Fitness by Phone

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- You say you don't have the time or motivation to go to the gym. We've all been there, but now there's a new program that leaves little room for excuses -- all you need is a goal and a phone.

Tiffany Ficklin is not the kind of person you would imagine battles a weight problem. As a member of a professional kickball team, she definitely gets plenty of exercise. However, her problem is time and location. "I traveled 60 days out of the year and I was in different cities, different hotels across the country," Ficklin says.

With a hectic schedule and no access to a gym, keeping on track was not easy. Then she discovered "Fitness by Phone." now she connects with her coach from anywhere. Brenda Rule-Osburn is a certified personal trainer and a life-line for people on the go. "I teach people how to workout anywhere, any time any place," Rule-Osburn says.

"Fitness by Phone" clients wear a tracking device that measures burned calories. A journal is reviewed by the coach and a weekly phone call to chart progress does the rest. Mary Jayne Johnson, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist, can see the advantages. "One of the nice things about being coached by phone is that you don't have to make a physical appointment, drive somewhere or find a place to put the kids," Dr. Johnson says.

A simple idea, but does it work? A Stanford University study says it does by keeping people accountable. "All of the studies that have been done on various types of populations, ranging from people with heart problems to healthy adults, have all shown that people have been able to achieve success with coaching by phone," Dr. Johnson says.

It works for Ficklin. "Here we are nine months later and I have lost 24 pounds and about four inches off my waist," she says. So if you need to get in shape, you might want to start by exercising your fingers.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Brenda Rule-Osburn
Fitness by Phone
BodiesDefined@msn.com

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