Kwxercise quick fitness tip 3

Having a hard time finding energy for your early morning workouts? Try eating an apple instead of drinking a cup of coffee. Apples give your body natural fuel that you can burn off during your workout. And apples won't leave you craving for a second serving after just 45 minutes!

Take care of your body, it really is a gift.

For some people this may seem like a no brainer but to others (I'm hoping) this will be a light bulb moment. A healthy lifestyle is about more than just eating the right foods and being active. You really have to watch what you are doing to and putting into your body. Smoking and heavy drinking are OBVIOUSLY a hindrance to maintaining a healthy body. It is true that wine and beer (yes beer) in moderation are proven to lower the risk of heart disease. It is also true that drinking too much affects your liver and fighting addiction is a very long road I know you would rather not travel. Smoking is very much a no-no. I could go on and on and on about the negatives of smoking. Should I have to do this? I would think not but it is very surprising how many clients and participants I have had who are smokers and can't figure out why they are still out of shape and can't breathe during their workout. Uhm, duh.

So let's get to the less obvious things. Caffeine is actually extremely addictive. A lot of people go through withdrawals from caffeine and never know why they are having migraines and muscle cramping. This is a huge cement block to an active body. In moderation, I have no problem with my clients consuming products with caffeine in it. If a cup of coffee in the morning is what you need to get your day started in a happy place, by all means have your cup and drink it too. Coffee in moderation is clinically proven to have benefits. If it's 3pm and you're still relying on coffee to get you through to the end of the work day, that's a PROBLEM. You have just created one more obstacle for your body to overcome before it can get on the road to a healthier lifestyle.

Consuming 'quick fix' products is a HUGE waste of time as well as money and is often very detrimental to your body. Getting your body out of shape probably took years to accomplish. Guess what? Getting back into shape is going to take a long time as well. It isn't and SHOULDN'T happen overnight. Most 'quick fixes' are products that only make you lose body water (hydration for your body, not to mention hydration it needs to function properly). You aren't losing real pounds. The scale may show you took a pill and lost 5 pounds but tomorrow you are going to wake up with those 5 pounds and probably a couple more added on. Keep that crap out of your body. It's pointless, and stupid.
And for the love of God stop tanning in tanning beds. Tanning is just as stupid as smoking. It really, truly is.

All this to say, if you are really serious about living a healthy lifestyle just stop and think about what you are doing to your body before you do something. A little brain power goes a long ways when it comes to long term health.

Being selfless, even in an industry full of show-offs.

The thing that separates the 'eh' trainers and 'good' trainers from the great trainers? Selflessness. Great trainers didn't get into the business to brag about how 'swollen' they are getting because they work out three times a day and eat a ridiculous diet that no one can keep up long term. Bragging to everyone about these things only makes people hate you. So stop. I love the trainers I have as friends on Facebook who will post several times a day about how great they look because they just got done with their second work out for the day and they go home and post nine pictures of their chicken breast and broccoli dinner and a shirtless pic in the mirror. Really? People already hate exercise and diets enough. Don't give them another reason to hate it even more.

How is that even possible?

I joined a gym for a while so that I could actually go to the gym and just work out without having to actually work. Every time I tried to go to my studio and work out I would always end up showing someone how to work a piece of equipment or showing someone how to fill out paperwork. It always happened. This gym that I joined was, of course, one of those big open spaces with a ton of equipment and lots of meat heads. I can't even begin to tell you the bad form I saw with EVERY single man/boy in that gym. Yet, somehow, they all had bulging arms, giant leg muscles and from all the many times I saw them lift their shirt and check themselves out in the mirror and take pics (for what? to look at later?) they had pretty defined stomachs as well. How does this happen? Why do people get rewarded for doing things incorrectly? Here I am doing my job telling people how to do it the right way and most struggle just to maintain before we find the balance that works. But these guys get instant results for doing it all wrong. Makes me sick.

Transition, typing out loud.

So I am in the middle of a transition of cities for a new job. I'm coming from Oklahoma City to Wichita. It has been a pretty fast transition and I often stop to wonder if I'm doing the right thing. I think it is natural to think something like this and to have doubts. I always say that if I just affected one person in my career I would be a happy man. I'm getting a little hungrier now. I have had some good times in OKC with my career and am realizing just how many people I have changed. But, I really feel like it is time for me to move on and expand my reach. There are so many people out there who just need a little push in the right direction to start a healthy lifestyle, or just find the activity they love, and ultimately save their life (or even give them more years of healthy living).

I want to be that push.

I have all of this pent up energy and want inside that I don't know how else to let it out but with my job. Teaching is the ultimate high for me. Whether it is one on one with a client or in a classroom with 20 people. I have had such a privilege here in this city to meet so many good people and to have their trust to take them on as a client. I feel like I have left them all in a good place to continue their journey into health and wellness. I hope they all feel the exact same way I do. I hope I really have accomplished all that I feel I have accomplished.

It is the beginning of a new chapter. It's time for me to go make another city sexy as hell. Bring it on Wichita. Let's do this.

From trainer to trainer, words of advice.

So consider this post one big giant rant. Most of this stuff I'm going to talk about I can't even believe I am seeing in the industry. Some things are minor compared to others but, seriously, it is still nuts. I just don't understand. It makes me sick.

First thing I'm going to talk about: 'Biggest Loser' style training.
SERIOUSLY?! What in the hell trainer watches Biggest Loser and really thinks that is how they should train?! That is 100% for television, promise. I'm telling you now if you are standing above your client screaming down at them to do 10 more push ups or they are going to die is NOT and will NEVER be an acceptable way to treat a client. I think these type of trainers are purely in the industry for themselves. They think they have a title to show off and yell at people so they can have an audience to feel superior to. This is wrong. It is very, very wrong. If this is you, find another way of doing things if you are really, truly serious about making it in the fitness business.

Second thing (probably should have been first): Training without the paper.
I'm going to do you a huge favor right now. If you aren't certified, stop training. Now. In a world of sue-happy people and lawyers on every corner it is VERY stupid to train without credentials to back it up. Not to mention, training without insurance. I don't care if you think the loophole is making your client sign a contract that says you aren't certified. Think that will hold up in court? Hm, probably not. Of course, if a burglar can break into a house and sue for getting stuck in the chimney maybe you can find a lawyer and judge dumb enough to take it. But I doubt it. Anyway.  Finding a great place to get certified through really isn't that difficult. You don't have to have a four year degree to be a trainer. Is it preferred? These days, yeah kind of. But not necessary. Not with continuing education requirements and seminars readily available you can still stay educated and up to date on the new and upcoming changes in the world of exercise and safety to keep your creds current.
I used to have a gentleman come into the gym EVERY single week, no exaggeration, and apply to be a trainer. I would ask him EVERY week if he was certified yet. The answer was always no but he didn't understand why that would stop him. He loved exercise and did it everyday. It wasn't like he didn't know how. Well, that's cute but liability doesn't cover unqualified people.

Third Thing: The word 'aerobics'.
This is probably the biggest thing for me. If I get called an 'Aerobics Instructor' one more time I'm liable to snap. This problem far surpasses just the word 'aerobics'. If you are still using the word 'aerobics' to stand for cardiovascular workouts in the group fitness room (such as Step Aerobics) or even just with a client, please stop. This second. Aerobics is such an outdated term. I believe it was Thomas Plummer who wrote a huge rant article (much like I'm doing now) about this very same topic. He stated that if you are a fitness business still using the term 'aerobics' it shows that you are outdated, unwilling  to change, and will soon close your doors because of your refusal to come into the 21st century. Trust me, if Thomas Plummer said it, it is probably going to happen. I'll dig a little bit and if I can find that article he wrote I will post it on here, but I doubt I will find it. It has been awhile since I've read it.

Fourth and Final: Planning an exercise program and using it with EVERY client.
Who does this? Surprisingly, a lot of trainers. How personal is that? Not very. Don't be shocked when a client isn't getting results and ends up not coming back. EVERY person is built different. EVERY person will need to be worked differently. EVERY person, EVERY time. That is part of your job to figure out how you are going to do that. Use all of that education you got from school. If you aren't willing to do your job, why, then, do you have this job? It makes no sense. I don't think I'm the only trainer that loves figuring out how I'm going to achieve goals with each client. Part of the fun is making the program, right? Right?

Kwxercise quick fitness tip 2

If you are an early workout kind of person it is important to wake up at least one hour before you workout. This allows plenty of time for your body to finish waking up and the synovial fluid around your joints and spine to turn liquid again.

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