'Body For Life' Fitness Plan Draws Praise
Trainer Says Program Works, Despite Some Flaws
POSTED: 4:51 p.m. CST November 13, 2001
UPDATED: 5:02 p.m. CST November 13, 2001
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- How would you like a fitness plan that calls for less exercising, more eating and one that even allows cheating on your diet?
Those are all important aspects of this wildly succesful "Body for Life" program.
The author of the plan and this bestselling book calls it a "gateway to a new and better life," and he promises that anyone can achieve it in 12 weeks.
Businessman and engineer David Renfroe already was eating well and running for 45-minute intervals when he and his wife started the program.
Renfroe said it is easy to follow the high-protein diet and the exercise plan, which calls for about half the aerobic workout time he was doing.
"It's only a 20-minute run, so I run out from my house (for) 10 minutes and turn around and come back," Renfroe said. "And now, that 10 minutes, I go a lot further than I did when I started. I mean, it's a lot further, which I'm surprised at."
Body for Life features several surprises. It stresses weightlifting over too much aerobic exercise and the importance of eating six times a day.
Renfroe said protein, carbohydrates and veggies are part of the simple diet plan.
Fayetteville personal fitness trainer Jessica Cross disagreed with that assessment.
She says the diet plan relies too heavily on expensive meal replacements like protein bars, and that the exercise plan is too difficult for beginners.
"The reps and the way the program works in general, I think you'd struggle and get very frustrated if they don't know what to do in the gym," Cross said.
Even so, Cross admitted that Body for Life works.
"When I first saw the pictures (of people before and after the program), I honestly thought they had to be taking some sort of aid to help them look that way," Cross said. "But I have friends, I've tried the program myself, and it happens. It really does happen."
Renfroe said that when he and his wife were on the program, it required that they take a diet "day off" once a week.
Renfroe said he would work hard all week so he could satisfy his Bluebell cravings on Sundays and not feel at all as if he'd failed.
Those are all important aspects of this wildly succesful "Body for Life" program.
The author of the plan and this bestselling book calls it a "gateway to a new and better life," and he promises that anyone can achieve it in 12 weeks.
Businessman and engineer David Renfroe already was eating well and running for 45-minute intervals when he and his wife started the program.
Renfroe said it is easy to follow the high-protein diet and the exercise plan, which calls for about half the aerobic workout time he was doing.
"It's only a 20-minute run, so I run out from my house (for) 10 minutes and turn around and come back," Renfroe said. "And now, that 10 minutes, I go a lot further than I did when I started. I mean, it's a lot further, which I'm surprised at."
Body for Life features several surprises. It stresses weightlifting over too much aerobic exercise and the importance of eating six times a day.
Renfroe said protein, carbohydrates and veggies are part of the simple diet plan.
Fayetteville personal fitness trainer Jessica Cross disagreed with that assessment.
She says the diet plan relies too heavily on expensive meal replacements like protein bars, and that the exercise plan is too difficult for beginners.
"The reps and the way the program works in general, I think you'd struggle and get very frustrated if they don't know what to do in the gym," Cross said.
Even so, Cross admitted that Body for Life works.
"When I first saw the pictures (of people before and after the program), I honestly thought they had to be taking some sort of aid to help them look that way," Cross said. "But I have friends, I've tried the program myself, and it happens. It really does happen."
Renfroe said that when he and his wife were on the program, it required that they take a diet "day off" once a week.
Renfroe said he would work hard all week so he could satisfy his Bluebell cravings on Sundays and not feel at all as if he'd failed.
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