Q&A - Trainer says setting reachable goals important

Local personal trainer Jane Hamann knows it's the goal of many to get healthy and fit in 2013. Originally from Chicago, Hamann is a dedicated marathon runner interested it getting others healthy. But she knows at times when people decide to make a change, they tend to bite off more than they can chew. She moved here with husband Brad Hamann, an Eastern New Mexico University professor, a little over two years ago.

Hamann shared a few tips to get healthy as well as information about her own journey.

Jane HamannPersonal trainer

What are the most common New Year's resolution blunders when it comes to weight loss?

The biggest blunder is that they have massive goals and the goals get to be so much, that it's too much to handle. If you haven't done it before or worked out in a while, and you try to hit the gym every day, your body eventually will break down. You need to have small goals and build them up. Pick one, reach that goal, and then go onto the next. You need to get into the habit and focus on one thing at a time.

The second biggest blunder is that people don't write stuff down. It's important to write stuff down because you have something concrete that you can look at. Studies have proven that those who log their nutrition and log their exercise, are more successful in their weight loss goals.

What are more realistic and attainable goals for people trying to get healthy?

Eating a diet with whole natural foods. Stay away from processed and sugary foods. It's also important to exercise at least three to four times a week. You need to take a day off once a week so the body can recover. They see all these programs or gadgets on TV but you need to find something that you like that you're going to stick with that you can make a habit with.

You need to eat right and you have to exercise. You can't do one without the other. Fad diets don't work; they're restrictive and if you go off of it, you gain it right back.

It's also important to take care of yourself and get enough sleep and downtime.

What are your favorite ways to break a sweat?

I run. I am a runner because I've been running for 25 years. I love interval training like boot camp and High Intensity Interval Training with strength and cardio.

What physical or outdoor activity do you want to do but haven't done yet?

I have never done a triathlon and I'd like to do it.

Do you have a successful health or weight loss story or have you always been a healthy person?

I have never been unhealthy or overweight. I'm not naturally thin, I have to work at it as well. I do my best to live the life I promote. I have my challenges, sometimes I want to sit and have a glass of wine or two or a hamburger with fries, and it's nothing wrong with that, but it's about moderation.

What makes it so hard to stay on track with a fitness routine?

It takes commitment and it takes consistency. With a lot of things going on in life, it seems like a fitness routine is the hardest to commit to. If you want success, you have to commit and once you commit, you have to be consistent. You have to find the time because you're not going to make the time.

What athletes or other famous figures inspire you?

Joan Benoit Samuelson, she's a female marathoner. She won the first women's Olympic marathon in 1984. And she qualified for the Olympics 16 weeks after having major knee surgery.

Katherine Switzer, she's another pioneer in women's running. She was the first woman to run in the Boston marathon (previously an all-male tradition). I've had the chance to meet both of them and they're fabulous women.

Paul Konerko, first baseman for the Chicago White Sox, is another inspirational figure. I'm a baseball person. He's a great team captain and a team player. He's really a leader.

What's the best part about being a personal trainer?

Working with the people and seeing them succeed and knowing that I played a minor role in that. They did the work themselves.

Do you own a scale, why or why not?

Yes we do. I'm not a big fan of the scale, because it does not give you an accurate number of where you're really at. Your body weight is going to fluctuate throughout the day. There's weight and then there's fat. It is a number but don't use what it tells you as being successful or not. And if you are going to weigh, weigh once a week.

What has been your biggest fitness accomplishment?

The marathons I've run. I've ran eight marathons and completed them all well. It's more than just physical, it's psychological.