Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could exercise less strenuously and still lose weight?

That dream could come true with the help of relatively new metabolic testing technology in Northern Utah.

The technology was developed by Minnesota-based New Leaf Health & Fitness, a company that develops health and fitness related products. The equipment determines a person’s “optimal training zone” – the exercise level that will either help the body more effectively burn stored fat or increase endurance.

“It’s sure better than the general directions of a doctor who just says, ‘Eat less, exercise more,’” says physical therapist Julie Knighton, whose South Ogden office is one of five locations in Utah with the equipment. “What exactly does that mean? And how do you do it? We fill in the gap.”

The technology has been used in research facilities, hospitals, universities and athletic-training centers for about 20 years, but it has only been available to the general public for about a year and half.

Since Knighton started using New Leaf technology in April, 30 to 40 people have undergone the metabolic-rate test and consultation with Knighton’s staff in order to customize a diet and exercise program just for them. Most of them are on schedule, dropping one to two pounds a week.

Annette Cornia of Washington Terrace was Knighton’s first tested patient – her “guinea pig” – and Cornia couldn’t be happier with the results. She had been trying to drop 2 percent body fat for a year, but after the testing, she dropped it in eight weeks.

“And it seemed like I was hardly working,” she said.

Cornia does weight-lifting in addition to a cardio workout – swimming laps, biking, walking or exercising on the elliptical machine – four or five times a week.

“It’s the most amazing thing. I am just way excited. My results have been fantastic,” she said. “My heart rate needs to be 83 to 117 beats per minute to burn fat the whole time and, for me, 83 is walking slow.”

Learning to eat more fruits and vegetables also helped her lose inches, unlike the low-card diet she tried: “I just don’t believe in that diet anymore. Counting calories, eating lots of fruits and vegetables, and working out in my zone has gotten me in the best shape I’ve ever been in.”

Her goal is to get down to 140 pounds before turning 50 next week. Given the results so far, she expects to reach her goal.

Quality of life
Mindy Boehm, who says she’s a baby boomer fighting the aging process, took the test because she wanted to see how fit her treadmill and weight-lifting workout is keeping her. Turns out, the Ogden pediatrician is already in pretty good condition, Knighton said.

Boehm says she doesn’t expect to live longer, but she just wants to “stay mobile and live better, feel better.”

In truth, she admits, she hoped the results would show that she could work out for 30 minutes, instead of 40, but no such luck.

The multitasker who likes to read, talk on the phone and watch TC while working out on the treadmill also learned that she has to pay more attention to keep her heart rate up in her zone – and that she might lose that pesky five pounds if she wrote down what she eats and counts calories.

She has improved her eating habits by following the food pyramid guide and reducing the amount of fat in her diet. She also avoids highly refined carbohydrates, like white bread and pasta. And now that she knows exactly what she needs to do, she can get back on track if she wanders from her regimen.

Recording calories
With the approach of a 10-year wedding anniversary and a cruise, Chris Bauco of Layton decided to give the test a try so he could drop some of the weight he picked up while working a desk job.

“I had been running for a number of years, trying to lose weight, but I was not really seeing any progress,” he said. “I had the test done at the end of April and learned that, basically, walking is the optimal exercise for me. It was surprisingly easy. I’ve lost 17 pounds.”

The hard part, he says, was weighing food choices.

“I used to watch calories, not fat content. Julie showed me how to read labels, and now I watch both. My wife and I also make a concerted effort to keep good snacks in the house – I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables,” he said.

“Before, whatever it was, no matter how bad it was for you, it didn’t matter, I ate it.”

Now he subscribes to the website www.calorieking.com to calculate his calorie intake. He just enters what items he eats – and that’s easy because the site covers the gamut of fast-food items and grocery-store products then adds his exercise information. The site does the math. IF it looks like he’s going to exceed his goals of 2,000 calories for the day, despite the exercise, he knows to skip dessert or walk longer.

“Poor preparation equals poor performance,” he said.

Knighton maintains that preparation is easy – treating the root of the problem with the right combination of diet and exercise in the “zone.” It’s certainly far easier and makes more sense than suffering and treating the disease – like a stroke, diabetes or heart disease.

Cornia, who had had an autoimmune disease for 10 years and struggled twice in one year with pneumonia, agrees.

“I decided I needed a change, that if I didn’t get my body moving, I’d die,” she said. “This is the best thing anyone can do to get fit. Julie always says, ‘Work smarter, not harder,’ and she has a machine that can prove it.”