End of the Stupid Personal Trainer by Rick Kaselj

This is a post from a fellow fitness pro/friend that I just had to share.  Rick is amazing and an expert in the area of exercise rehab.  For more info. on Rick, his thoughts, and his products, go to his website at:
http://exercisesforinjuries.com/

Here ya go....from Rick's Blog,

These prediction things are fun but I do believe that this is where things are going.


I had a friend comment on my Facebook wall earlier this week that talked about the stupid trainer plus I remember 3 blog posts in 2010 where bloggers talked about the stupid personal trainer.

In 2011, we will see the further end of the stupid trainer.

I am not sure what it is in health and fitness, but personal trainers being treated as the bottom of the barrel or the weakest link in the system seems to be common place.

Knowledge is on the Rise

I have been teaching fitness education courses since 1999.

Way back in the day, I would see many personal trainers with just their certification.

Yes, those online or two day certifications.

Now it is becoming more and more of a rarity.

More people have advanced university education, like a Kinesiology, Human Kinetics or Physical Education degree are entering into personal training.

This is a good thing overall but a degree is not everything, it is a nice start.

A Degree Does Not Mean You Are a Smart Personal Trainer

I remember training a new personal trainer and asked where his biceps was and he pointed to his quadriceps.

Yes, the trainer had a degree.

Just like with every profession, you get the full spectrum of people.

Some people lead the profession, some follow the profession, some are lost in the profession and some should go into management.

I think a degree gives you a very solid foundation to build on your personal training career but what is more important is constantly learning, improving your skills and gathering experience. This can be done with or without a degree. Some of the personal trainers, I look up to in my area, do not have a degree. They have a passion to specialize in an area and have learned everything they can in this area.

We All Were Stupid

I have not forgotten the first client I trained, I new nothing.

Yes, I may have had my degree in Kinesiology.

Yes, I may have had my personal training certification.

I fumbled through the first session. I did everything as per what I remembered from the book but the book does not always translate into the real world.

What I lacked was personal skills, experience and confidence.

This came with training more people, reflecting, learning and constantly improving.

Today, this is still the case with everything I do.

This will be the process that new personal trainers will need to follow.

The book learning is the start. Training clients is where you get your personal skills, experience and confidence.

When you reflect back on training your clients you will see where you will need more understanding. Then you can seek out the knowledge you need to better understand and help that type of client.

If All You Know is Stupid Trainers, This Will Lead To Your Failure

I know one of the apprehensions of surgeons, doctors, Chiropractors and physical therapists to refer to personal trainers is because they don’t know any good ones.

If this is the case, you need to try harder to find good ones.

You have to search out good trainers because you are letting your clients down.

If the client has gotten a diagnosis from the doctor, it has been confirmed by the specialist, then the physical therapist begins the exercise rehabilitation process and then the client is sent to the gym on their own?

Then the care of the client has failed and the client will never fully recover from their injury fully.
I know it sounds harsh but it is the truth.

If the weakest link in your clients recovery is the link between your client to a personal trainer, then fix the link.
Doing so will lead to happier clients and clients with better results.

Rick Kaselj, MS
http://exercisesforinjuries.com/

2011....... I'm All Over It...... What about YOU?

Communication and learning as much as you can is always the key in making changes, especially when those changes are going to bring you BIG dividends...like in your health!  Tell me what you're needing, what you're interested in.  I'd love to hear from you about what YOU would like to see more of from me in the new year.

What are YOUR Biggest Challenges as we move into 2011?

Could it be....

• diet? food, eating?
• workouts?
• organizing to make it all happen?
• some extra pounds to get rid of?
• energy?
• body image?
• flexibility?
• stress protection?
• staying and track and organizing so it all happens?
• fitness mojo?
• getting out of your old head and into a new one?
• ?
  

I’m all over all of it, so name your heart’s desire.


Write to me and tell me what's going on. 

Send me an email to:  Patti@PattiGoewey.com

Wishing you a Healthy and Fit New Year,

Patti

Get LEAN and HEART HEALTHY with MY Favorite SPICE!

Keep your heart strong and help your body get lean by jazzing up your morning cup with a swirl of cinnamon.
Research suggests that in addition to steadying blood sugar, cinnamon may be particularly healthy for people who carry lots of extra weight. In a study, cinnamon seemed to blast fat and help minimize some of the negative health impacts that obesity has on the body.


CINNAMON FIGHTS INFLAMMATION!
People who are obese (read body mass index of 30 or higher) tend to have higher levels of inflammation in their bodies, and their bodies tend to experience more oxidative stress than the bodies of slimmer folks. Inflammation and oxidative stress are two very unhappy physical states to be in because they can set the stage for heart disease and other health problems. So in addition to losing weight, finding ways to fight oxidative stress and inflammation is an important part of protecting your heart if you carry around too much weight. (Know your heart's worst enemies? Get a seven-step action plan for a healthy heart.)

CINNAMON FIGHTS FAT!                                                         
A recent study showed that certain cinnamon compounds may help obese people in the fight against fat, inflammation, and oxidative stress. In the study, obese people with prediabetes took a cinnamon extract called cinnulin twice a day. At the end of the 12-week study, participants' bodies were experiencing less oxidative stress and their antioxidant defenses against inflammation were heightened. They even lost some fat mass while gaining a bit of lean muscle. Not too shabby for a few shots of cinnamon! Researchers think that cinnulin had such a favorable effect in the study because compounds in the extract may somehow help cells take in sugar and use insulin better -- two things that don't always work so perfectly in people who are obese and have prediabetes.

STEVIA - Is IT the ANSWER to Our Sweet Tooth?

  

This year non caloric sweeteners started popping up on store shelves everywhere… and these are made from an extract of Stevia rebaudiana.

So what’s the deal with Stevia - is IT the answer to shedding body fat healthfully?Is it a safe alternative to Splenda and Equal?

OF COURSE ...  it’s natural!  (Hope you didn’t fall for that, did you?)

There a lot of "natural" herbs that we should probably stay away from.Let’s find out the truth.

Stevia is a relatively new comer in terms of popularity, even though it’s been used for 100’s of years. It’s exploded in the last few years as consumers are looking for a "natural" calorie free alternative to artificial sweeteners.Stevia fits that bill. Stevia’s real name is Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) and it is an herb native to Paraguay and Brazil. But, while it has been used for 100’s of year now, it has always been labeled a "dietary supplement" since it didn’t have the OK from the FDA as a food ingredient.

There were some concerns with Stevia after early studies suggested there may be some concern with its use with fertility and reproductive development and even genetic mutations! Lo and behold, more recent data submitted to the FDA regarding the safety of a Stevia extract, known as Reb A, granted this particular extract GRAS status (generally recognized as safe). This was in December 2008.

However, the FDA still maintained the position about calling Stevia at dietary supplement with this statement "Reb A is different than whole leaf stevia or other stevia extracts, which can only be sold as dietary supplements." They continued "Nobody has provided the FDA with evidence that whole-leaf stevia is safe."

In fact, one consumer advocacy group, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) stands by their position that Reb A GRAS status was granted too early, suggesting not enough supportive safety data is available.

As usual, there are of course two sides to each story. Let’s look at the pros and cons of this ingredient.

PRO's..

•Stevia is about 250-300 times sweeter than sugar
•Stevia is stable to heat, making it safe for cooking

•Stevia is calorie free

•Stevia doesn’t promote dental caries like sugar

CON's...

•It has a bitter taste that some may not enjoy, also making it difficult to include in large quantities

(in baking, for example).

•It’s more expensive than most other sweeteners

•Data is mixed here – some show DNA damage with high doses of stevia intake,

others show no effect at all.

From what we know now, the FDA considers Reb A safe…

If searching for this in the store, look for either "Truvia" and "PureVia" — the consumer names for the Stevia extract.

What do you think? Is Stevia the next big thing in terms of sugar replacements?



3 Facts - Food Industry WANTS YOU TO FAIL & 6 Tips to SUCCEED

Losing weight seems anything but simple! With all of the trendy diet plans and new workout fads - it is easy to become confused. The good news is that the meat and potatoes of weight loss have not changed over the years.

It all boils down to Calories In versus Calories Out. Too many Calories In, and you will gain weight. Extra Calories Out and you will lose it.

Keep in mind that 3,500 calories equals one pound and every itty bitty calorie counts! The holidays are here and there's more sugar, fat, and salt than ever before in the foods we buy.

This season, I ask you to be more consciouse of your eating, such as what you're eating, when and where. Set yourself up for success not failure.

You really don't need to gain 10 more pounds this December!Be aware of how we're all a target for failure, courtesy of the "food industry".

Here are 3 FACTS I wanted YOU to know.

1. An Irresistable Combination Rewires Your Brain: Think of your favorite treat - most likely it can be broken down into the basic building blocks of sugar, fat and salt. This combination is known of as the ‘three points of the compass', a combination that has been shown to literally alter the biological circuitry of your brain.

Sugar, fat and salt give food a high hedonic value which gives you pleasure. This pleasure reinforces you to return to your favorite foods time and time again.

2 The Food Industry Targets You: Everywhere you go you'll see the clever work of the food industry, tempting you with highly palatable creations. Food has become a science, and your taste preferences the guiding light.

The food industry has one goal - to get you hooked. By constructing food items that are high in sugar, fat and salt they know that you will come back time and time again.

3. Conditioned Hypereating Becomes a Way of Life: Humans are conditioned to seek more reward. When readily available, hyper palatable food become our reward a pattern of hypereating quickly emerges. Here's how the cycle goes.

"Foods high in sugar, fat, and salt, and the cues that signal them, promote more of everything: more arousal...more thoughts of food...more urge to pursue food...more dopamine-stimulated approach behavior...more consumption...more opioid-driven reward...more overeating to feel better...more delay in feeling fulll...more loss of control...more preoccupation with food...more habit-driven behavior...and ultimately, more and more weight gain."  

 The good news is that you don't have to remain trapped in a cycle of overeating. Here are your 6 Simple Tips of Defense.

1. Don't eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food.
2. Pay more, eat less. Look for quality of food over quantity.
3. Eat meals. Cut out snacking, stick with structured meals.
4. Don't get your fuel from the same place your car does. Gas stations are great for fueling your car, but the food they sell are not suited to fuel you.
5. Try not to eat alone. Eating can become mindless when alone, leading to overeating.
6. Eat slowly. Eat foods that have been prepared slowly – that means no fast food.