As the New Year approaches, the gym memberships increase.

This is nothing new for most fitness centers, but many health professionals see the lack of commitment after people reach their weight goal. “It goes beyond what your weight reads on the scale, [the scale] only weighs gravity,” said Chris Huffman, performance center supervisor at King’s Daughters Medical Center Fitness Center.

Huffman said there are five components of fitness: nutrition (healthy foods), weight/resistant training (increases strength), anaerobic and aerobic cardio (high and low intensity workouts), supplementation (vitamins, minerals and water), and stretching, which helps with mobility and strength.

“If I had to add a sixth one, I’d include rest because that is when you grow during the cycle,” he said.

All five components are vital to having a completely healthy body, he said. The food people choose to eat is just as important as well. “The essentials are proteins, vegetables and fats,” said Rico Sorrell, Snap Fitness personal trainer.

“Caffeine is also a good stimulate, but plain black coffee is best,” he added.

Whether someone is trying to lose weight or become more fit, building a fitness routine will take time.

Both professionals agree that it is not a quick fix. “If you go to Wal-Mart and you can’t go pick up a 50 pound bag of dog food because you’re not lifting weights, that’s a problem,” Huffman said.  “Fitness is all inclusive and should be for general and physical preparation.”

A body fat analysis is also another way to know what parts of the body need work. A body fat analysis of 32 percent is considered clinically obese, and no one can tell their exact percentage without seeking answers from a health professional. Even an athlete can be considered obese if he or she is only focusing on one part of fitness without including the other components. Huffman worked with an athlete who dropped from 33 percent to 21 percent. “If she would’ve just focused on scale weight, that wouldn’t have happened,” said Huffman.

Sorrell also has a 58-year-old woman who  is just now starting her fitness journey, but she is making good progress. “It’s difficult to start at a later age, but it is never too late,” said Sorrell. “It’s a lifestyle that you should always keep that in mind. If you don’t move it, you’ll lose it”.

Regardless of the age, it will take discipline to stay committed to all components with the busy schedules most people already have in life. However, both professionals agree that the body should be considered a priority just like everything else. “Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. How we invest into that temple is an art of worship,” Huffman added.