The question everyone's asking is why are these numbers so bad?
In fact, the media contacted me to get an expert opinion on why the
health and fitness of Americans is declining at such epidemic rates.
This may surprise you, but the fitness industry, and more specifically personal trainers, are largely to blame for the poor numbers on the CDC report.
Let's discuss why. Take New Year's Resolutions for example, as I know most are familiar with this scenario. Every year, droves of people head to a local health club inspired and ready to finally get fit and healthy, only to be disappointed and quit after just 30 days. It's almost become a joke among gym owners who know every year a large number of new people will join and within 30 days will never be seen again. Sad!
More often than not, the reason those people
failed is because the so called "fitness professional" didn't do their
job and provide what's necessary to achieve success in the first place.
The most overlooked component of any fitness program is the measurement of progress. There's lots of programming being offered out there, but not a whole lot of measuring going on.
A mentor of mine, John Ashworth, states it very well in saying, "When it all comes down to it, our job as fitness professionals is really a matter of encouraging and inspiring the adoption of healthy habits. And not just to encourage them, but to find a simple and effective means of measuring that action and adoption of behaviors over time."
Simply put, a personal trainers job is to track, measure and report back to participants on their adherence to their program on a consistent basis!
I've had countless new clients join my program who were previously with another personal trainer, and when asked during the assessment if they've ever had this done before the answer is no. Again... sad!
Let's be clear...
Personal training is assessment; you can't have one without the other! If you're working out with a personal trainer and not tracking behaviors and measuring actions, you're not receiving personal training!
You're just working out, that's it!
What you're doing is wandering around in the dark with no flash light hoping to end up in the right place. You're all alone, and if your personal trainer is giving you advice without analyzing the numbers and looking at food journals he or she is guessing.
A personal trainer's ability to provide adequate, efficient, and logical programming depends on consistent assessment and re - assessment to measure the adoption of healthy habits over time.
Goals without measurement are simply dreams!
Insist that your personal trainer does an assessment every 90 days minimum to measure your progress, update your goals, and provide an action plan to get you from point A to point B.
Before you commit yourself to just any program have due diligence and make sure the program and trainers have integrity. You can start by asking these 5 questions:
Certifications? - Ensure your instructors are certified! This may seem like a no brainer but don't assume that just because the instructors work at a gym that they are certified.
Experience? - Even more important than a certification is experience! Be sure that the program and trainers you're investing in are backed by years of experience.
Proven Results? - Talking the talk is easy, but walking the walk is another story. Make sure what your trainer claims is true, and insist they show you proven success stories.
Structured System? - It is easy to throw a few exercises together and call it personal training. As the consumer you must make sure that the program is structured and has a very precise system to ensure safe forward progress.
Progress Assessment? - Make sure the program includes consistent measurement and assessment of actions and behaviors.
When making an investment in your health be picky and don't settle for a substandard fitness program. When making your choice, if you can confirm with confidence that the program has integrity, then you have a winner on your hands and with commitment you should be very successful.
On the other hand if you fail to make what we talked about here a priority you could be setting yourself up for certain failure and possible injury.
This may surprise you, but the fitness industry, and more specifically personal trainers, are largely to blame for the poor numbers on the CDC report.
Let's discuss why. Take New Year's Resolutions for example, as I know most are familiar with this scenario. Every year, droves of people head to a local health club inspired and ready to finally get fit and healthy, only to be disappointed and quit after just 30 days. It's almost become a joke among gym owners who know every year a large number of new people will join and within 30 days will never be seen again. Sad!
The most overlooked component of any fitness program is the measurement of progress. There's lots of programming being offered out there, but not a whole lot of measuring going on.
A mentor of mine, John Ashworth, states it very well in saying, "When it all comes down to it, our job as fitness professionals is really a matter of encouraging and inspiring the adoption of healthy habits. And not just to encourage them, but to find a simple and effective means of measuring that action and adoption of behaviors over time."
Simply put, a personal trainers job is to track, measure and report back to participants on their adherence to their program on a consistent basis!
I've had countless new clients join my program who were previously with another personal trainer, and when asked during the assessment if they've ever had this done before the answer is no. Again... sad!
Let's be clear...
Personal training is assessment; you can't have one without the other! If you're working out with a personal trainer and not tracking behaviors and measuring actions, you're not receiving personal training!
You're just working out, that's it!
What you're doing is wandering around in the dark with no flash light hoping to end up in the right place. You're all alone, and if your personal trainer is giving you advice without analyzing the numbers and looking at food journals he or she is guessing.
A personal trainer's ability to provide adequate, efficient, and logical programming depends on consistent assessment and re - assessment to measure the adoption of healthy habits over time.
Goals without measurement are simply dreams!
Insist that your personal trainer does an assessment every 90 days minimum to measure your progress, update your goals, and provide an action plan to get you from point A to point B.
Before you commit yourself to just any program have due diligence and make sure the program and trainers have integrity. You can start by asking these 5 questions:
Certifications? - Ensure your instructors are certified! This may seem like a no brainer but don't assume that just because the instructors work at a gym that they are certified.
Experience? - Even more important than a certification is experience! Be sure that the program and trainers you're investing in are backed by years of experience.
Proven Results? - Talking the talk is easy, but walking the walk is another story. Make sure what your trainer claims is true, and insist they show you proven success stories.
Structured System? - It is easy to throw a few exercises together and call it personal training. As the consumer you must make sure that the program is structured and has a very precise system to ensure safe forward progress.
Progress Assessment? - Make sure the program includes consistent measurement and assessment of actions and behaviors.
When making an investment in your health be picky and don't settle for a substandard fitness program. When making your choice, if you can confirm with confidence that the program has integrity, then you have a winner on your hands and with commitment you should be very successful.
On the other hand if you fail to make what we talked about here a priority you could be setting yourself up for certain failure and possible injury.
Chris Gray is the owner of Punch Kettlebell Gym Dover, Dover's
premier personal training center. If you're ready to begin your fitness
and fat loss journey please call 1-302-730-1600 right now to receive a
complimentary private fitness and health Consultation (valued at $87).
Article Source:
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