The perfect solution

AFAA instructor Jill Balkam's versatile, co-ed workout video, "The Solution," provides a foray into new fitness territory.

She exercises with the enthusiasm of Denise Austin and the determination of Jane Fonda. She looks like a Hollywood starlet with her lithe figure, long blonde hair and dazzling smile. The fitness world is bracing itself for the next up-and-coming fitness star, Jill Balkam, who is shaking up the industry with the release of the "The Solution, the first unisex workout video of its kind designed to toughen fitness fanatics as well as couch potatoes.

"We named it `The Solution' because it incorporates everything into one video," explains the perky powerhouse of health and fitness knowledge. "This video has 30 minutes of cardio for endurance training, and 30 minutes of resistance training and abdominal training. It's an all-encompassing 60-minute workout."

So what makes "The Solution" different from all the other fitness tapes crowding the shelves? "I love that question," says Balkam. "My biggest hurdle has been that I'm not a celebrity and I don't have Hollywood clientele. What makes `The Solution' special is the research put into it beforehand. It's also unique because it is a unisex workout with exercises that can be modified for different ages and fitness levels. We also use a lot of cross-training moves taken from a variety of sports. Until now, fitness videos were created primarily for the adult female audience. Consequently, `The Solution' goes where no video has gone before."

Until now Balkam has been known mainly as a motivational speaker, educator and aerobics class leader at Gold's Gym in Huntington Beach, California. She has also worked with schools throughout Southern California and holds a bachelor's degree in social ecology. Now she wants to teach people on a broader scale. "Approximately 40% of children between ages 9 and 10 are trying to lose weight, and the scary thing is they're not really overweight to begin with," she says. "There is a lot of peer pressure. In fact, eating disorders are starting at a young age."

At the other extreme, the percentage of overweight children has doubled since 1980, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. I think getting the fitness word out to teens is so important because teenage obesity is on the rise," Balkam says. "There don't seem to be many outlets for kids in terms of fitness. Fortunately, AFAA is focusing on fitness for teens and pre-teens. This will help guide them into a healthy lifestyle as they grow."

Balkam can well understand the importance of good diet and regular exercise. Although she is now a petite 5'1" and 98 pounds, Balkam was 30 pounds heavier in college. "I was involved in dance my whole life," explains the 32-year-old aerobics director. "There was a year in college, when I was 18, that I didn't work out and completely disregarded the proper way to eat. Carrying around that extra weight completely changed my endurance level."

It didn't help that Balkam compared herself to her identical twin, Kim, who never struggled with her weight. "I became frustrated, she says. "The extra weight affected me emotionally, physically and mentally." Balkam's savior came in the form of sports. "Besides growing up in dance, I was involved in many sports. I remembered how it felt to have strong, flexible muscles."

After a year, Balkam slowly and methodically lost the extra weight. But it wasn't through strict dieting and self-denial that she reshaped her body. "It took me two years to get back down to where I really wanted to be," she says. "Balance is the key--then and now. Make sure your diet is balanced. If you skip meals, you are doing more harm to yourself than good." Balkam, who counts neither fat grams nor calories, focuses on eating the right foods--less carbohydrates in the evening, little sugars or fats, and some protein at every meal. For example, her breakfast today consisted of oatmeal and five egg whites.

However, Balkam will splurge on occasion. "I believe in balance to thoroughly enjoy life," she says. "You need to have some good, rich foods every now and then. Working out consistently will keep you balanced."

It's a good thing Balkam loves exercise, especially with her power-paced schedule. She works out six days a week and teaches three aerobics classes daily. "I neglected my arms and upper body for a long time," Balkam recalls. "Now I consistently do resistance training for those body parts, using either tubes and bands, free weights or machines. I use light weights and work biceps one day and triceps the next. I try to tell all my students that resistance training is what increases your lean muscle mass and, consequently, will speed up your metabolism."

But Balkam believes the physical benefits are only half the equation. "`The Solution' gives you a feeling of empowerment, which I think is so important for our youth," adds Balkam. "Fitness is the one thing that gives kids something that is theirs alone and can't be taken away. I've seen how fitness has changed my life, and that's something I want to give to others."