The New Evaluation - The Next Steps - Marilyn DeMartini - Writer, Marketer, Fitness Instructor

The New Evaluation – The Next Steps

I stepped onto the InBody machine with great anticipation of seeing my muscle mass increasing and body fat decreasing, even though my clothes fit exactly the same and the mirror showed no changes. Since my first scan was after a 9-day vacation of doing very little exercise except motorcycle riding and my second was after over 8 sessions of Body20, I was hopeful. While about a 1% increase in muscle mass was encouraging, it was not exciting, but I was reminded that at 102 pounds and 17.3% body fat, dropping to 16%, there were not huge strides to make in a single month! My trainer also reminded me that I needed to eat more protein to gain muscle mass and though I think I already eat a great deal of protein, I do not count my carbs or grams of protein, I just eat clean food and as much of it as I can. I had to content myself to keeping to the workouts and trying to amass more muscle with more time, work and yes, protein.

The main advantage of the InBody assessment is seeing in numbers your body fat percentage and your basal metabolic rate—which is your resting calorie burn. As Mike Fleet, the owner the Flagler Village center says, “The more muscle you gain, the more you can eat!” so building that muscle mass that burns more calories is a great goal! The assessment also measures your body’s water content, both inside and outside your cells, so it’s a good way to monitor if you are drinking enough water. All of these factors together help give you a sense of how you are doing with your workout and what you need to do to keep improving.

Though I didn’t feel physically different in my second month, I felt noticeably comfortable with going to Body20. I looked forward to the workouts, I enjoyed the trainers and I really felt efficient in spending 20 minutes per day—OK, I have to add in the travel time but now that I have my own workout suit, I don’t have to change when I get there, again saving time.

One day really brought this awareness into perspective. It was Friday and I had ridden my bicycle to my yoga class in the morning, doing about 6 miles of intermittent sprints and recoveries, plus teaching a 1-hour Vinyasa Flow class. I had my post-workout protein shake and was feeling good, wondering about my 4 PM Body20 appointment, which was slated as a “cardio” day. After my last meeting about 3:15 PM, I was feeling tired, my biorhythm was low and what I really wanted was a nap—or an early Happy Hour to wrap up the hectic week. It started to pour down rain and I could have called in to cancel, BUT I knew I could do anything for 20 minutes, so I jumped into my Body20 suit, grabbed rain gear and headed out the door. Making my way through the rush hour traffic, I was reminded of my commitment to wellness and fitness and did a kick-butt boxing and lower body class, taking my aggressions out on the heavy bag and enjoying the jolt that was giving my muscles a charge and a bit of massage. I wrapped up feeling like a million and so pleased that I opted for 20 minutes that was the perfect week wrap up. If I was planning to spend an hour at a gym, I don’t know if I would have had the same stamina. I’m sure I would have done the workout, but I’m not sure if the 20-minute timeframe is that really got me there! One thing I do know is I accomplished my goal, fit it into my day and felt like a better person for it!

About the Author: Marilyn DeMartini

Marilyn’s passion for and professional interest in physical fitness and sports began with her first job as a fitness instructor in Pittsburgh, PA. She continued to teach yoga and fitness classes and escalated her commitment when she became certified as a Fitness Instructor and later added a NASM certification in Senior Fitness. DeMartini’s marketing career segued from agency work into fitness apparel marketing, which years later led to writing for sporting goods trade publications, an area in which she excelled as apparel editor, and continued for another decade. As a health and fitness journalist, DeMartini studied under top professionals in the field. She attended numerous fitness seminars and workshops, in search of the hottest trends, latest research and most beneficial workout programs, ranging from fitness fashion and functional training to sport-specific training (golf, running, weight-training) and yoga. She also wrote a Longevity Medicine column for over 1½ years for GNC’s Physical magazine and a fitness for golf column with Golf Tips magazine. Later, DeMartini segued into international powerboat racing where after handling PR for the World Championship Drambuie On Ice team she covered the sport as an online journalist for Speedvision. She also was featured on American Powerboat TV where she interviewed professional racers in venues around the country, presenting the excitement of powerboat racing to viewers on various regional sports channels. Today, while continuing PR and journalism in the marine and other industries, her fitness instruction modalities continue, ranging from yoga to functional and circuit training, running and cycling. She was also featured in a video, “Hard Body Yoga.” DeMartini resides in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida where she owns PR Power marketing agency; she branded FIT Lauderdale to extend to her reach into the area fitness and yoga communities. She is an exercise and yoga instructor and has also conducted workshops for seniors mixing big band music with a chair and stretching exercises called “Big Band Bend & Stretch.”