The Trainer Fuel Experiment

“As fitness professionals, we sometimes go a little overboard when trying to prove a point, or, at least, I know I do. This article and 6-day wellness journal are based on a true story of a personal nutrition experiment I conducted (on myself) back in 2009.”

December 13th Sunday 2009

Today I’m going to start an experiment to help a few of my clients better understand some of the nutritional theories and methodologies that I have learned, used and applied over the years. Why am I doing this experiment? Well, I have a few clients who are on the fence regarding the importance of specified energy sources and daily healthy food choices for each individual person. And, some still have doubts that everyone is different and will react differently to all sorts of foods (the good, bad and indifferent). Now, I’m not saying it is an easy process to figure this out, but it is important and it is well worth it, trust me! There has been a lot of trial and error for my clients and me over the years (and let’s not count how many total years it has been, we can just say a lot).

The Importance of Stretching and Flexibility for You and Your Clients

Flexibility is one of the five essential components (Strength Training, Cardiovascular Training, Proper Nutrition, Flexibility & Rest) that we as fitness professionals preach to our clients, yet it’s frequently abandoned. Let’s all be open and honest here for a second. How often do you personally, or have you seen exercises, go through a routine and then decide to skip stretching for any number of reasons like:

You’re tired and want to go home
It doesn’t normally make you sweat
It doesn’t provide the immediate results that our society looks for
It doesn’t give you that workout pump
Or, honestly you don’t think that it makes that much of a difference

Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone

Back in November 2010, I was invited by fitness icon Josie Gardiner to attend a charity event in Boston. The fundraiser was organized by the ECA World Fitness Alliance’s Boston Balance to
raise money for autism research, and would be in the form of a two-hour group exercise class called Zumba®. The event would highlight a slew of very talented dancers and fitness professionals including the host of this event, the fabulous Ann Saldi. I have to admit that my initial assumption of Zumba® was probably similar to that of many others, in which I formed an option solely based upon what I’d heard or seen in a brief 15 second glance. I remember saying to myself, it’s just dancing right? How much of a workout could it really be? We make assumptions when we don’t fully understand a situation. It’s a natural reaction to instantly fill in any missing information by making things up. We do this because we like to try to make sense of things rather quickly. However, as a fitness professional I pride myself in making sure that I gather all the information regarding the newest programming, classes and equipment. So, in short I needed more information!

Breaking the STIGMA of old school AEROBICS for male clients

One of your male clients is grabbing some H2O in between his sets and as he walks by the group exercise room he stops to watch for a few seconds. He looks in and sees a fairly large group of mainly women, who are basically moving around in a pretty dynamic manner. The music is bumpin’, people are sweating up a storm and his first reaction is: “I am never going in there”. Thinking by the time he walked out of this room, he would be wearing a purple head band, pink leg warmers and a pair of inappropriate short shorts…

This article is to help assist or encourage our typical male client who often hesitates or resists entering the group exercise room. Of course there are a variety of reasons or excuses that we have all heard in the past, but I truly believe that the basis of this issue stems largely from the 1970’s & 1980’s STIGMA that Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons pleasantly left behind. Now, I mean no disrespect to these two fitness guru’s that have helped to improve and shape (pun intended) this wonderful industry that I am grateful to call my profession. However, you can’t help but cringe or laugh a bit imagining these bright neon colored outfits that are often now seen at Halloween costume parties.

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