As we transition into 2025, people will be making their New Year’s resolutions, and one of the most common goals that individuals aspire to after indulging in all that sweet and savory holiday food is to exercise more. But as female leaders in the local fitness and health and wellness field explained, getting fit and staying fit requires more than a temporary commitment: It’s a lifestyle change.
A former professional dancer, Kaitlin Tufts is co-owner and manager of Jane DO-Charleston. A fitness studio with locations in New Jersey and Charleston, Jane DO offers a diverse range of high-energy classes designed to empower women by helping them achieve their strongest, healthiest selves. Tufts is passionate about fitness and the power that moving your body can have over all aspects of your life and believes that deciding which method to use to get and stay fit is a personal decision. To her, the biggest factor in determining if a fitness regimen is successful is if it’s right for you.
Some things to consider include figuring out your personal goals – weight loss, strength or flexibility, for example – how much you enjoy your workout and whether it fits into your life, gives you room to grow and offers you support.
“One of the biggest complaints we hear in the fitness world is clients complaining about the dreaded plateau. Finding a workout that can grow with you is so important,” noted Tufts. “Jane DO offers the variety we need to keep the results coming, and, as you get stronger, the workouts can be modified to offer you even more. This is key when thinking about long-term fitness goals.”
Tylar Brannon is CEO of Optimal Bio, a bioidentical hormone replacement therapy practice that takes an integrative approach to overall physical and mental wellness and has nine offices throughout the Southeast, including one in Mount Pleasant. She feels that the No. 1 benefit of a fitness routine is the mental health aspect and its impact on a person’s emotional health. “It’s so, so important,” she said, adding that it involves depression and anxiety, was well as the discipline aspect in scheduling regular workouts.
“I believe if you’re working out, you start to feel better,” stated Brannon – which can have a domino effect that in turn leads to eating and sleeping better.
The physical benefits of regular exercise are numerous and include better balance and flexibility, a boosted immune system, a reduced risk of chronic diseases and increased energy levels.
“But I think one of the best benefits to exercise is its ability to improve self-confidence, self- worth and sense of self,” said Tufts. “I have seen it hundreds of times and experienced it for myself – building strength in the studio directly correlates to finding strength in the other parts of your life, where you need it most. It can be an incredibly transformative thing.”
However, you can overdo exercise. Brannon explained that workouts cause inflammation – the good kind of inflammation – but that too much exercise does more harm than good for your body: “Then you’re going to have too much inflammation in your body that it can’t clean out.” It’s OK to engage in strength training three to four days a week; you don’t need to do it daily. Rest days are essential as well. “Your muscles need to rest so they can keep building,” she shared.
According to Tufts, overexercising can lead to burnout, injury, hormonal imbalance and mental fatigue. “It’s really important to listen to your body and include rest days for recovery.”
Nonetheless, fitness should be perceived as more of a long-term goal than a fad, asserted Brannon. “The No. 1 thing in life is moving your body. I think so many things could be a fad in a bad way. That’s why it’s so important, I think, to make it just part of your lifestyle.”
Tufts emphasized that the reason it’s so important to find a type of workout you enjoy is that incorporating fitness into your life should be a long-term goal. “Like doing your laundry or cleaning your house, you can’t just do it a few times – it’s something you have to keep doing forever. If you treat fitness the same way, it will contribute significantly to your overall well-being and quality of life.”
Even with a busy schedule staying fit is feasible, added Tufts. “Quality matters more than quantity – even 15 to 30 minutes a day of strength training can yield significant health benefits, but consistency is key. If you really don’t have time for a full workout, try integrating physical activity into everyday tasks like walking instead of driving or taking the stairs instead of the elevator.”
For those individuals balancing work and family demands who worry they don’t have time to exercise, Brannon noted that you can squeeze in quick workouts using apps at home. She uses the Moves app while traveling for work, which offers a great selection of 30- to 60-minute workouts.
“I truly believe everyone can find time for what they want to do,” she concluded.
By Colin McCandless
