People's opinions vary greatly on virtually every subject, and it's no different when it comes to fitness and health: some personal trainers hold the "no pain, no gain" attitude, others take a different approach. I've been speaking to certified personal trainers to understand their philosophies on health and fitness. These stories are not intended as endorsements, they are just an exercise (no pun intended!) to explain the variety of thoughts and approaches of those trained to help us get into better shape.

Phyllis Frost has been in the fitness business for more than 30 years. She was hooked, she says, from the minute she attended her first aerobics class in the 1980s.

"I stepped into that class and just loved it," she said. "I went back every day, week after week, and they told me I should teach it," she said with a laugh. "So I started to."

Fast forward, and she's busy teaching her Fit Body By Phyl - six weeks to your best body program - and boot camp classes with personal training sessions in between.

Her philosophy: "Wellness: body, mind and spirit." Frost said she believes that when "your body is in tune, you feel good inside, and you're truly comfortable with who you are." She is passionate and committed to helping people achieve better health. "If I won the lottery, I'd do it for free, I swear."

She said she doesn't believe in dieting. "You have to eat food in every food group, but you have to learn proper portions." That's why you should always measure things like pasta or rice, so you know what the proper portion size is, she said. "You pile them on without knowing and next thing you know you've eaten double or even triple the proper portion size."

Most people, she said, especially women, don't get enough protein in their diet, which she said is essential to muscle growth and maintenance. "The more lean body mass a person has, the more ability the body has to burn fat even when inactive."

And she's cautious about any diet that eliminates food groups. "They may work initially, but maintaining the results are statistically unsuccessful."

Instead of deprivation, Frost suggested people live consciously. "It's unconscious behaviours that get you into trouble."

Put the fork down after every bite, she said: "It takes time, but you're far more aware of how you're feeling and better able to gauge your hunger."

Frost also said that when eating, it's always best to consume the protein and vegetables first, carbs last. "We always have room for the carbs, but its protein that fills us up longer."

When it comes to exercise, Frost said most people feel they have to spend hours a day in the gym in order to have a fit body but she doesn't subscribe to that. "High intensity interval training is the way to go if you're aiming for fat loss."

The goal is to get the heart rate up. She suggested 30 minutes a day, six days a week. "On the seventh day, you rest."

Frost is particularly enamoured with all-encompassing exercises combining elements of muscle-building, flexibility and cardio. "That's getting the best bang for your buck."

If weight loss is your goal, Frost said, your eating has to support the workout. "There's no sense in getting in a good workout and then flopping on the couch and eating crap. You've just defeated all the hard work you've done."

And change up your exercise, she advised. Too often, people stop working out because they get bored of their programs. "That's why it's so important to find something you love to do, have fun with it and you'll want to continue."

One of her favourite mantras is: fail to plan, plan to fail. "You have to list your intentions and stick to them, no matter what."

Her biggest pet peeves: Poor form. "Take the time to learn the proper technique when exercising, it's worth the investment." Poor hygiene in the gym. "Wipe the machine down after you use it, please! -and don't pour on the perfume before a workout, it's distracting for other people."

The biggest myth heard from women? "I don't want to lift weights because I'll get too big, I don't want massive muscles." Frost laughs at that one.

"Do you know how much work goes into achieving that? Not to mention the eating plan that goes along with it?" People can get big muscles, if that's what they really want, with hard work and determination, Frost said, "but for the average person, doing weights increases strength and lean muscle mass -no fear of bulging muscles."

She said she knows firsthand how hard it is to put on muscle mass, having competed in a bodybuilding contest in 2000. "I trained for a year for that competition, and followed a very strict diet." It takes a lot of dedication and commitment to achieve those results, both mentally and physically, she said. "But you can do it, if that's what you want."

Montreal Gazette