FITNESS PROFILE
Single mom finds time for gym

By Paula Rath
Advertiser Staff Writer

Julie Kam works out with trainer Eric Okamura at the Fit for Life exercise studio in Iwilei. "Getting to the gym relieves stress," Kam says. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

Age: 40.

Profession: Executive assistant.

Height: 5-feet-1.

Weight: 105 pounds.

Workout habits: Works out with trainer Eric Okamura three times a week for one hour.

When and why I started working out: "I started working out in June 2003, when some of my co-workers invited me to try a nine-week program with them at Fit for Life."

My good foods/bad foods: "Good foods would be fish and salads. Bad foods would be McDonald's and too much rice with every meal."

My biggest motivator: "By having a personal trainer and workout partners, there is always someone expecting you at workout, so I make sure I show up. Also to maintain my clothing size or smaller."

My biggest roadblock to fitness: "Not enough time. I am a single parent with two teenagers and I also take care of my grandmother. Also not always eating right."

What saves my sanity: "Getting to the gym relieves stress."

My next challenge: "To find the time and make the time to decrease my current body composition by 10 percent and get in more cardio."

Advice for those in the same boat: "Get a partner and make a commitment to make time to work out at least three times a week."