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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, September 25, 2003

FITNESS PROFILE
Morning exercise helps woman start off day on the right foot

By Paula Rath
Advertiser Staff Writer

Name: Kaycie Yeager

Age: 48

Profession: Realtor with Retail Strategies LLC

Height: 5 feet 4 inches

Weight: I don't have a scale, but I'd guess around 115 to 118.

Kaycie Yeager of Makiki likes to work out at home with "Buns of Steel" because she says the video targets her problem areas — her hips and thighs.

Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser

Target weight: I don't really have a target weight; it's more about fitting into my clothes. I wear a size 4 and can always tell if I've put on a few pounds. I keep a diary of my measurements every few weeks, so I always know where I stand. But when you can't zip your jeans, you know it's time to get a bit more active.

Workout habits: I've always been disciplined, both at work and at home. I jump out of bed in the morning and just get it over with. It's a great way to begin my day and I feel good for having done it and gotten it over with early. If I don't do it first thing in the morning, it just doesn't happen.

When and why I started working out: I've always liked getting exercise. When I had my own business and could juggle my working hours, I paddled twice a week for almost 12 years and went to the gym the other three days.

Since I've started working more regular office hours, I've had to eliminate the paddling and the gym because there just isn't time in the morning for those activities anymore. So instead, I work out at home to save time. I have this really great exercise video from the 1980s called "Buns of Steel," which really targets those areas I have trouble with — hips and thighs. I also work out my arms with weights for a few minutes every day and do a few crunches.

My good foods/bad foods: I have it pretty easy because I'm not a huge fan of chocolate, which I know is a big downfall for a lot of women. I do love bread and pasta, and I know I eat more of those things than I should. As a little test, two weeks ago, I gave up carbs altogether; just to see if I could make better food choices and to see if anything physical would happen by making that one change to my diet. It's hard at first to find things to eat but I was pretty happy to discover I'd lost 1&Mac253; inches off my waist just by eliminating the carbs. I think I'll keep that up for a while.

I try not to eat red meat. I don't drink alcohol except perhaps a shared glass of wine once a week. I don't eat chips and don't keep that type of food in the house, and in restaurants, I always ask for my salad dressing on the side. I also eat really slowly and, in a group, I'm always the last one to finish my meal. I try to pay attention to what I eat and I give it a lot of thought.

My biggest motivator: I have to say my biggest motivator is my husband, Randy. He is incredibly generous in his compliments and constantly gives me positive feedback. I have the added benefit of a husband who also exercises every morning. We may do different types of exercise, but he's right there working out in the morning at the same time I do. We also eat the same things so I do not have to prepare one meal for him and something else for myself.

My biggest roadblock to fitness: Time, just like everyone else. I don't like it when "life" gets in the way of exercising but it's inevitable that other things come up that are more important. I just try to get back into the exercise routine the very next day. I really find that the older I get, the more I have to keep after it to keep in shape. If I lay off the exercising for a few weeks during vacation or for some other reason, it's always a struggle to get back to the same level of fitness. I get sore muscles if I don't exercise regularly and it really hurts to have to start from square one again.

My next challenge: Randy wants me to climb Yosemite's Half Dome with him next summer. I'm not very keen to do it, but it's a good fitness goal to have. I'll have to find some sort of exercise that builds up the strength in my thighs well before that expedition takes place. Maybe I'll have to start climbing the stairs in my high-rise condo or doing squats.