One month in

Hi Everyone-

I am sitting here at the Tampa International airport about to board my flight back home and I thought I would take a moment to let you know how things have been going.

I have had a few clients so far this month. One is a long term client that has signed up for a few months. I am very excited to see their changes over the next few weeks. I do have some clients who sign on for a week, and then take a week break with me. I have been told that this is not normal - however, what really is normal when it comes to personal training? Sure I would love the client to have me with them all the time to make sure they are progressing, working hard enough, but then again it is all about what the client wants. I am willing to show them as much as I can in that small time frame we are together, and then let them see if they are able to work on their own, and usually they do come back for some more. My philosophy is to teach independence. I would do the same thing with my students; preparation for the next level. Giving them information and hopefully they are able to assimilate this information into something that is workable for them.

CISSN Exam/ISSN Conference

This past weekend, I was in Tampa, FLA for the International Society of Sport Nutrition’s (ISSN) annual conference and of course I was writing their Certification in Sport Nutrition (CISSN). This information is very athlete specific - endurance, or anaerobic/strength/power athlete. The application to fitness, figure and bikini gals is very limited. However, it is information. Information I feel I need, and perspectives that can only add to my understanding of my role as personal trainer, and ultimately fitness, figure, and bikini coach. Plus I get to hang with some super smart people for the weekend, and see what is up and coming in supplements.

Like Vitamin D for example. I saw a wonderful presentation by Rikki Keen out of Alaska about Vitamin D and how it is recommended for anyone who lives north of Altanta, GA they should be supplementing. 2000mg is the recommendation, but she herself supplements with 5000mg. There were some presentations that I was really impressed with; impressed that I had the knowledge to understand what was being said. The language was clearly very scientific but seemingly I understood all of it, and was able to follow along. I am sure reading the ISSN textbook has helped tremendously in refreshing my memory to some of these concepts, including the use of a very good dictionary.

Speaking of the ISSN exam - I think things went well. There were questions (of course) that I was not sure of and others that I was absolutely sure of. I will have to wait up to a month to see what my results are and I am very hopeful that things will work themselves out. I tried to remember questions that I had difficulty with in order to go and look up the answers, but after 3 hours of intense focus, and 200 multiple choice questions, I was pretty spent. I am sure questions will come to be as time passes, but yes, it was a difficult test, and yes, you do need to have a strong science background to be able to handle the concepts.

What is next for me? A few items.

Europa Texas - I will be training and dieting all summer for the August Europa Texas show. It will be the last chance to see if I can qualify for the Olympia. It is the last chance for any fitness competitor to qualify for the Olympia. I would love to be able to attend the show in my rookie year. Am I ready? Well, that is all up to the judges. I am on the smaller side (even Oxygen said so recently) but my routine I feel is on par with what is being presented on stage today.

Dieting - well I am actually looking forward to it. I have always found dieting in the winter easier, but this summer I want to be in better condition. I am not content with my shape right now, and losing a few will make everything (including me) feel better. Being in the gym on a daily basis also helps as this is now my job, and I am my own advertising.

Eating well can be seen as something as overwhelming but over the years I have found the right formula to make sure I am always prepared with my food. Like cooking in bulk, or preparing in advance if I know I am going to be away from the house for the day. I always bring my food with me. Always. You just never know when you will get stuck somewhere or might be at someone's house, and well - it is time to eat.

There are times when I want to go out to eat, or have a beer with friends, but it is few and far between. Many, many times I am extremely disappointed with the food I receive at restaurants, and think to myself, ‘why did even I even bother?’. I am always more satisfied with my food at home, and feel much better afterward.

I say this as I just traveled with all my food to this conference, and it really was not that hard. You never have to wait for your food, you always feel satisfied, never that heavy feeling you would get after a big meal, and it is good food. Sure you can get good food at restaurant, but if you are not familiar with what is being offered in terms of restaurants, or the kinds of foods they serve in that area (fresh, frozen, or fried) would it not just be a safer bet to travel with your food?

I rarely go out to eat in my town, and if I do plan to go out to a restaurant ever again it needs to be a very high end restaurant; one that offers the best food in the city. If I can cook it at home for fewer calories, and equal taste, I just don’t see the fun in going out to eat. BBQs and suppers with friends takes care of the social part, and I anytime I do eat out in a restaurant you know what I get? Salad. That is it, just salad. To me salad is a treat, and a ‘cheat’. I love to have a huge salad, with lots of toppings, and dressing, and some bread. Pretty boring eh? I guess my tastes have changed over the years, and I just find it easier to eat the same things most of the time. This was not a change that happened overnight.

Gym - Back to the gym on Monday, and with that I am going to make a push for more business. I have not advertised at all, and will do so when I get home. Unfortunately, I will be going on vacation in July so that might slow things for July. I will be visiting the Maritimes again this summer, and will start advertising down there. Plus I do want to hold some camps in the early fall. I really want to train fitness, figure and bikini competitors and show that your prep does not have to be THAT difficult. It is a process, one that you must be patient with, and realize that changes don't happen overnight.

I do have a post that I have worked on and am considering posting it; however, I do want to see how the summer goes with PT and how busy I am.

;)

Have a great week,

A.