| MadMax |
Posted
on 12-Jan-03 08:29 AM
10 Secrets of a Personal Trainer
By Teresa K. Flatley
Ever wonder how personal trainers stay motivated to keep fit and maintain a healthy weight? Most have developed their own fitness secrets based on what works for them and what they've seen work for their clients.
But don't expect to hear anything earth-shattering when a trainer lets you in on his or her secrets. These bits of wisdom are generally the same common sense advice we've heard time and time again. We just need to apply them to our own lives to reap the benefits.
1. Check with your doctor before you start any exercise regimen. You've heard this one a million times, but it is a necessary first step, Tim says. Your doctor knows best about your general health and can recommend the safest ways for you to workout. Your doctor can also ensure that you stay away from activities that might not be beneficial -- or that could even be harmful.
2. Establish realistic goals and begin slowly. Telling yourself you must work out an hour a day, seven days a week, or else, is setting yourself up for failure. Instead, Tim suggests, start out slowly. Set a doable goal of working out two to three times a week at first, and slowly add to that when you feel you are ready. Similarly, set realistic goals, such trying to lose a pound a week for the next five weeks. Celebrate when you have accomplished that goal and move on to your next goal.
3. Choose an activity you like. We have to accept the fact that aerobic activity should be a part of our lives forever. So doing an activity you enjoy is essential to making sure you maintain your fitness goals. Whether it be taking aerobics classes, running at the track or walking on a treadmill while watching old movies in your basement, be sure that it's something look forward to doing.
4. Be sure to warm up and cool down correctly. This is necessary, according to Tim, to prepare your body for exercise and to ward off injuries. And it's just as important as your actual workout. When you work out, plan enough time so you don't feel rushed and pressured begin to exercise immediately. Talk to your trainer or research the right way to stretch and cool down for the exercise you are doing.
5. Use others to keep you motivated. Knowing your walking partner is waiting at the track for you will go a long way to making sure you show up. It's much easier to decide not to walk when you're going on your own. The same holds true if you've signed up for some workout classes at a local gym. You are more likely to show up if you have made a commitment and also if the other members of the class are expecting you, Tim says. This works too for weight loss programs. Recent community-wide programs that include nutritional education and group exercise activities to encourage residents to lose weight have shown that group efforts can have positive results.
6. Pace yourself. Even when you are working out with a friend or a class, Tim recommends working at your own pace, at an intensity level with which you are comfortable. Don't start to think that you are competing with anyone else. Learn to listen to your own body and what it's telling you. If you're finding it difficult to complete your normal routine on any given day, give yourself permission to slow down. If you don't, you could risk injuring yourself.
7. Keep a food diary to get an overall picture of your eating habits. Write down everything you eat, when you eat it, and how you are feeling at the time. Include small snacks like popping a handful of nuts in your mouth as you walk through the kitchen. You may not even be aware that you are doing that until you see it written down. Jotting down the calorie equivalents of what you eat may shock you, but the reality of it may convince you to choose healthier alternatives. The diary will also help you recognize when you are experiencing food cravings that send you to the refrigerator even when you are not hungry.
8. Do not skip meals. You already know breakfast is the most important meal of the day. That's because it jump-starts your day and can keep you from eating more later on. Tim eats three meals every day, along with two daily snacks -- one in mid-morning and one in mid-afternoon -- to help control his weight.
9. Talk with your doctor to determine a healthy weight, instead of relying on charts. Different body frames and ages can affect how much you should weigh today. For Tim, even though his weight loss program said he should lose even more weight, he decided he was comfortable -- and could maintain -- his current weight.
10. Make yourself a priority. Don't let negative self-talk like "I would love to work out, but I just don't have time" keep you from your routine. In order to care for others, you have to take care of yourself first, Tim says. Physical workouts, among all the other benefits they provide, can also improve your attitude toward family and work commitments and relieve stress. And don't allow yourself to grab fast food because you think you don't have time for anything else. Take the time to eat healthfully. Always keep in mind that you are important, too, and that you deserve to spend time on your own health.
|
