It’s already into the second month of 2013 and, for many, those New Year’s resolutions about the pounds you planned on putting off may have been pushed aside, especially now that the Mardi Gras season is in full swing.
Luling resident and personal trainer Tanya Colee encourages those who were planning to get in shape in 2013 to keep going after that goal instead of getting side tracked.
“Don’t wait. Don’t put your health on hold,” Colee said. “There is always going to be a holiday, there is always going to be a party. We can always work the fun stuff in.”
After many years of working in the health information field, Colee decided to pursue her personal trainer certification five years ago and has since been helping parish residents get into shape as a trainer at the Fitness Club in Boutte.
“I wanted to be a personal trainer because of the solutions to America’s health crisis,” Colee said.
Colee, who is also co-owner of J&K Office and Supply Printing with husband Edward, began a new entrepreneurial pursuit about a year ago focusing on improving the health of those over 40 through healthy eating and fitness instruction.
The program, called Burn Fat Forever, includes a three-day retreat at the Abita Springs Bed and Breakfast where participants learn how to eat healthy and exercise properly to drop weight and improve their health.
“They are very spa like and we do massage and yoga and educate on the best way to maintain weight loss,” Colee said. “But it is about more than weight loss. It is about your health and feeling good, feeling energetic and having a clearer mind.”
She said she and her business partner, Dr. Tina Thomas, who owns the Abita Springs getaway, open the program to anyone who decides they need to lose weight and get in shape, but they focus more on people over the age of 40.
“For men and women over 40 it becomes much more difficult to lose weight, especially for women. The game changes after 40. Things that used to work don’t work anymore,” Colee said. “We designed a research-based program on the best, most effective way to lose weight if you are over 40.”
She said after only a year in business the retreat has seen great results from its participants.
“So far the fat flies off for men and melts off of women,” Colee said. “We had people that lost upward of 20 to 80 pounds easily. That is the range and they’ve been able to maintain their weight for a year. We’ve had amazing results.”
Another area the retreat specializes in is people with Type 2 diabetes or who are in a pre-daibetic state. Colee said for that sub-group proper exercise and diet can reverse the disease. In fact, they have been able to do so with some of their program’s participants.
“We have had a couple of people that have gone from diabetic states to not being diabetic,” she said.
A large part of the program focuses on dietary issues and getting people to take care of their bodies by closely monitoring what they are putting in them.
“Tina’s expertise is in personality so we also incorporate personality testing with eating habits so you learn about your eating personality and how to manage that most effectively,” Colee said.
The retreat in Abita Springs offers a crash course for those who can take three days out to learn healthier living styles. Colee said she has had people come form as far away as Texas to attend the program, but most attendees have been from the New Orleans area.
She said for those who do not have time to get away, ‘Burn Fat Forever’ has other options.
“We do remote retreats which is basically coaching over the phone Skype sessions and two or three one-to-one meetings where I sit with you and coach,” Colee said. “That’s a six-week program and you’ll have a personal coach for six weeks.”
She said in the end it’s not really about how people take care of themselves, it’s about when they choose to take care of themselves.
“It’s important to get people to understand how important it is to take care of their health before they get sick,” Colee said. “It’s preventive care.”
For more information on ‘Burn Fat Forever,’ you can visit their website at www.burnfatfoever.org.
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