Adventures in Personal Trainer Land

If you’ve ever attempted to get fit, lose weight, or just find something active to do for fun, you’ve probaly thought about a personal trainer!

Not all have the same training, certification, abilities or attitude.  They may have areas of specialty such as a particular sport, endurance, weight loss or injury rehabilitation, just to mention a few.  Some personal trainers may be coaches as well, a life coach http://tammysmirror.com/2010/03/life-coach-a-mystical-creature/ or a sports coach-someone that focuses on the mental as well as physical conditioning.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have had a few experiences with PTs and coaches.  Life is about personal experiences and learning from it.  I’ve been on a refocused mission to change my life from fat, unhealthy and mentally exhausted, especially in the last 18months. I want to have a personal trainer in my life to help me.

I’ve finally decided to focus on me and decide what’s best for me, who fits best into my life plan-this is a big deal!  Here’s some of my experiences and advise.

A couple of times in the past I did the 3 session thing from a gym and left with a written plan, this was not for me.  I got lucky last year when I met Thor Holt http://www.linkedin.com/in/thorholt , He opened my eyes and learned what I wanted and needed.  I had a focus and a plan, I worked hard and got results-especially mental.  I then moved from Scotland to Canada(my home).

I started with a new trainer soon after I arrived.  I was optimistic, but after a couple of sesions-I was toldthe folowing: I had a food addiction, When I called to tell him I would have sick kids with me when we worked out he said -I was just looking for an excuse not to workout, I was to have no days off (and dare I ask that meant I wasn’t 100% committed), having my period would not cause weight gain every month, that I must have no trouble finding time to workout (I’m a stay at home mom that just moved!), I would never succeed until I had this epiphany and “got it”(no matter how much I tried to tell him I was working on it and had worked on that) he refused to listen, he told me to write about my emotion-ummm remember the blog I’ve written for a year!

I actually  was relieved when I had to have thousands of dollars worth of dental work and couldn’t afford to train with him.  I felt really guilty that I was cancelling only two session(1 in home,1 @ his location) before I was due to buy more and thought about rehiring him later, but that thought went away when he didn’t show for my last two sessions(that I already paid for-he said he was no longer motivated to train me -because of my lack of comittment and quitting).

Wow maybe I needed to vent!  In fairness to him, I did cancel two sessions in 3 months and was late for 1, he had amazing techniques and ideas and was probaly perfect for an athlete, trainng someone for his sport or someone already “there” mentally.  I think his heart may have been in the right place but he just didn’t know what to do with it.  He was frustrated and I could see that.  He did admit upfront that understanding a struggle with weight loss was not his thing.  I kept saying to myself and him that it was going to work, I think because I really wanted it to. Take what you want from the above story and learn from it.

I fell into a slump after this, I started to question myself again.  Maybe I really wasn’t worth this, maybe I’m not committed….

I ate what I wanted and had no desire to workout!

It took me 4 months but I finally came to my senses!  I started to seek out that determined, stubborn,determined and focused person I knew was inside me.  I thought about what I had learned last year-bottom line-find something I love to do and do it with purpose.

I found Christina  http://www.evolvesportsfitness.com/about.shtml (competitive kickboxer and mom) and I’ve trained with her for about a month,2 days/week!  I’m back to what I love, Kickboxing, she’s helping me with rehabing my knee and other fitness activities-and the mental stuff!

I haven’t felt this good in long time, mentally and physically(I’m not completely back yet:-), but I’m not faking my enthusiasm-I’m completely enjoying this(challenges included)!  She spent time listening to me, history,health,life,what foods I like, talked about endocrinology(how my body’s chemistry works, how I metabolize food), what activities I like, goals, challenges….this is not a one size fits all lady(no pun intended;-)

I’m now looking forward to my future fitness!!  There will be struggles both mentally and physically but I feel she’s the person to help me through.  I cherish the fact that she is confident enough to understand and appreciate I still do coaching with my former mentor Thor http://tammysmirror.com/2010/07/how-do-i-say-thank-you/ (I hid from him for a few months:-), and knows this has a lot of value for me!

So here’s a few tips from my adventures over the last 5 or so years:

~ If your trainer quotes/refers to The Biggest Loser: run for the door

~ You should never hear the phrase ” I will break you”- I don’t need that I’m already broken, I’m trying to be unbroken!

~ They don’t listen and instead preach to you!! A red flag in any relationship!

~ It should be about you, not someone else, their phone or the hot girl across the room, or themselves in the mirror

~ They should NEVER make you feel guilty-no matter what-If you’re on a weight loss journey you already do that enough

~ Don’t allow them to constantly remind you of all the reason you can’t do IT

~ You must enjoy what you’re doing-at least at the end:-)

~ If they tell you to work through the pain no matter what-leave

~ If they try to take control and want you follow along like a sheep(not a good thing)-You need to learn how to get control not give it up-you should be taught what to do if they’re not around

~ It’s about you, you’re paying for this, it’s a partnership, be assertive, honest and open minded at the same time, Ask questions

~be safe, check things out and follow your gut

~your personalities simply don’t connect-you may not be a match!

~There should be no screaming in your face(save that for reality TV), unless you request that-but trust me there are other ways to be motivated and work on your mental attitude!

Please add to these or tell your story, A personal trainer/coach can be an amzing asset to your life and journey!  What are your thoughts and opinions?

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