TV fitness expert weighs in on getting fit

Paul Plakas, fitness and nutrition expert on the television show X-Weighted, was in Sudbury on the weekend to share his secrets to fitness success.

A crowd of around 75 people, mostly women, filled the club at the Sixth Avenue Golf and Country Club in Lively Sunday, to tune into Plakas' tips and pointers through a three-hour interactive seminar.

“I focus in on the three things that people want most in their workouts: they want less fat in their body, they want more fitness or energy for their day, and they want less pain in their body,” Plakas said. “Those three things are what people come to see me for the most.”

X-Weighted follows individuals on a six-month journey to losing weight, with Plakas taking the reigns on shaping-up the participants. The show is entering its fourth season, airing on the Slice Network this fall, which will focus on families in need of a weight-loss intervention.

Plakas, who resides in Edmonton, said one of the biggest myths when it comes to getting in shape is the speed at which people can lose weight.

“A lot of people think that its easy to lose weight and that it should happen very fast, but it takes them so long to put on,” he said. “They think 'if I've been working out and eating well for a week, I should notice way more weight loss.'

“It just takes time, one to two pounds per week is all that's realistic.”

For those with busy schedules, Plakas said the most efficient way to tackle fitness is a “functional core circuit exercise,” which means doing movements that involve your arms and legs with weights, one after the other, without resting.

“That is the way you train all components of fitness — your calorie burning, your balance, your core strength, your muscular endurance — everything gets hit with one shot.”

Despite his now lean physique, Plakas struggled with his weight throughout his childhood, something he attributes to his parents both working in the food service industry.

“Both my elementary and junior high schools were near my parents’ restaurant, so I went there for lunch. A typical meal would consist of a cheeseburger, fries and chocolate milkshake,” he wrote on his website (www.paulplakas.com). “It became a habit for me.

“I remember other kids were envious because they had bagged lunches while I ate pizza and burgers every day. In hindsight, their lunches were a lot healthier than mine. Over time, my unhealthy food choices caused me to gain weight.”

After being bullied in high school because of the extra weight he was carrying around, Plakas decided to get his health back under control — a journey that eventually led him to becoming a personal trainer, a skill he's been honing for the past 19 years.

“The key to optimal health is eat highly nutritious food, even though they're higher in calories,” he said. “And you have to pick an activity you enjoy doing long-term. If you don't enjoy it, you'll never be consistent with it.”

Plakas is also the author of the book “How to Be Lean, Fit and Pain Free in the 21st Century.”

“The premise of the booklet is to give practical information of how human beings can achieve a healthy body in the society we have created today,” he wrote on his website.

Beth Bedard, manager and trainer at Studio Fitness at Sixth Avenue, has been in the field for the past 30 years. She said she brought Plakas to Lively because “he is a great motivator,” and he was also recommended by some of the club's members who are faithful followers of X-Weighted.

“(Paul) is a great incentive to get people going ... and sometimes, that's all people need, is a little bit of motivation to get them off the couch, and say, yeah, I can do this,” she said.

Bedard said fitness has to fit a person's lifestyle, and that it's “not just for skinny people.”

“If fitness doesn't fit your lifestyle, it's not going to work, you have to make it a lifestyle change. If it's walking, or riding your bike, or jogging on the spot in your office on your coffee break, just make it fit your lifestyle.”

Visit Studio Fitness at Sixth Avenue online at www.sixthavenuegolf.ca/fitness.