Saturday, December 19, 2009

The truth about working out, losing weight, and personal trainers. What you should know for 2010....

It's about to be a new year, and we all know what that means. "This year I'm really gonna do it!" The gyms will be flooded for 2 months with people pursuing their weight loss and fitness endeavors. Unfortunately 95% will not make it to April. It's hard work and as Americans we want instant gratification. It takes a whole lot of determination and intrinsic motivation to work so hard and not see a damn thing change. Your body is resistant to change as we continue to gain weight our body establishes a "set point weight." This is that number that pops up on the scale whether you starve yourself or eat a package of oreos. Some trainers will make you think that they are going to enlighten you with this weight loss secret that only trainers know. Unfortunately the trainers making the most money are some of the worst trainers out there, but what they are good at is marketing and preying on your emotions. They know that if they put a bunch of impressive before and after pictures up on their website you'll subconsciously want to be one of them. What they don't tell you is that none of those people actually train with said trainer. The "top" trainers all have one thing in common. They are all great bullshitters. I'm not saying hiring a personal trainer is bad. I'm saying hiring a bad personal trainer is bad. If you want someone to cheer you on while you're on the treadmill or make you do "hardcore" exercises any idiot can do that! Find a friend and go workout together. Keep each other on track, stay committed and you will lose weight together. Please do not pay someone 70 dollars a session to "push" you. Now if you want someone to make you move better, feel better, create balance, and lose weight then find a GOOD personal trainer. Too many people have no idea what that means, so I will tell you. When you go to get a trainer make sure you are the one doing the interviewing. First make sure your prospective trainer has a college degree in the field. Make sure they are certified with either the NSCA, ACSM, or NASM. Ask them who their mentors are. The exercise science field is fairly young, if they are not keeping up with their continued education then you are paying a lot of money to have someone harm you. Example: if you have a trainer now and they are having you do situps, crunches, russian twists or any other trunk flexion exercise to "get you abs" get out now! Just because a trainer was obese once and they lost weight doesn't mean they can help you! This does not qualify them as an expert. A study of one is not very reliable. As long as you consume less than you expend you will lose weight. That part is not rocket science. Never train with a trainer that offers their services for free or 25$ a session. They are charging that because that is all they are worth. A good trainer knows what they are worth plain and simple. If they put in the time to get a degree and a high level certification they will not sell themselves short. Would a doctor or lawyer or really any other professional give away their services?? Ask the trainer for references. If they are good, their clients will be begging to tell how good they are. What if you don't have the money for a good trainer but you like working out hard and being part of a group.. Sure there are "bootcamps," but if you are let into a group exercise program without being thoroughly screened and assessed then it's a matter of time until you develop overuse injuries and have to drop out leaving you in worse shape than when you got their. Group exercise can be good, but unfortunately a majority of the people that run them have a limited background and only see dollar signs. It's your health, make wise decisions regarding it, and don't trust just anyone with it! Good luck in 2010. I hope you are one of the success stories.
JC

No comments:

Post a Comment