By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
An online search of the most popular New Year’s resolutions indicates that “losing weight” and “exercising more” top the list.
Some local residents have made a good start on those initiatives already, with Hames Center gym memberships on the rise, and SEARHC dietitians responding to calls for advice.
SEARHC nutrition services manager Jessica Holland, an MSN registered dietitian, says it’s good to have goals but tries to steer people more toward improved health and not strictly weight loss.
“I would say to them, weight doesn’t necessarily equal health,” Holland said. “So maybe set some goals aligning with health, maybe ‘I’m going to get up and go to the gym in the morning,’ or ‘I’m going to try to eat breakfast every morning.’ Not ‘I’m going to lose x amount of weight.’”
Changing a number of things in your life can make a difference in improving health, of which weight loss can be a part, she said.
“Often doctors suggest losing weight to help with health conditions,” Holland said. “Dietitians help patients look at what they are eating and other lifestyle factors and by helping that person make small sustainable changes they will have improved health and typically weight loss. Too much weight loss too soon is usually not healthy or sustainable and can actually be more detrimental to one’s health.”
She said the SEARHC nutrition office is generally quiet the last two months of the year, but the calls for advice pick up at the start of the new year. She has also received casual calls from friends with diet-related questions since the new year started.
“January rolls around and you get people motivated to make changes,” Holland said.
In general, through, people don’t go to a dietitian specifically for weight loss, but to address other health issues of which diet is a component.
“Some of the successes I see – with lower cholesterol, improved blood sugar - sometimes their weight doesn’t necessarily change a whole bunch,” Holland said.
She said one of the first questions she asks those seeking help from a dietitian is the reason for their visit. It can be simply to feel better, or it could be to help with a health condition.
The ability to stick with lifestyle changes varies, but some people make it to the end of the year following the goals they started out with. Holland said changing the way a person thinks about diet is a huge step,
“What I do like is the change in their perception of, it’s not just about weight loss,” she said. “They want to improve their overall health, and not just necessarily restricting and exercising to death to lose weight but really trying to focus on everything that’s going on, for them to be healthier.”
In the spirit that “weight doesn’t equal health, necessarily,” Holland said basic questions to ask include whether a person eats consistently throughout the day, has a good amount of fruits and vegetables, has a healthy way to cope with stress, and is exercising regularly.
“If we are stressed out in our body, that releases cortisol, which makes our body hold on to weight,” she said. “If you’re stressed out after a hard day, you’re more likely to maybe go make a quick meal high in carbs and salt then than make a balanced dinner.”
Improving a few areas will result in weight loss, she said, but by that time weight loss may be beside the issue, since other gains will be made in health improvements.
“It shouldn’t be a diet,” she said. “It should be forever changes that keep us sustainable for life.”
Holland’ general advice is to eat consistently to prevent over- and under-eating, and eat more fiber (plant-based) foods. Holland is also a big advocate for keeping your body hydrated. As a guide, she says to divide your body weight (in pounds) in half to get the number of fluid ounces you should drink every day. For example, if you weigh 140 pounds, drink at least 70 ounces of water.
She also talks about “elevating” meals by adding a healthy component. If you eat toast, add a banana or avocado. Add chia seeds to yogurt. Adding a serving of fruit or a protein to a snack can fight off hunger.
With a master’s degree of science and nutrition, Holland has worked on and off for SEARHC the past 10 years, and is part of the Community Wellness Services Department. She belongs to a team of SEARHC registered dietitians who work with clients referred by health providers.
At the Hames Center, manager Paige Craig said people started hitting the gym hard in the weeks leading up to the New Year.
“In past years, we usually see a pretty slow gym during the holidays and people take a break,” she said. “But this year we had a super busy gym.”
Some of the increase was related to the midyear school vacation, and on one recent day there were 200 check-ins at the fitness center, a one-day record.
“That hasn’t happened in a long time, and that was cool to see,” Craig said.
The other positive sign is the 20 new memberships in the first three days of the new year.
Craig said some of those were people renewing their memberships after staying away from the gym during COVID.
“We’re seeing gym returners, who haven’t been in for a few years, and are starting to filter back in,” she said. She said it’s also been gratifying to hear positive reactions to some of the improvements, such as expansion of the downstairs weight room and expanded hours. A locker room remodel is underway and separate sauna rooms are planned.
There are schedules for open soccer, volleyball, basketball, and pickleball, and a boxing club also meets at the gym. The Hames Center, located on the SJ campus, is open on weekdays 5 to 9 a.m., and noon to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Craig has a degree in exercise science and moved to Sitka from Missoula, Montana, a year and a half ago. Her grandfather was the late Larrae Rocheleau, superintendent of Mt. Edgecumbe High School and later president of Sheldon Jackson College.
