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Category Archives for "personal training"

February 15, 2017

Becoming a certified personal trainer

There are multiple paths to becoming a certified personal trainer. I began my journey as a personal trainer because I wanted to get fit, but I didn’t have the time and availability to work with a trainer or get to the gym. In an effort to learn the skills and apply them to my own life, I chose to take part in the comprehensive certification program offered by the National Academy of Sports Medicine, or NASM. After six months of studying and learning, I was able to sit for the certification exam.

My daughter is also a personal trainer, but her path was a bit different. During college, she took kinesiology courses and acquired her L1 base level certification for CrossFit instructors. She is now studying to attain her certified strength conditioning coach certification.

Though the path to becoming a certified personal trainer can be quite varied, note that not all certifications are equal.

Is one type of certification better than the other? No; it simply comes down to the individual’s preference.

As a personal trainer, it’s more about working with your clients and being an overall good trainer. Here are a few tips in doing so:

  1. Aim to teach the client everything you know so that he can move onto something bigger and better. A good trainer should not be striving to be a client’s trainer for life.
  1. Focus on what the client wants. It may take time to get the client’s mindset to ease through a progression of what they should achieve.
  1. It’s all about the relationship. The trainer and client must get along and communicate well. The relationship is based upon the client’s personal development.

When becoming a certified personal trainer, be choosy about the path that works best for you. A good personal trainer stands out not only because of his education but also because of his soft skills.

Here is the guide on selecting a personal trainer.  You can use this to assess your needs as you work toward this goal.






8 Things to Look for in a Personal Trainer

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Here is another episode you may enjoy

When to fire your personal trainer

Making fitness a lifelong habit with Kathleen Trotter

Kathleen Trotter is a personal trainer and the author of Finding Your Fit, a great new book that encourages people to find their own unique recipe to sustain long-term success with health and fitness.

Kathleen explains that becoming fit is an active, lifelong process. She details seven strategies that will help set you up for success:

  1. Stop aiming for perfection – Something is always better than nothing. Forget the all or nothing approach to health.
  2. Convenience and consistency is key – Find ways to make your workouts convenient, which will contribute to long-term consistency and success.
  3. Find your exercise bliss – Adopt fitness activities that you enjoy and will want to do consistently.
  4. Find your why – Tie a deeper meaning to why you are committing to your fitness lifestyle.
  5. Find your inner athlete – This helps in working toward your long-term goal.
  6. Flip your negative thoughts – Moving is a privilege. Think positively and be grateful for the ability to move.
  7. Mindfulness and preparation equals success –Determine your priorities and plan for the week ahead.

Kathleen also speaks about the concept of goals versus wishes. Your goals may not be connected to your life and reality. To adjust this, follow these six steps:

  1. Stop using a “too busy” excuse – Pair your fitness activities with other non-negotiable activities.
  2. Gradual progression – Don’t try to tackle everything at one time. Try adding one good habit and removing one bad habit per week.
  3. Establish a WWWH plan – Be realistic about what you’ll do, where you’ll do it, when and how.
  4. Respecting your genetics and the realities of your life – Be the best version of you possible.
  5. Form goals that are relevant and important to you – This may include engaging in activities with family members.
  6. Learn from yourself and others – Determine what was successful/unsuccessful and learn from that.

To connect with Kathleen Trotter or learn more about Finding Your Fit, find her on Twitter at @ktrotterfitness or visit her website at http://www.kathleentrotter.com/.

Another episode you may want to check out.

Walking for weight loss with Lucy Wyndham-Read

August 22, 2016

Susan’s Success Story

Susan, a Forever Fitness client, comes to the 40+ Fitness Podcast to share her success story.

Susan reflects on her decision to work on her health and fitness when she turned 43.  She started by walking during her daughter's practiced volleyball.  She progressed from that to a group class after a friend won a free boot camp program and gave it to her.  She discovered that being in a community made doing the exercise much easier.

When she began focusing on weight lifting, she noticed how seeing others working hard gave her motivation to push herself.  She joined Forever Fitness Personal Training when she was looking to accelerate her progress.  She didn't always like the recommendations but she saw the results. Having a coach motivated her to push on.

Having a thyroid issue has always made it easy for her to gain weight.  Through managing her food and exercise, she managed to lose 40 lbs.  Her doctor was very impressed.  Her blood work looks much better and her need for thyroid meds has reduced.

 

When to fire your personal trainer

Part of finding a good personal trainer is knowing when you need to fire a bad personal trainer. Though you may find a passionate trainer, he or she may not be the one for you. There are several reasons why you may want to fire your personal trainer.

The first reason to fire your trainer is if he or she is not listening to you. The trainer should be asking you specific questions so they are able to design a plan that will work for your unique situation. Did the trainer ask about your goals or concerns? These are conversations that need to take place early in the process so that the responses can be part of the solution. If they don’t know the real you, then they’re not the right fit for you.

The second reason to fire your trainer is if they are not talking to you. The trainer should be teaching you technique, not just counting reps, and then giving you verbal cues to help you progress faster. The trainer should also encourage you so that you should feel supported. Often times, the trainer may not be listening or talking to you. If so, it’s time to move on.

Sometimes trainers will ask for referrals before you’re seeing results. This is another area of concern. Though trainers need to continue to grow their client base, they should be focused on the results of their current clients first and asking for referrals later.

Eventually, all trainees should outgrow their trainers, as they have mastered their technique and the coaching is no longer necessary. At this point, the trainer can be fired, but only because the trainer has successfully done their job.

No matter the circumstances, when you know it’s time to fire your personal trainer, don’t be afraid to speak up. Request a new trainer or ask for a refund if you haven’t received an appropriate level of service. Remember, you are the client. It’s your body, your money, and your life. You deserve only the best personal trainer available, so don’t settle for anything less.

I've created a guide to help you evaluate a potential personal trainer.

LeAnn gets a personal trainer

March 18, 2016

LeAnn gets a personal trainer

In this episode, we meet LeAnn and discuss her journey to health and fitness with a personal trainer.

LeAnn spent most of her adult life being obese. Her weight gain started with her first child.  Over time, the weight issue compounded and by the time she was 48, she was diagnosed with diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. She took medication for all of these.

She was offered an eight-week program held in the backyard of her daughter’s friend. This Bootcamp program was interval training twice a week in the evenings. She did sprints, jumping jacks, and other body weight exercises.

According to LeAnn, when you start with fitness training, you only need your body weight. She said, “You don’t want to shoot yourself in the foot by doing too much.”  She saw improvement during the program. She felt better and she slept better. She often felt like quitting during the workouts, but she felt so good afterward she continued.

LeAnn also had a 12-week fit challenge with her coworkers. It included gym workouts, education, and eating healthy food. A financial reward was given to the person who won the challenge, which really motivated her.

She continues to work with a trainer and has lost a total of 91 pounds. She goes to the gym for 45 minutes to an hour. She eats 6 small meals a day.

LeAnn also advises people to measure their progress when doing workouts with a personal trainer and eating healthy. Get the important body measurements by using the Health Measures That Matter PDF.

When to fire your personal trainer

Music: Ben Sound Royalty Free Music

John success and lessons learned

John has reached the end of his 10-week program, however there is no end in sight to his massive lifestyle change. He’s sharing a bit about his success and a few lessons learned over the past 10 weeks.

First, John recognizes that this was not a program or diet, but a re-education of the healthy lifestyle he should be leading. During this process, John has seen much success. He is now able to enjoy food that does not contain sugar. He now understands why the sugar would affect him and chooses to find healthier food options. He has more willpower than he ever imagined. The biggest lesson he learned is that he is fully in control. He was tired of making excuses for himself. Once he made the decision to change his life and realized he was in control of his path, he was able to make large gains.

Measuring himself became a reality check as to where he started versus where he now stands. His stomach has gone from 47” to 41 1/2”. He has lost almost three inches in his chest, two inches in his waist, three inches in his hips, and three inches in each upper thigh. John feels more empowered than ever before.

However, these successes did not occur without challenges. He had to learn to moderate his drinking, after realizing that beer and alcohol contain sugar that was impacting his results. While he doesn’t want to stop going out socially, he now has the tools to compensate for a drink here or there by adjusting his intake prior to or after having an alcoholic beverage.

John has lost 38 pounds overall. He’s seen his A1C levels drop significantly and plans to be off his medication by October. He’s sharing his lessons learned with others in his life and encourages them to take control of their own health. Once John realized he was in control, success was easily in his future.

 

Stepping it up

Tammy success and lessons learned

Music: Ben Sound Royalty Free Music

Tammy success and lessons learned

Tammy is closing out her 10-week program and sharing her success story and lessons learned. At the beginning of her program, she made a commitment. That commitment remains strong today, as she is dedicated to moving forward in her health and fitness journey.

During these 10 weeks, Tammy experienced some challenges. She continued to work through health issues that came up. She has had issues with her back and is committed to working through these issues with a doctor, as this is really part of her overall wellness and an important foundation of her physical health. Though sometimes her issues caused her to be unable to work out, she knew that she couldn’t let that keep her down.

Tammy learned that it is one’s diet, and not necessarily exercise, that is the real key to the equation. She acquired the patience to stick with a solid eating plan over time and really began to focus on the type of food she was eating and making healthier choices.

As a result, Tammy is now fitting back into clothes haven’t fit her for quite some time. She has lost about 25 pounds and reduced her stomach and waist measurement significantly. She’s been a great partner along this journey with her husband, John. Tammy has even shared her experience with co-workers, who are now starting to make some changes in their own health as well.

Tammy now says “no” to so many foods that she never thought she could go without. After this experience, she looks at sweets and knows she doesn’t need them. The lessons that Tammy has learned over the past 10 weeks will continue to pay dividends as she continues this new healthier lifestyle in the future. Tammy knows success is in her future.

 

 

Stepping it up

John success and lessons learned

Music: Ben Sound Royalty Free Music

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