What make a trainer scary?
A lack of knowledge.
A lack of interest in coaching from others.
Thinking they know it all.
Now there are a variety of tests (NASM, ACSM, NSCA, ACE, etc) for a person to take to be certified as a personal trainer, or a person can go to school and get a 4 year degree (Kinesiology). These are the things most people do and as part of it are required to do a certain amount of continuing education to keep themselves current on the trends in exercise and what's new in health sciences (including nutrition).
Then there are the others ... those who take all their years of "working out" and think that translates into being able to train others. Wrong! Although they may have many years of "working out" that doesn't translate into understanding the science of why or the mechanics of how.
I once worked with someone like that, someone who thought he/she knew it all, felt persecuted, had exercised for years and didn't take a certification exam. Now, I want the next person to succeed as much as I want my own personal success. But, when someone's ego stands in front of others offering help for success ... hello foot, meet high velocity shotgun pellets. Hello potentially dangerous ramifications for the training client (aka negligence lawsuit).
I personally would prefer a trained monkey to spot me that this particular soul, or was this individual another version of a trained monkey?
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Trainer vs. "Trainer"
What makes a trainer a trainer (as opposed to the guy who wants your money in exchange for exercise instruction)?
I'd like to think it's the ethics of the person, their intent and how they behave with their clients. I could be wrong.
My personal goal as a Personal Trainer is to provide my clients with the education and tools to make smarter choices for themselves in their daily lives thereby enhancing their overall quality of life. This applies to clients on the Fitness floor as well as in the Group Exercise studio. To put it best (as someone said a couple of days ago) ... work myself out of a job.
In the current day and age, there are health clubs where the trainers have sales quotas. I (personally) think this puts the trainer in a odd predicament. The trainer begins to think of the client as a dollar sign, cheapening the clients experience. Faulty thinking, the trainer should view the client as a client, a project, a person ... with individual needs and realities. Now that said, we do need to be able to pay the rent, so a balance needs to be struck between how we view people and provide the best service we can to those we are working with. Dollar signs or not.
Unfortunately, the economic realities of the club system are predicated on how much a person can sell and their individual revenue stream for the facility.
I'd like to think it's the ethics of the person, their intent and how they behave with their clients. I could be wrong.
My personal goal as a Personal Trainer is to provide my clients with the education and tools to make smarter choices for themselves in their daily lives thereby enhancing their overall quality of life. This applies to clients on the Fitness floor as well as in the Group Exercise studio. To put it best (as someone said a couple of days ago) ... work myself out of a job.
In the current day and age, there are health clubs where the trainers have sales quotas. I (personally) think this puts the trainer in a odd predicament. The trainer begins to think of the client as a dollar sign, cheapening the clients experience. Faulty thinking, the trainer should view the client as a client, a project, a person ... with individual needs and realities. Now that said, we do need to be able to pay the rent, so a balance needs to be struck between how we view people and provide the best service we can to those we are working with. Dollar signs or not.
Unfortunately, the economic realities of the club system are predicated on how much a person can sell and their individual revenue stream for the facility.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Children shouldn't have to diet
Back when I was young(er) Phys Ed was a required course and you had to participate (much like the dreaded frog dissection in biology, which is a different topic). Every 10 - 12 weeks we were to pick between two activities and like them. The good news is, they didn't offer the girls wrestling and didn't offer the guys Modern Dance.
In recent times Phys Ed has fallen off to the side, homework gets in the way and video games take up the rest of the play time. Kids just don't get out as much as they used to. In days of yore, we would be in the yard playing ball, in the street riding bikes or if you were lucky enough to live near a large undeveloped space, go exploring.
Enough nostalgia.
Last year there was an article I found to be really depressing. It had to do with the increasing percentages of teenagers (up to the age of 19) taking adult medications for diseases traditionally associated with aging. Diabetes, High Blood Pressure and High Cholesterol. The numbers showed hundred(s) fold increases in Type II diabetes, High Blood Pressure and Cholesterol problems in teenagers. Yes, kids are taking adult dosages for adult age related metabolic syndromes. This should not be the case. The other problem with teens taking adult medications is there is no true known effect of what these medications will have on their developing bodies. A two-fold problem.
So, how do we fix this ... In addition to limiting the sweets, encourage your children to be active, get them off the couch, offer them a few bucks to mow the lawn (I don't know the going rate for lawn mowing these days) with a push mower (skip the gasoline one, it's harder on the environment), walk the dog / pick up after the dog, go to the park and shoot baskets ... just get out there and do something.
One more thing, it's a lot more fun to be active outside than thinking about diets as a child, tween, teen ... those are things only adults should have to worry about.
In recent times Phys Ed has fallen off to the side, homework gets in the way and video games take up the rest of the play time. Kids just don't get out as much as they used to. In days of yore, we would be in the yard playing ball, in the street riding bikes or if you were lucky enough to live near a large undeveloped space, go exploring.
Enough nostalgia.
Last year there was an article I found to be really depressing. It had to do with the increasing percentages of teenagers (up to the age of 19) taking adult medications for diseases traditionally associated with aging. Diabetes, High Blood Pressure and High Cholesterol. The numbers showed hundred(s) fold increases in Type II diabetes, High Blood Pressure and Cholesterol problems in teenagers. Yes, kids are taking adult dosages for adult age related metabolic syndromes. This should not be the case. The other problem with teens taking adult medications is there is no true known effect of what these medications will have on their developing bodies. A two-fold problem.
So, how do we fix this ... In addition to limiting the sweets, encourage your children to be active, get them off the couch, offer them a few bucks to mow the lawn (I don't know the going rate for lawn mowing these days) with a push mower (skip the gasoline one, it's harder on the environment), walk the dog / pick up after the dog, go to the park and shoot baskets ... just get out there and do something.
One more thing, it's a lot more fun to be active outside than thinking about diets as a child, tween, teen ... those are things only adults should have to worry about.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Too many vitamins, too little time
Several months back, my parents signed up with a multi-level marketing program for vitamins. I've taken high dose mutli-vitamins and I personally don't like vitamins, they make feel a little iffy. However, let's be clear, I have nothing against vitamins. I have a problem with the amount of each vitamin/mineral a person gets each time they take an over the counter tablet, as well as how much they cost.
In lieu of the high expense tablet, I would rather people do the following: eat your fresh leafy greens (the darker the better), fruits, vegetables which aren't cooked to mush (which by the way should never be smothered in cheese), and lean proteins.
However, if you still feel like you're lacking, a multi-vitamin makes excellent sense, but, watch out for the dosage/percentage of daily allowance being provided by each vitamin/mineral. What our bodies cannot absorb get funneled out and well, that output can be expensive over time. I'm generally fond of taking 1/2 of what the manufacturer recommends (generally I do eat balanced meals). You'll keep up on your vitamins/minerals and well ... you might save a couple of dollars while still feeling great.
In lieu of the high expense tablet, I would rather people do the following: eat your fresh leafy greens (the darker the better), fruits, vegetables which aren't cooked to mush (which by the way should never be smothered in cheese), and lean proteins.
However, if you still feel like you're lacking, a multi-vitamin makes excellent sense, but, watch out for the dosage/percentage of daily allowance being provided by each vitamin/mineral. What our bodies cannot absorb get funneled out and well, that output can be expensive over time. I'm generally fond of taking 1/2 of what the manufacturer recommends (generally I do eat balanced meals). You'll keep up on your vitamins/minerals and well ... you might save a couple of dollars while still feeling great.
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