Trainer
Tuesdays
Welcome back to the weekly edition on Trainer Tuesdays. Make sure to check in at our blog every Tuesday evening to learn the expertise of our great staff. Aside from being fantastic exercise coaches, they are also extremely knowledgeable in many aspects of health and fitness; so, it's time that you get to know them a little better! Each week, we will post a frequently asked, or sometimes just a fun fitness related question followed by the answers of each of the trainers at Fitness Together Brecksville.
How can you help someone you care
about get started in a fitness routine without offending them?
Lisa Clark: I think we all
know people who would benefit from being on an exercise program, but how can
you say something without offending them, sounding like you are putting them
down, or hurting their feelings? This is a difficult position to be in however
I have approached this issue from a couple of different ways. I think it's
important to come from experience. Share your story with them and how you
feel better when you exercise, have more energy, feel more positive about
things in life, gone down on medication, etc. Or ask them to start doing things
with you! Invite them to the gym with you, or to go for a run. Make it seem
like it's a fun activity for you to do together and once they start exercising
with them hopefully they will feel better and want to continue it on their own.
Just the most important thing I keep in mind is not to make it about weight or
about how they look. I try to impress the positive benefits that exercise can
have on your health!!
Kelly Bailey: Helping those you love get more fit
and healthy can be a touchy subject. You likely have the best intentions, but
sometimes your advice may be taken as an insult or you may be seen as overly
critical. I live this story every day: my husband is my polar opposite. He
smokes, doesn't exercise, drinks coke and other sugary drinks, and refuses to
eat anything resembling a whole grain. (Don't even get me started on the
argument over whether iceberg lettuce drowned in French
dressing counts as a healthy vegetable.)
My only concern is for his health.
Truly. I'm not interested in having a husband with six-pack abs, huge pecs, or
biceps with their own GPS coordinates. I just want him to remain functionally
fit as we age so that we can participate in those things we love to do
(camping, kayaking, hiking, etc). That being said, in my personal experience,
it has been best to leave this subject alone unless a loved one is specifically
asking for your help or advice. This doesn't mean my husband and I don't have
discussions about health, but I don't make it about him. Our conversations
about health and fitness usually arise because I will tell him about
something I read or saw on TV. Amazingly, over time, I have noticed that he is
making little shifts in his thinking. He'll ask me questions about foods,
and I've even seen him looking at nutrition labels! He has started taking
evening walks with the dog, and is considering buying a treadmill desk for his
office.
Bottom line (for me) is that when it
comes to loved ones, the most important thing is to love them no matter their fitness
level or weight. You cannot make someone change, and the best thing to do is
live YOUR life as healthfully as possible. Your loved ones will see the
positive changes in you and will become much more inquisitive and
receptive to information about health and fitness.
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| Try having a workout partner to exercise with you! |
Taylor Burns: I believe that one of the best ways
to encourage a fitness routine for someone you care about is to try to do
exercises together to help promote the positives of fitness both mentally and
physically. Starting out with something small such as going on a 20-30 minute
walk two days a week or even encouraging the person to come with you to the gym
one day a week. We all start somewhere, whether we are all in or take baby
steps towards exercise. Having a partner can help influence us to
exercise as it holds us accountable and can make fitness more appealing!
Justin Traft: So the question is how can you get someone you care for
to start a fitness routine without offending them? Well, I actually went
through this a couple years ago with my own mother who I love to death. See,
she had been gaining weight and then she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Hit
hard for both of us. After we found out, I went to my mom and asked “what do you
think about getting on a fitness routine? Nothing crazy, but something I can
guide you through.” At first she wasn't really interested. Then, I continued “look
I am not saying all this because I think you’re overweight. I am saying all
this because I love you and care about you. I want you to be around for a long
time to see my kids someday. And to be healthy enough to live a long happy
life.” See sometimes it’s all in the approach letting them know you care enough
about them to take time to make sure that their health is important to you as
well. That alone speaks volumes. Then, when they finally agree do it on their
terms, ease into don't rush it. First starting off you are going to need to be
a cheerleader to start because they're going to want to change their mind and
make up excuses. But feed them with positive encouragement and be their support
system when they need it. Remember we were all there at one time or another.
Even offer to workout with them to help them stay motivated. Like a training
buddy system. ACTION WILL ALWAYS SPEAK LOUDER THEN WORDS.
Adam Teplitz: Motivation is a powerful
weight loss tool that can help individuals reach their goals more quickly. The
key to helping a loved one lose weight is by motivating them. Support and
encouragement can help a loved one reach their weight loss goals. Sit down with
your loved one and help them outline their goals. Let them know you are willing
to help them take action to become a healthier person and adapt a healthier
lifestyle. Take it a step further and exercise with your loved one. They are
more likely to be motivated to exercise if they have an exercise partner.
It can also be beneficial to cook with your loved one. Plan meals ahead of time with them. Set aside time to cook at least a few meals together each week. Lastly, encourage your loved one to keep a journal about their weight loss journey. A journal can help your loved one to stay motivated. They can record their exercise routine, what they eat , and how they feel once their done eating. Encouraging them to keep a journal can be a powerful motivational tool. Always make it known to your loved one that their health should be a priority and that it's the key reason behind you encouraging them to start a fitness routine.
It can also be beneficial to cook with your loved one. Plan meals ahead of time with them. Set aside time to cook at least a few meals together each week. Lastly, encourage your loved one to keep a journal about their weight loss journey. A journal can help your loved one to stay motivated. They can record their exercise routine, what they eat , and how they feel once their done eating. Encouraging them to keep a journal can be a powerful motivational tool. Always make it known to your loved one that their health should be a priority and that it's the key reason behind you encouraging them to start a fitness routine.
Monika Cotter: There
are so many people in this world that I love and care about and as a
trainer I want to see all of them healthy, happy and for them to feel confident
in their selves. I want them to love working out as much as I do but
I know that is not always the case. I understand that it can be
 |
| A workout buddy can always bring extra motivation! |
Jessica Regula: Once
you begin working out and noticing all of the wonderful benefits being active
has on your body and mind, you'll want everyone to join in! However, sometimes
talking about fitness to those you care about can be a sensitive subject, so
you have to tread lightly. If your friend or family member has expressed
interest in starting a fitness plan before, the easiest way to get them started
would be to bring them with you to the gym sometime or recommend that they get
a personal trainer. Having a buddy to encourage them and help them stay
motivated while working out goes a long way. Another way that you can help
someone get started with being active, is to ask them to join you in a group
fitness class, possibly one that you've never been to before either. This way,
they'll feel more comfortable since you'll also be new at it and group fitness
tends to be less intimidating. If they have absolutely no interest in fitness,
then continue what you are doing with your training. You can share with them
how much better you've been feeling as well as other benefits, plus they'll see
you making progress and will soon want to know what you're doing and how they
can get started. Be patient and don't push, people have to want to workout for
themselves first, so stay encouraging!
Maria Kolodziej: Personally, I think being
a rock-solid example of wellness is the best way to go about this. When you
look well and feel well it shows through in everything you do. Making strategic
comments about wellness, your nutritional choices, and your time exercising
around the person you are trying to motivate might be all it takes. There is a
lot to be said for just "planting the seed."
Steven Madden: Getting
someone you care about to start working out can be tricky. There are a lot of implications to that
idea. I think it's best to approach it
from a healthy lifestyle point of view.
Make it clear that you are speaking about overall health. Then, you have to start small, and find
something you'll do together. It could be taking a spinning class, martial
arts, or even something as simple taking a walk together. Bottom line, you need
to be willing to support them by actually doing it with them.
Then, when things get comfortable, you have to find the right way
to increase frequency and intensity. My wife as asked me to train her several
times. I first tried treating her like a client, that didn't end well, there
were tears. Then I tried a softer approach that just didn't work hard enough. The
truth is that while my wife is a dancer, she just doesn't like to work out, she
hates the actual exercising portion of the whole thing. I tried lots of
different approaches, short intense workouts, longer with more rest periods,
nothing worked; apart from walking together. Finally, the solution came when
she asked me why do I work out.
 |
| Personal Trainer Steven Madden as Captain America |
See, I didn't realize she was looking at progress on a daily
basis. If the scale didn't move or she
didn't look better after 3 days, she didn't want to continue. When I explained that I view every workout as
an individual challenge for me to conquer, her whole attitude changed. Don't get me wrong, I want to weigh a little
less and have a little more muscle mass, but if my goal is to look like Chris
Evens in Captain America, that has to be the end result of daily challenges I
set for myself in the form of intense workouts. When my wife started looking at
her health like that, it all became easier. She still hates doing it, but now
she will at least do it, with me right by her.
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