Personal Training Blog with Douglasville Personal Trainer David Hansey

As a personal trainer, I get asked a lot about weight loss. Weight loss is not about a quick fix, magic bullet. Weight loss is about starting a new way of living. A way of living that is healthier, gives you more energy and makes you look better.

Strength training and cardio are not a short term fix to drop some pounds. You should be looking at your fitness as a long term lifestyle change that keeps you going. And keeps you healthy forever.

It is one of the reasons that I am always preaching doing a steady routine rather than going all crazy and running out of steam after just a couple of weeks.

A new lifestyle means adopting new habits. Your old habits helped you pack on the pounds and they will do the same if you go back to them. So why not find a way to make your new lifestyle something you love.

That does not mean doing something you hate every morning. I am a runner but I know a lot of people hate running so don’t get up and force yourself to jog every morning. You will soon give up. Find something you LIKE. Even if that means just enjoying new tunes on your ipod or the feeling of accomplishment after a good workout. Make it work for you!!

Injuries can happen and they can be dealt with. And yes, you can get better.

BUT……. you need to address the injury first.

This means you go to the doctor, you get a treatment plan from him, you continue with your personal training or rehab but in a modified format to not only prevent further damage but also to not lose your progress in other parts of your body and to do corrective moves to rehab the injury.

Of course, you cannot rehab an injury until you see a doctor — I know this seems obvious but I say it because people ask me every day how to fix this body part that hurts or that one. Going to the doctor seems like common sense so DO IT.

Corrective training ALWAYS comes before advancing your personal training program. So tight muscles, weak muscles, an injury. Those are all things that need to be corrected and they need to be addressed PRIOR to trying to progress in your personal training routine.

Want to burn some serious calories? Well then you have to get serious about your cardio.

I am an elliptical fanatic as well as an Arc Trainer lover but the last couple of weeks, I have been telling people to get back on the treadmill for a few sessions. Why? Not because it is necessarily better. But because when it comes to fitness equipment, it is one of the few pieces that cannot be cheated by Lucy Loophole.

Sorry, finding a way to get in your 20, 30, 45 or hour workout without actually training and feeling it is a pipe dream and like all diet and exercise loopholes, you pay the price.

Remember all the low carb foods that came out a few years ago that had more calories that the products they were replacing. Same deal. If it is too good to be true, it is. And sadly. I see dozens of people every day cheating the elliptical to just “knock out a workout”. Good way to tell you are working hard enough? You should be sweating. If you never sweat when you come to the gym, you are not special, you are just not working hard enough.

So here are my top cardio tips based on my personal training experience:

1 – Pick a machine that you can do for a good 30-45 minute sweat building workout. And don’t be afraid to change the machine mid-workout for something different or to change it completely if you are not getting results.

2 – Throw your towel over the timer or use the timer as an interval tool. Don’t be a clock watcher and get all bummed that you are going so slow. Either tune in and use the timer as a tool or tune out and ignore it.

3 – Don’t eat the calories you burn — ya — lots of people do!! And since the calories may not be accurate for you, you could be sabotaging your goals. Just do the time, ignore the calories.

I always hear about people who travel for work. And I know that travel combined with work can make this very hard.

You HAVE TO make fitness a part of your everyday life. I have an amazing client here in Douglasville who has lost a lot of weight and changed his lifestyle who wrote me an e-mail about his workout becoming an extension of his workday. I love that mindset.

When you travel for work, you need to find a mindset that you can work with, one that makes you get it done. For some travelers, this is a little strength training in your room with a yoga mat and some bands you tucked into your luggage. Then maybe a brisk walk or run to get your cardio in. For others it means ensuring that you stay in hotels that have comprehensive fitness facilities and nice gyms that you are going to use.

Find what works for you!

Hey there to everyone in Douglasville who reads my blog but also to those who don’t live here. I sincerely hope that you find this a valuable resource in your healthy lifestyle. If you enjoy it half as much as I enjoy writing it, then awesome.

I wanted to share a couple of ideas to inspire you.

I realize sometimes the gym can get a bit boring and your regular workout can get a bit tedious.

Scientific research also has proven that your body responds best when you make changes and new challenges.

When I train personal training clients, it is easy to change their workouts and make sure their muscles are always challenged in new ways. It becomes more difficult when you are talking about challenging their mind or spirit to be excited and eager to work out.

Children are a great example. When something is fun, they do it regardless of how hard they have to work for it. Once you take away the fun factor, they are very difficult if not impossible to motivate. Well we may think that we have matured past that but not that much. So try to make it fun and you will get a huge workout without even realizing how hard you worked.

Get off the couch and try a few of these ( or all of them) to breathe some life into your body and your fitness.

– Hike. Hiking takes a lot more strength and burns a ton more calories than just plain street walking. Plus, it is fun and great for your balance and stabilization. And you can hike miles and miles and it does not feel like work.

- Bike. We in Douglasville are fortunate to live very close to the Silver Comet trail. An excellent place to get out and pedal with no worries of traffic, barking and biting dogs, car doors opening on you and all the other perils of street riding.

- Trail Running. If your street running routine is getting a bit dry, some trail running either alone or with a friend will take your eyes off the horizon or the clock on the treadmill and put them down watching for branches and roots and the miles will literally fly by.

- Tennis/Golf As the weather cools here, it is a good time get out on the tennis or golf course. No cart riding and no doubles. Make the time count.

Still not motivated? Then get your butt into the gym for a serious kicking with some personal training sessions. COMMIT to doing a month of serious training and the results will keep you coming to the gym over and over!

In love with fitness classes? There are so many options and not all options are available everywhere but fitness classes are a good option for moving and working up a sweat.

Are they the best option for you? Probably not.

I am not slamming classes — far from it. I think fitness classes can be a motivating form of cardio.

But they cannot be your only workout if you have any intention of getting fit and being your healthiest.

In order to really get fit and change your body, you need to look at what is holding you back from being there right now. What are your unique circumstances for not already being in the shape that you want (or the shape that your health requires)

And there is only one workout that addresses your unique circumstances. And that is personal training. You don’t need to be a celebrity to have a personal trainer. You don’t need to spend a lot of money and you don’t need to work out with a personal trainer forever. Some people only spend a month or so and some only do a couple of sessions. Why? Because it is all based on YOU and your needs!!

Some people need the motivation of a trainer to be there all the time. Without an appointment, they just don’t come to the gym. For them, the money is well spent. For others, they like coming to the gym, they just need to find a routine that makes their body respond and they need it to respond in the time they can commit to the gym. I had one client who used to come to the gym for hours and asked me how to get the results he wanted in less time. He had (and still has) an amazing physique, he just needed to maintain in less time. And guess what, he does!!

So consider personal training as an addition to your group fitness or fitness class workout. I think you will find that it is the only thing that can give you the results that make you what you are — only better!!

Well it is October and I am seeing more and more people coming to the gym. And I am seeing a lot of people asking about personal training as a way to get in shape. They have finally decided to get serious about changing their bodies and that is wonderful.

That is the first step in moving toward that healthy body that I know you want. Perhaps losing some weight or gaining muscle or helping with health concerns like diabetes or hypertension. Whatever your goal is, remember that it take commitment to seriously change your body.

And you should deploy every weapon in your arsenal in order to make it a reality for you. I mean really throwing time, money, energy and commitment toward your goal. Changing your life is not easy — or you would have done it already.

Do you have a hard time preparing healthy meals? Maybe buying veggies prechopped for a few weeks. Maybe making some time to look up some new recipes.

I am not saying spend money that is not necessary — I am saying commit. There are things in your life right now that are screaming at you to change. You need to take the time to change them and if it costs a bit for the first few weeks to make a change that will last a lifetime.

A few ideas — do these for 30 days
1- personal training — ideally 3 times a week, but 2 if you can commit to doing the 3rd on your own — do EVERYTHING the personal trainer tells you to!!

2 – food — healthy eating is crucial so keep a diary (there is a great free one you can print off in the links section of my other site) click here to go to 4 fit bodies — Keep this diary in detail with everything you eat and drink

3 – drink! drinking water helps your body with all functions. So drink it! No excuses.

4 – sleep. You need enough sleep and changing your body and working out will make you tired as your body adjusts so commit to getting enough sleep.

I am asking you to make these changes for 30 days. That is all !! Some changes will take effect quickly but all of these will become a habit in 30 days so keep going, it is only a month to make changes that will be habits for the rest of your life.