Personal Training and Wellness Coaching – What You Need to Know

by | May 20, 2009 | Uncategorized

Reading the results of various studies in the health field is fascinating. However, being in the business of fitness and helping people obtain their health, fitness, and wellness visions, in addition to feeling and looking good is even more fascinating. I chose personal training and wellness consulting over group fitness because of the creative flexibility it allows me in meeting the unique requirements that each individual brings to training sessions.

I have both young and older clients ranging in ages from 11 to 84 years. Some of them are in good conditioning and like the added challenge of one or two hard workout per week. Some are in the beginning stages and want to tone their bodies, build muscle and bone mass, sleep better, or stave off health risk factors caused by inactivity. Still yet, and increasingly so, I have people who benefit from e-mail or phone consulting strategy sessions where walking and nutritional planning is implemented on their own.

This type of work never tires me so I thought it would be interesting for you as well and compiled a short list of insights and observations that I’ve observed over the 23 years I have been in the health field. By the way, in case you are adding numbers, my years in the health field started when I was two. Ok, twenty two if you are pressing me!

Getting Started Is Difficult – the most successful exercisers just do it, realizing the difficult feeling will disappear once the activity is started.

We are Smart to be Concerned About Belly Fat- men with a waist circumference over 40 inches and women over 35 inches are at increased risk for cardiovascular diseases. Proper eating habits and cardiovascular exercise trump abdominal exercise for reducing waist size.

People that Randomly Exercise Have a Healthier Mindset than People that Never Exercise – I’d rather train a person that is inconsistent than try to convince a person of the benefits of exercise. Those that are inconsistent realize exercise benefits and only need better organization and priority planning, whereas those that deny exercise benefits have no reason for change.

We Adapt – our bodies are highly powered machines that when progressed smartly respond appropriately regardless of age.

The Treadmill Gets Bad Press – walking is functional and we need to be able to continue walking regardless of age. After all, we can’t ride a stationary bike or get on an elliptical trainer to move about in our own house or go out shopping. The bike and elliptical trainer are soft on the knees, and serve an important role for those that ache. Use the treadmill or walk outside occasionally, but don’t eliminate this movement from your exercise routine.

Consistency is More Important Than Intensity for Healthy Living – however, both intensity and consistency need practiced if training for a specific muscular look is desired. Both can be done simultaneously.

Motivation is Key in Exercise Consistency – it doesn’t matter where we derive motivation. Using “looking better” as a motivating impetus is not a bad way to think. Training, regardless of our motivation makes us not only look and feel better, but gives us better health numbers.

Life Looks Better Viewed Through a Healthy Body – want to change your attitude? Train your body.

The Lateral Pull Down is the Most Misused Gym Apparatus – too much weight and bad form. Keep chest upright and not contracted. Never take bar behind your head.

Having a Personal Trainer or Wellness Consultant Does not Have to be a Lifetime Commitment – some people are reluctant to use the services of a personal trainer because they think the trainer is looking for a lifetime income and they don’t want to feel obligated. Trainers are utilized in multiply ways and most good trainers enjoy the variety of reasons that people come to them whether for one single session or a continuous program. Credentials are important. The following are various reasons people may hire a trainer.

1. Learn proper alignment and form on machines and free weights.
2. Weekly as an extra energy boost to typical routines.
3. Quarterly for changing routines, and offering more progressively challenging tasks.
4. After the Holidays as a motivational jump start.
5. Prior to special events to look and feel good.
6. Weight loss jump start.
7. E-mail accountability programs to boost fitness or wellness goal success.
8. Body sculpting program for swim wear season.
9. After cardiovascular rehabilitation to reinforce implementation in new setting.
10. Learn safe back strengthening exercises to decrease back pain.
11. Full body conditioning prior to or after surgery to decrease surgery complications.
12. Reduce blood pressure prior to deciding on taking prescription drugs. May be on own or in gym.
13. Increase bone strength prior to deciding on taking prescription drugs.
14. Design training routine for sporting competition.
15. Abdominal training exercises post pregnancy.
16. Target muscle training such as triceps ( back of arms), hip, and gluteus routines.
17. In home training or consulting on various fitness routines or health programs.
18. Home gym set up consulting and implementation advice.
19. Blood sugar reduction program on own or with trainer.
20. Nutrition and exercise consulting via e-mail, phone, or in person.

Some trainer’s offerings are not as diversified as others. Asking them about their qualifications and how they can make the program most convenient for you while reaching your goals should be top priority. You are hiring them, and attention to your needs and how best they can be met should be their number one priority. It should be offered, but always ask for a no obligation free consultation.

In an upcoming blog look at how one client saved a huge amount of money by hiring my consulting services over the phone and internet. Hint: It cost him only $240.00 dollars and he was done in a month. The best part is, he doesn’t need me anymore, and life and health are good! I’m out of a job, but that’s ok. Life is good on this side too!

Aging Well-Living Long-Living Well

by | May 17, 2009 | Perspectives in Aging Well, Uncategorized

There are groups of people throughout the United States and the world that organize and meet with the sole intent of supporting each other to live to be 100 years and older.

Humans, according to Robert N. Butler, M.D. founding director of the National Institute on Aging, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Why Survive? Being Old In America, have about 110-120 years at the outside of their genetic life span. This information is encouraging.

The question that appears for most of us, however, is not so much how do we live longer, but how do we live healthier?

“The two it seems”, writes Lenny Guarente, PH.D. and Novartis Professor of biology at M.I.T and author of Ageless Quest: One Scientist’s Search for Genes That Prolong Youth, “should go hand in hand. And they often do because we can tip the odds in our favor by our lifestyles and by avoiding things that we know are bad, like smoking, like transfat, like excess body fat, like high blood pressure.”

Most people would agree that if we can extend health span the extending lifespan is just an extra bonus.

Many of us do not have a vision of the life we could live happily, productively, and disease free, as we get older. Part of the reason for this is that we are not exposed to seeing those people that live happily, productively, and relatively disease free well into their 90’s and 100’s.

There are other reasons why we do not have a vision for living well into our later years. Three of the most significant reasons are:

1. We believe that healthier lifestyles and specific lifestyle habits are too difficult to change so we abandon the idea of living as a centurian.

2. We are unsure if it is too late to make lifestyle changes due to age and health circumstances.

3. We are unsure whether the payoff of healthy living will increase our life’s quality and longevity to the degree that we would like.

These are legitimate concerns. Lifestyle changes take time. Lifestyle changes take effort. And lifestyle changes are difficult to implement on our own.

If you have simply thought about changing your lifestyle for a better life quality, then you have a vision. It may not be a fully developed vision, but it is a vision. And a vision is a start. Keep it! Develop it! Don’t let it fade away. I can assure you that if you’ve implemented the lifestyle habits that you know are necessary for a more healthy, vigorous and vital you, then you will not be disappointed.