to get back into it," LSA sophomore Eliza- beth Hunt said. "The main problem was I had no energy, making it harder to work out, which really is the best way to stay fit." The Abs Diet Consisting of a six-week plan, the Abs Diet promises a flatter stomach through special dieting and exercis- ing. The key to supposed success on FILE PHOTO U-Move classes are taught at the IM Building, the CCRB and the NCRB. is dictated by utilization trends that vary by semester and even by day." Vincent pins most of the success of the U-Move program on the qual- ity, enthusiasm and diversity of its instructors. The participants seem to agree. "It's easy for a student to get busy with school and put the gym at the bottom of their list of priorities," said Kristin Ellis, a Nursing junior who is taking U-Move classes for the first time this semester. "That's why I loved cardio blast, because (Borenstein) was so ani- mated and fun. It was a tough work- out, but the time flew by and he was hilarious and motivating at the same time," Ellis said. U-Move classes are taught at the Intermural Sports Building, the Central Campus Recreation Building and the North Campus Recreation Building. MFit, a division of the University of Michigan Health System, is a more medically based program that offers a range of programs, from nutri- tion and personal training to cook- ing classes and smoking cessation. Classes are offered all over campus and at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube. MFit has also introduced some new programs for students this year, including personal training services and the weight management Pro- gram. These programs offer a holis- tic approach to weight loss, including diet, exercise, mental health assess- ment and exercise strategy. "This program is not solely about weight loss, said David Waymann, manager of Fitness Center Initiatives for MFit. "It is making an investment in your future well being, not just the 'freshman 20.' " Holly Scherer, a registered dieti- cian and coordinator for the MFit Weight Management Program, finds that small steps are the key to long- term success with a weight-loss pro- gram. "We're taking a look at what they are willing to change, and teaching (participants) to develop healthy hab- its they can live with," she said. Seminars like "Vegan Meals" and "Salads For All Seasons," make getting healthy fun and painless, and spots in the courses are in high demand. Exercise and relaxation classes are at their highest enroll- ment ever this semester, Waymann said, who added it is partially due to continuous change and growth within the programs. Getting involved is nearly as easy as it was to reach for a second helping of pumpkin pie. Information and reg- istration forms are available online at www.umich.edu/-umove/ and www. med.umich.edu/mfit. U-Move registration is on a first- come, first-serve basis and most classes cost less than $50 per semes- ter. MFit programs offer special stu- dent pricing, and coupons for free and discounted services will be dis- tributed at University basketball and hockey games. U-Move MFit Winter 2005 fitness class- Variety of fitness and cook- es include spinning, pilates, ing classes. Fifteen-visit punch yoga and tae kwon do. Class cards available for fitness schedule and prices available classes. More information at at www.umich.edu/-umove. www.med.umich.edu/mfit. U-Move classes combine aerobic workouts with fun times.