_GeminiWrld
2020-04-03 20:49:38
Health is priority
Новини
I _Gemini Wrld as a writer I do care my health status
The other day, I read a blog post that admonished against sharing personal confidences with your fitness trainer. Your personal trainer is not your therapist, it said, and even though it can be tempting to unload during sessions, you absolutely shouldn’t. The post’s closing sentence advised that while you should be polite and nice to your trainer, you should not “indulge in the impulse” to share your vulnerabilities.
Granted, I am not a therapist, nor do I claim to be one. I don’t offer relationship advice, psychotherapy, or addiction counseling. I’m being paid to offer exercise (and sometimes nutrition) advice, and I stick to those things.
And even though the client-trainer relationship can begin to feel very informal over time, it’s important for trainers to remember that clients are just that — clients. They may feel like friends, but they are customers first.
That being said, I would never want my clients to feel that they can’t be vulnerable with me. It’s hard to work with clients who are “polite and nice” but won’t share anything meaningful about their life outside our sessions.
I’m in the human development business, and my job is a lot harder if it feels like I’m training a robot.
Your Life Outside the Gym Matters
My clients’ lives are comprised of a whole host of things other than exercise. It’d be foolish to think that their training sessions are completely compartmentalized, uninfluenced by a fight with their spouse, worries about the stock market, or how they slept the night before. How am I supposed to help someone reach his goals if I don’t know anything about the demands on his attention and energy outside of our sessions?
Again, because I am not a therapist, there are some things that you, as my client, don’t need to tell me. There will be issues I’m not ethically allowed to help you solve. But I’d rather you tell me too much than not enough. I’d rather be able to direct you to someone else who actually can help, instead of being clueless as to what’s going on in your life.
If I’m going to tailor your physical fitness plan to fit your life, I need to know a bit about the parts of your life that I don’t see. Here are five things I need you to share with me.
Your stress level
Although exercise can help you manage high levels of stress, too much physical activity can backfire if you combine it with significant amounts of psychological stress. Stress hormones (epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol) become elevated when you combine physical exertion with psychological stress, and this, in turn, causes oxidative stress. Oxidative stress will hinder your body’s ability to repair itself and lead to cell and tissue damage.
If you’re chronically stressed, I need to know so that I can appropriately adjust the intensity or volume of your workouts. My goal is to make you stronger, not overwhelm your body’s capabilities.
Do you know what else can help relieve psychological stress? Talking about it to someone you trust. This is why I’m okay with my clients sharing their vulnerabilities with me. I want them to know my listening ear is always available for a vent session, even if I’m not the right person to help them find a solution.
What Kind of Music You Like
I ask all my clients what type of music they prefer to work out to. Most people’s response? “Whatever, really!” I always giggle, because while I know that most people enjoy many diverse genres, everyone has a preference. I want to know what that is because I want to enjoy it with you.
I have one 24-year-old client who asks for the Grateful Dead in every session. I also have a 16-year-old male who prefers Cardi B and Nicki Minaj; a fellow with a giant beard who periodically asks for the soundtrack from the movie 300; a police officer who enjoys Five Finger Death Punch; a 6’4” tower of sarcasm who likes “Hot Girl Bummer” by Blackbear; and a 62-year-old woman who dances every time Michael Jackson comes on. They’ve told me what they like, I’ve remembered, and I play their favorites as often as I can.
I feel strongly that good music makes a good workout. The least I can do, as I’m asking you for ten more burpees, is to play your favorite band.
Your Mood
Some days you will feel ready to conquer the world and to tackle something new. Other days, you’ll feel like hiding in a burlap sack. I’d like to know how you’re feeling, because it may influence how I guide your session.
If you’re feeling anxious and on edge, I may substitute the cardio or high-intensity movements with something more calming. If you seem irritable, I may add something aggressive, such as medicine ball slams or sandbag throws. If you’re excited and animated, I might take the opportunity to push you outside of your comfort zone by having you try something new and challenging. If you’re depressed, I’ll probably choose familiar movements that I know you enjoy, just to boost your confidence.
I do my best to write a workout that’s emotionally satisfying for you. I can’t do that if you hide your mood from me.
How Challenged You Feel
One reason a regular exercise routine is so important is that it fosters a sense of competence. Engaging with something that is initially uncomfortable, but continuing to practice until you get better and stronger, can build your confidence in massive ways!
However, feeling too challenged (or not challenged enough) can backfire. Take a look at the stress curve illustrated below.


delphis.org.uk
My goal is to keep your workouts in the middle section — the zone that’s ideal for optimal performance. I don’t want you to be bored, but I don’t want you to be overwhelmed, either. And while I’m pretty good at interpreting your body language to determine the effect a certain exercise is having on you, I certainly can’t read your mind. So it’s okay for you to speak up.
Your Activity Level Outside of Your Sessions
This is a big one for me. My job is to make sure you’re developing, but it’s also to prevent you from overtraining. If you’re frequently doing extra workouts outside of our session, and I don’t know about them, I may inadvertently be programming too much for your body to handle.
Of course, I’m not saying you can’t engage in any physical activity when you’re not with me. Many of my clients have hired me to help them develop functional strength — strength that will help them perform other activities they’re passionate about, like running, hiking, or playing golf. But I need to know how active you are so that I can make sure your body has a chance to rest.
In my experience, most people believe they need more exercise (either in terms of strenuousness or volume) than they actually do. If you’d like to understand more about overtraining and what it looks like, check out the article I wrote here.
Practicing Vulnerability
Even though your relationship with your personal trainer has been established as a business transaction, it’s okay to let it be a human relationship. You’ll get significantly better results if you work with someone you genuinely click with, who you enjoy being around, and who you can trust with your weaknesses, hopes, and dreams. If you don’t already, try being a bit more open about yourself and see where it takes you.
