HOW FIT ARE YOU? It’s the kind of question that inevitably gets the same response however trim you are—and that is: ‘not enough’. A recent article in the Globe and Mail, however, contends that the 50-plus generation of Canadians is prob­ably the healthiest ever and expects the findings from the Canadian Health Measures Survey, out next year, will prove it. It would follow, then, that 30-and 40-somethings are in pretty good shape, too.

The story caught our eye at CBJ, even though our instinct is to think about those of us who feel too busy with families and business to hit the health club. That’s why we caught up with Roland Semprie for some words of wisdom and encouragement.

Roland, founder of Roland Semprie Rosedale Inc., a kind of holistic supergym in Toronto and a regular on Canadian TV, has the kind of resumé that inspires confidence. He’s a doctor of tradi­tional Chinese Medicine; he has a PhD in holis­tic health and wellness; he’s a medical exercise specialist; and a certified fitness consultant. He also used to be a university basketball and NBA Summer Pro-League player. There’s more to Roland than this list, but we simply don’t have space—best check out his biography at www.ro­landsemprie.com.

The first thing we want to know is, why bother with exercise? He has a ready answer.

Want more energy? Get physical.

Regular exercise gives you more energy,” he says. “People think that because they work out they’re going to be tired. Sure, you’re tired during the course of the workout, but you actually end up with more energy throughout the same day or the rest of your week, especially if you’re training three times a week. It follows that your mental faculty improves, too.”

Roland also suggests that fitness is good for the bottom line in business. An executive has to produce; if they’re on top of their game physically, success will be that much easier. It works from the top-down as well. “When the executives—such as the president, the chairman, the CEO—are working out and feeling good, they want their senior staff doing likewise. In turn, they will want their employ­ees doing the same, because they want a healthy workforce. It’s about leading by example.”

Something strained, nothing gained

Talk of raised productivity may well inspire a sudden burst of activity. Roland, however, urges caution in the early stages. It’s easy to overdo it, injure yourself or simply wear yourself out and lose heart. The best way to get started, he says, is to meet with a training professional who will assess your goals and also discuss your diet and nutritional needs. You should also make sure that he or she has knowledge of rehabilitation or healing.
“You want this because if they can’t help you, they can refer you to someone who is knowledgeable. People can get a little bit overzealous and go too far. These things happen; it’s a part of training.”

And so, to the gym

The trick to regular gym attendance, it seems, is to stick with it, see the results and feel the benefits, at which point, you’ll feel a whole lot more com­mitted. This is why Roland, from the beginning, recommends a programme a consistent three times a week.

Each visit should work the whole body for an hour, covering core strength, cardiovascular training and weights. This, Roland says, should be continued for between three and six weeks. After that, you’ll have built a good foundation and you can add another visit and include other training elements.

You’ve got to build carefully, though. A typical mistake he sees is clients thinking that they can do what they did when they were younger. They will get on the treadmill and say, “I used to run at nine miles per hour” and off they go. Pride being what it is, they may do it but they’ll be hurting for it after, particularly if they exacerbate a long-forgotten injury.

“Common sense and care is what you need when you start,” says Roland, “which is where a trainer can guide you and show you the way. In time, you can gradually start to ramp things up.”

Stretching: The truth

Stretching—when to do it and how thoroughly—is something of a mystery to many people. But it is, of course, essential. Some activities require more than others. There’s also the ‘before’ or ‘after’ question.

“Say you’re doing weights or even something like basketball,” Roland says. “You will need to warm up first, of course. If after that, there’s still something tight that you want to loosen up, do a light stretch. But don’t do any deep, heavy stretching prior to your activity. That’s because when you’re really stretched out, your level of strength actually goes down. You still want a level of power capability, or what we call ‘tightness’, when you’re doing your exercise, so the muscles are able to fire. Save the more thorough stretching until afterwards.”

Bone density—a hidden benefit

As we age, our bone density diminishes, leading to the increased likelihood of suffering hip frac­tures, for instance, when we fall. Weight training can significantly influence things for the better.

“Doing weights slows down the process of losing bone density and you can actually reverse it,” Roland explains. “We also use a device called the Power Plate, which has the same effect. And it doesn’t just build bone mass, it also helps with lymphatic drainage.”

The Power Plate is an innovative vibrating plat­form that allows you to incorporate resistance training into a workout without actually lifting weights. It is, therefore, ideal for people with flex­ibility issues or injuries. As for lymphatic drainage (detoxing the body’s plumbing system), Roland says, “it shakes things up in a good way, it gets the muscles firing, it gets things moving.”

I’m a yoga person, myself’

Plenty of people, even if there are great pieces of equipment like the Power Plate, just don’t like the gym or the idea of weights. For them, activi­ties like yoga or pilates meet their physical and, indeed, sometimes spiritual needs.

“A lot of people talk about yoga and pilates, but they have to understand they will never increase bone density that way,” says Roland. “You need to do a weight-training programme to help maintain strong bones. It’s great if you’re flexible and have a strong core, but it’s probably way more important to keep your bones strong. Weight training also keeps you from being susceptible to certain heart and car­dio-vascular diseases.”

Roland isn’t dismissing yoga or pilates. Far from it. His recommendation is simply that such activities supplement other forms of training.

All in all, he makes a convincing case for weights and working out in general. Maybe it’s time to drop in on the local health club. And if you’re still in two minds, it’s worth checking out Roland’s oft-repeated mantra: “Never say the words ‘can’t’, ‘don’t’, ‘won’t’, ‘shouldn’t’, ‘wouldn’t’ or ‘try’.”

BY DOUG KNOX