12 Common Exercise Form Mistakes
Many people hire a trainer to avoid making mistakes which can lead to injury. Call it what you want – exercise form, correcting mistakes, cueing, etc. Form cues are an essential component of personal training. Ensuring a client can execute a specific movement with correct body mechanics is a necessity for safety when exercising. Poor […]
What is Wellness?
Generically, wellness is considered a dynamic process which “emphasizes self-healing, the promotion of health, and the prevention of illnesses rather than solely the treatment of symptoms of a disease” (Edlin & Galanty, 2016). However, the term wellness means many things to different people. Wellness is… Individually, some see wellness as the achievement of a balanced […]
Starting a Corporate Wellness Personal Training Business
Corporate wellness offers enormous opportunities for certified personal trainers and health coaches….and the opportunities are not boilerplate. Each business has a different culture with diverse employees – each of whom has distinct needs and faces unique challenges. This means you can be creative and pioneering in your efforts to address those needs and challenges. Necessary […]
Where Did SuperTracker Go? The USDA’s Tool Bites the Dust
As of June 30, 2018, SuperTracker fulfilled its mission. According to the USDA, “The private sector has launched many great tools that have a shared mission. It was time for us to discontinue SuperTracker in order to invest in more modern and efficient ways to help Americans find a healthy eating style that is right […]
Get More Time as a Personal Trainer
What if you could get more time by spending a small amount of time reading? It seems counterintuitive but is actually possible. (Lack of) time seems to be one of the most (reported) limiting factors for any and all goals we have in life. I recall the early days of my personal training career and the […]
Feldenkrais – A Contemporary Mind-Body Technique
Feldenkrais is one of many popular forms of mind-body exercise that could supplement your fitness training methods. Mind-body exercise techniques continue to shake-up the health and fitness industry. It’s common to observe elements of both classical (Tai Chi, Qigong, Yoga, etc.) and contemporary (Alexander technique, Pilates, Somatics, Laban Movement Analysis, etc.) mind-body exercises integrated into […]
Answering Fitness Client Questions Confidently
You can spill everything you know about a given topic when a client asks a question, you can make a guess if you don’t know the answer, or you can take a clarifying and confident approach. Here’s a method you can use the next time a client says “what do you think about…x?” Answer With […]
Massaging Fitness Clients
Can you massage personal training clients? A certain amount of physical touch is common practice when working with fitness clients. Cueing proper form during exercise often requires more than a verbal directive. It’s not unusual to adjust a client’s body position by gently adjusting the client’s shoulders, for example. Contact such as this is within […]
Flexibility Training – 5 Benefits Beyond Better ROM
The full benefits of flexibility training transcend positive physiological outcomes and aren’t physiologically or fitness related. Engaging in regular flexibility exercises has been shown to relieve muscle pain, increase movement range of motion, support healthy joint function throughout the lifespan, and reduce the risk of injury. However, there is more to range of motion to […]
Mindful Eating – Being Conscious About Calories
Calorie counting isn’t the most effective method for changing nutritional habits. It’s really just a craze of sorts. Although, it has its place and time. Instead of obsessively tracking food and beverage consumption, encourage a mindful eating approach with your clients. Why Calorie Counting Doesn’t Work Calorie counting may be able to create awareness of […]