Personal Training Blog with Douglasville Personal Trainer David Hansey

Fitness is difficult, I KNOW. It is something you need to do daily. They say for every 30 minutes you exercise, you add one to two hours to your life. So really, you are actually MAKING time in a way rather than taking time away from your life.

You have a lot of things TO DO — I get that. Believe me I do. As a parent with a busy personal training business, I am out of the house at 5 am and a lot of nights I get back at 9pm. So yes, I know busy.

There is family, there are chores, there are bills — BUT STOP for a second.

First and foremost — THERE IS YOU!!! It is kinda like being on an airplane when the pilot tells you to put on your OWN emergency mask BEFORE helping others. Fitness is your life mask. Without a fit body, you cannot pick up your children properly, you cannot chase them at the playground (or stop them before they get into danger), you cannot do your job as well as you could — because you are tired, out of shape and worn out.

So it is important to find a way to prioritize fitness and find a way to fit it into your life — regardless of what other things you have going on in your life. If you just can’t do it on your own, some personal training sessions might be the right thing for you. But remember, you have to show up and WORK hard at those sessions and do whatever you are supposed to do between sessions to get the most results from personal training.

Ok, here at the Personal Training Blog, I like to dish a good dose of reality.

I get a lot of people telling me that personal training is expensive. Like all professional services, it is not going to come cheap. And you get what you pay for. So a trainer who makes $9 an hour is going to most likely lack the professional training to give you a safe and effective workout.

Guidelines for personal training were established by IHRSA due to a serious need to determine the professional standard that you need to look at — CLICK BOARD CERTIFIED at the top of the page to read these guidelines. That is STEP ONE for you when looking for a personal trainer.

Now, once you have chosen a board certified trainer — you have a few responsibilities to meet your goals.
1- Show up early — and I mean at least 1/2 hour. This is when you do your cardio as well as get warmed up. It also buffers from any issues such as traffic so you don’t waste any of your time not training.

2- Show UP — Yes, if you cannot make an appointment, then cancel with 24 hour notice. Most trainers charge for last minute cancellations and be honest with why you are canceling. Is your child ill? Is your car tire flat? Or do you just want to do something else?

3 – Don’t sabotage yourself. If you are doing training with a personal trainer, disclose the other things you do. Do you not do ANYTHING else even though your trainer thinks you are doing cardio 3 times a week. Then be honest about it.

4 – Be realistic and honest about your goals. If you aren’t honest about your goals, it will be very hard for your trainer to establish a routine to meet them.

If you are able to stick to those things, you will find that your goals will come more into focus and become goals you can achieve.

Getting fit and feeling great is about more than just doing a bit of cardio in a group fitness class. And it is more than just showing up for a couple of personal training sessions. And it is more than just adding a few recipes to your diet.

It is about doing ALL of these things ALL of the time.

For personal training, you need to show up and work hard for your sessions (be on time, do the work — get the most bang for your buck) Also for personal training, make sure you are doing all the other workouts that you are supposed to. Like your cardio or strength training sessions that you are supposed to be doing between personal training sessions. Remember, the 1/2 hour or hour you spend with me is not enough

And for eating — find a way to control what you eat and how much. Do you need to keep a diary, do you need to seek out professional help, do you just need to learn a new way to cook, do you need to learn how to lighten up a favorite recipe. These are all things that you need to do to begin your journey to healthier eating. All of these things done together will seriously change your body and are WORTH IT!!

Group fitness classes can be fun. They can also be effective. BUT — for a lot of people, they are not enough. Fitness classes are designed to provide a workout (cardio workout) to a broad group of people. They cannot magically know all the things that make you unique. So you need to be careful when selecting one when you are a beginner to avoid injury or to ensure that you get an effective workout.

First step — go to your doctor to make sure you know that what you are considering is going to be effective for you.

Next step — pick a class that is ideal for beginners. I usually suggest spinning type classes because for most people, riding a bike is easy and you can just increase the intensity as your fitness level increases. Now that said, still might not be the right class for you so check with your doctor and take his advice.

Now, ANY class you are going to take — make sure that you show up early. This allows you to tell the instructor you are new – they should come over and introduce themselves — if not, be concerned!! Also, they should offer to help you make any special adjustments — for a bike class, this would be properly fitting you to a bike. For a kickboxing class, it would be showing you how to punch without hurting your elbow (or wrapping your hands if it is a gloved class). For a weighted class, it would be talking to you about what weights to use and anything you should watch out for.

IF your instructor does not come over — THEN APPROACH THEM.

It is your responsibility to take care of you so make sure you show up early and act like a sponge. And regardless of how you feel or what ANYONE tells you, do what you feel is right. If it feels wrong, it is. If it feels too intense, it is. Do what is best for you. If you need to modify your workout or slow down — DO IT. I tell people that if it feels too intense, then you should try just walking on the spot for a bit. But seriously — if it feels too intense or you feel weak or dizzy — STOP.

It will get easier and easier every time. So just what you feel you can each time and it will get easier and you will be safe.

I had an interesting e-mail recently from someone saying they were in their 50s and out of shape and asking if I work “with people like that”

It kinda made me take a pause. Everyone is unique and everyone is an individual. Fitness and personal training are not about living up to someone else’s ideal. It is about living healthy and being happy IN YOUR EYES.

I have clients who come to me and can barely (or not even) walk. I have clients who are very overweight and scared of the health issues they are facing. I have people who have never worked out before. I have people who are athletes and are looking to play professionally or improve their game.

Personal training is P-E-R-S-O-N-A-L. The reasons you do it are yours alone. How long you want to train with a trainer (or how often) are your choices. Many people know that they cannot afford a trainer 3 times forever. But they know that once a week (and doing their other workout sessions alone) keeps them on track.

So try not to assume that personal training is for someone else (or just for celebrities). It can be for anyone in some shape or form. You may not want (or be able to afford) a ton of sessions — so what. Do a few and show up to every single one on time, warmed up and ready to work out — and get the most bang for your buck.

It is the time of year that I see people starting to get into the fitness lifestyle. I know it can be hard to start something new so let’s go over a few things. First a few myth busters.

1 – you don’t need to hurt. I have so many people tell me that they hurt a lot. Working out sometimes causes aches and pains but it should not hurt you to the point that it interferes with your life. If you can’t walk down stairs or raise your arms or conduct your life normally, then there is something wrong with your workout and it needs to be adjusted. Be sure to tell your personal trainer if you have any pain, stiffness or anything that interferes with your quality of life.

2 – it does not take a lot of time. Two strength training sessions a week and three cardio sessions a week. You can bust that out in 3 trips to the gym or two to the gym and one run around the block.

So now that you realize it does not have to be painful and that it will not take a lot of your time — you need to realize a few of the realities.

1 – working out is not a license to eat anything and everything. The average workout burns about 300- 600 calories so realistically, you will lose about a pound a week if you don’t change your diet plan. Adding sweets and treats will just sabotage your workout.

2 – you need to know what you are doing. Just showing up and spinning your wheels will just frustrate you. A few sessions of personal training will give you a thorough program that is unique for you and your needs and your goals. And realistically, every budget can afford a few sessions. So seriously think about it — personal training can make a dramatic difference in your success.

I would like to take a minute to thank everyone for the wonderful year I have had. I am truly blessed to have been a part of your lives and your fitness and to have had the opportunity to help so many of you change your lives. I look forward to more in 2008 and would like to wish all my readers here at the Personal Training Blog as well as all my clients at the gym and in Douglasville — Merry Christmas.

Sorry but if you have not figured it out yet, there is no such thing. You are better to believe in Santa Clause because at least there is magic and fun there. Believing that you will find a quick fix for being overweight just won’t happen.

There is a fix for it — don’t get me wrong there. But since you did not get fat overnight, you are not going to get thin overnight either. Losing weight is tough work and it is slow going and yes I am sad to say that at times it can make you feel depressed and anxious.

These are the reasons why I stress a personalized approach so heavily. It is the best way to ensure that you get the most out of your time but it is also the best way to tweak your diet, workout routine, etc when you start to stall on your results. And everyone will hit points where their weight loss will stall out.

That is the time that you have to go back to basics and keep a food diary (remember there is a free food diary on my 4fitbodies website) and a workout diary and see what needs adjusting. Did you start to add some sweets or restaurant dinners into your diet that you might have underestimated the portions or the caloric content? Did you drop your cardio from 45 minutes down to 30 minutes. You get where I am going?

The magic bullet for weight loss is the same thing as any goal in your life. It is you working hard and using your knowledge (and seeking professional help when needed) to do it.

If you have questions about personal training or how to get past a weight loss plateau, feel free to e-mail me or comment this post and I will go into more detail.

Yes, I am not done cleaning out your cupboards and fridge!! Don’t worry, there are lots of healthy delicious foods you can have in your cupboard..

So let’s look in the rest of the cupboard. What do you have for condiments and spices? If you have very few spices, you should question why. Trying a new recipe every week will get you trying new healthy foods. There are lots on my weight loss site, www.douglasvilleweightloss.com Trying a new recipe every week should not be a drag, it will open your eyes to a new way of eating.

What about oils and vinegars. Got any? I have at least 4 different vinegars along with olive and canola oil and so should you. They are the ingredients of healthy ways to dress salads as opposed to heavy dressings.

On to the rest of your condiments. Ketchup is tomato flavored sugar. If you use it rarely and sparsely, then ok. If you use it in large amounts, you would be surprised how much sugar and calories you are getting from just ketchup. I would say toss it unless you are super confident that it is used extremely rarely.

On to your mayo — hah, what? You have some? Say bye. Regardless of whether it is real mayo, some spread, light, fat free whatever — toss, toss, toss.

Got mustard. Very few calories, lots of taste and low in sugar….. hmm, sounds like a keeper to me!

Sugar in a bottle — this is anything from chocolate sauce to jam to syrup. Sorry, ditch em all

You may be able to add these things back later when you are more in control of your eating and able to portion — be honest, you are not capable of doing that yet. So all these things must go so you can learn to eat properly

Don’t worry, there are more details coming to help you with your progress toward the fit new you.

If you have questions, feel free to comment me here at personal training blog. I hope these tips help you with your new fitness routine!

Getting a great workout at the gym is a piece of cake. But at the busy club in Douglasville where I train, I see people struggling just to make it to the gym and then a lot of them wasting their time once they are there.

Fitness takes a commitment. Give yourself over to YOUR NEEDS one hour per day (come on that still leaves 8 to sleep, 10 to work and another 5 for assorted things!)

During that hour you gotta move. No group fitness classes, no chatting, no reading, no rest periods between sets. Here is what you have to do. ** Note — I don’t say no group fitness classes because they are not good, I say it because the truly time rushed should focus on THEMSELVES, not on a preset routine made for the masses and doing an hour aerobics class does not give you your strength training. No sorry, even the ones that use weights are still aerobics and NOT strength training because you are not lifting heavy enough weights. So do classes on the days in between or when you have more time. For the truly rushed, this workout gets you in and out of the gym in an hour – enough said — here it is…..

Cardio – 35 minutes — 5 minutes to warm up and then 30 good SERIOUS minutes — you should be SWEATING

Weights — 25 minutes
You will do large body parts — think walking lunges and squat with a military press rather than thinking about small muscle groups like biceps. And you will do multiple sets but you will split them with another exercise.

For example, a set of walking lunges followed by a set of push ups then back to the lunges, etc. This way your muscles get a rest between sets without you sitting there.

Trust me, this routine will make you work and will make the MOST of your gym time. Anyone who is seriously rushed should do this. Oh, and skip your ab work, do it later at home instead of being plopped on the couch for the whole evening!

If you have no idea what the strength training portion should be, try booking a few personal training sessions with a Board Certified personal trainer. You will get a workout that you can follow that is set in the same amount of time that you have if you get a 1/2 hour personal training session.

Hope that helps you realize that there is a way to fit fitness into even the busiest day and make it to the gym — no excuses.

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!!