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Personal Trainers covered by Health Insurance? Wow!

We found this article this morning - if this isn't in your current marketing arsenal - it should be!Did you know that many health insurance plans include personal trainers as a covered expense. The reason is that the insurance companies know that people who train regularly at the gym make fewer claims. Check out your policy and make sure you are taking advantage of this coverage if you have it.

That said, even if your insurance doesn’t cover personal training, hiring one is a sure fire way to improve your workout and help you achieve your fitness goals. 
Fitness trainers can help people:
• Determine their level of fitness
• Figure out fitness needs and decide on goals
• Design a plan to meet fitness goals
• Learn how to use equipment
• Stay motivated
• Stay safe while working out
• Learn how to work more activity into a day-to-day routine

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some of the
biggest factors that help determine if someone will be active include:

1. Confidence: if a person believes that they can get regular activity
2. Enjoyment: if a person enjoys working out
3. Support: if a person gets support from other people
4. Beliefs: if a person believes that physical activity will benefit their health

When an individual retains a personal trainer they create a level of commitment that helps support all four of the highlighted items above. If you are part of the 60% of folks who are not getting enough exercise and physical activity in their daily life and just have not been able to make exercise a priority hiring a personal trainer is a great way to create that priority in your life.

Besides your exercise program here are a few easy ways to increase the amount of physical activity in your life:

• Use stairs instead of the elevator
• Ride a bike to work if you can.
• If you live within a few blocks of the store walk rather than drive.
• If you can’t fit in enough time at the gym for cardio, get a home treadmill or other cardio machine and do it at home.
Health Insurance reform is in the news right now.    Click on Dr. Oz   to hear what he has to say about the pending health care reform bill currently before Congress. WORLD GYM Personal Training Gift Certificates are a great Holiday Gift Idea. Only $65/session in blocks of 5 sessions, a 20% discount off the regular price.  Email Gordon at www.bodyarchitectsf@aol.com for details.

For more info: Contact Gordon at bodyarchitectsf@aol.com for information on this or previous articles or call 415.307.0439 to schedule a complementary one hour workout.  Also please visit Gordon's website. Clients are encouraged to visit the Body Architect Yelp page and submit a recommendation for Gordon.

Twitter for the Fitness Business

Hi all - I hosted a Twitter for the Fitness business introduction webinar last week.  I recorded it and posted it here for you to watch.  Enjoy!

Download 2009-11-05 13.01 Marketing Workshop _ Twitter For Fitness Business

NSCA Webinar

NSCA Webinar: Testing Essentials for Strength & Conditioning Professionals.  

Whether you need to accumulate continuing education units, want to keep up with the latest training methods or interested in current research findings, webinars are a convenient and cost effective approach to professional development. The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is offering an interesting webinar on September 16, 2009: Testing Essentials for Strength & Conditioning Professionals.  

This one-hour presentation will provide strength and conditioning professionals with the tools necessary to select, administer, and evaluate the tests used to increase athletic performance. Topics will include body composition, flexibility, muscular strength and endurance, power, agility, and running speed, as well as sport specific assessment. This presentation sounds like a must for professionals working with a sport specific population or interested in strength and conditioning assessments.  

Presenter: Frank Spaniol, Ed.D., CSCS, *D, FNSCA.

According to the biography provided on the NSCA website, Frank Spaniol is a Professor of Kinesiology at Texas A & M University where he instructs testing and measurements and research design, as well as directs the biomechanics laboratory. Between the years 1989 and 1995, Doctor Spaniol served as Head Baseball Coach at Morehead State University and currently chairs the Executive Council of the NSCA Baseball SIG. His research interest is in sport performance and he is noted for numerous publications and presentations in this area.  

For more information about this webinar check out the NSCA website at: https://nsca.webex.com/mw0305l/mywebex/default.do?siteurl=nsca 

Karen Moreno, MA Candidacy Kinesiology/Exercise Physiology

BA Social Science/Education

Client Retention - Keep 'em Coming Back!

Client Retention: Three Reasons Clients Keep Coming Back 

During a recent conversation with a client, she described her pervious experience and dissatisfaction with personal trainers. She recounted how the trainers would put her on a treadmill and walk away to converse with their friends. When she expressed discomfort or mentioned an aliment, she felt her concerns were ignored or not taken seriously, and frequently she was put through a workout that made her feel sick, inadequate and sore for days afterword. Unfortunately, she is not the first client to share these or similar experiences with me.

There are three things I consistently hear from clients about why they keep coming back: their concerns are listened to and taken seriously, they have the trainers complete attention throughout the session, and they feel challenged yet successful with the activities.  

1) Listening to Client Concerns - just before your client session begins, you review the file and plan the workout based on the client’s goals and the pervious training sessions, however your client is sleep deprived from a business trip and experiencing some low back discomfort.   

Previous Experience

According to several clients I have spoken with, the trainer would nod or worse ignore the client and proceed with the planned workout. The trainer did not consider if the planned activity was too demanding or met the client’s current needs for that session. 

Client Retention Experience

Using active listening skills, the trainer makes eye contact and nod empathically while listening to the client’s concerns. This would be followed with the trainer summarizing what the client said and an opportunity for the client to clarify and elaborate on certain points. After the client has completely finished, the trainer might say “based on what you are telling me, I would like to focus on some low impact aerobic training and flexibility exercises today. How does that sound to you?” Two situations occur with this type of response; 1) the client feels they have heard, understood and taken seriously, and 2) the client is part of the process and their input to the session is valued.  

2) Attention on the Client – You greet your client and walk them over to the treadmill and suggest a 5 to 10 minute warm-up, or use the last 15-20 minute of a session for aerobic training on the treadmill.  

Previous Experience

More than one client has mentioned being put on the treadmill while the trainer walks away to chat with colleagues. The clients experience is that the trainer is bored and doesn’t truly care about them.  

Client Retention Experience

Warm up activities are a great opportunity to find out how the client is feeling, what issues or concerns they may be dealing with and how their goals are progressing. End of the session endurance training is a great time to check in with the client about how they thought the session went, where they felt strongest and where they would like to improve. Many times short-term goals can be derived from this type of discussion, which can be used to increase the client’s motivation while working toward long- term goals.

3) Feeling Challenged and Successful – feeling exhilarated and empowered after successfully meeting a physical challenge motivates clients to do more. However, feeling incompetent and beaten down usually results in the client dreading each session and eventually quitting.  

Previous Experience

I recall one client recounting how she felt the trainer was disappointed with her because she was not capable of the executing the exercises correctly. The sessions became increasingly brutal and she left each session feeling defeated and sore for days.  

Client Retention Experience

Understanding each clients strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes will go along way in developing an appropriate exercise program with adequate challenge and proper progression. A fitness assessment is one method to gain this information. Not only can fitness assessments be used to develop an appropriate training program, but can also be used to establish goals and chart progress. Hyperstrike offers the FITScore tool for a general assessment of your clients’ current fitness level.  

To increase client retention, focus on the client experience during each session through these three key ideas; listening, focused attention, and success.  

Karen Moreno, MA Candidacy Kinesiology/Exercise Physiology

BA Social Science/Education

KettleBell Training

5 Reasons to Train with Kettlebells 
 

1. Requires higher skill level for complex movements
2. Increases movement velocity
3. Greater range of motion with resistance
4. Variety of movement and exercises
5. Improves coordination

 

I am always on the look out for exercise resources and one of the websites that consistently provides quality demonstration as well as new complex movements is Jason C Brown’s KettleBells for Combat (www.kettlebellsforcombat.com) 

Kettlebells are a fantastic tool to increase performance, particularly for athletes that require strength, power, coordination and velocity within specific ranges of motion. One exercise I am looking forward to adding to my training routine this week is the Angled Deadlift and Press. Here is the link to see this deadlift variation http://www.combat-sports-conditioning.com/public/255.cfm

 

Not only do I train with kettlebells, I use them with my clients to add a new twist on many traditional and weightlifting exercises. For examples deadlifts, front squats, shoulder presses, cleans and snatches can all be adapted to the kettlebells. I find many of my clients enjoy the kettlebell exercises and because kettlebells require higher skill and coordination, they are a great way to provide progression as well as variety. Check out the Hyperstrike exercise library for kettlebell exercises and more.   

Karen Moreno, MA Candidacy Kinesiology/Exercise Physiology

BA Social Science/Education 

Three Core Skills of Wellness Coaching

Wellness coaching is a rewarding and challenging skill to develop. In the role of fitness trainer, we give advice, make suggestions, and provide solutions concerning the mechanics of movement and physiological adaptations of exercise, as well as techniques for skill acquisition and improved exercise performance. However, the key to being a great wellness coach is to listen, inquire and reflect. According to Moore and Tschannen-Moran (2010), these three skills are the core of coaching.   

1) Mindful listening asks the wellness coach to be completely present in the moment and give undivided attention, without judgment, to what the client is saying. According to Moore and Tschannen-Moran the motto of a great coach is “listen until I don’t exist.” The skill of mindful listening requires that we set aside our own ideas for the plan of action and focus on the client’s agenda. This can be challenging for those of us use to designing exercise prescription. When a client comes to you with movement issues the first thing we do is to analyze the situation and provide a solution, however the goal of wellness coaching is to allow the client to find their own solution.  

How does the client know I am listening?

Applying the five key elements of active listening will let your client know that you are completing engaged in listening to what they have to say. The purpose of mindful listening is to allow the client to tell their stories, and in the process reveal their experiences, values, feelings, challenges and goals. Periodical summarize what the client has said provides an opportunity to clarify meaning, encourage deeper thinking, and promote open communication. Moore and Tschannen-Moran have provided the following five tips for mindful listening.  

Quick tips for mindful listening

• Do not interrupt or plan your respond until your client has completely finished speaking.
• Create silence and pause between your client’s thoughts and your response.
• Use the client’s last words to begin open-ended inquiry.
• Use the client’s story for perceptive reflections.
• Listen for emotions.
• Reflect back to client what you have perceived whenever possible.

 

2) Open-ended Inquiry prompts the client to elaborate and elicits more of their story. This is contrary to closed ended questions which elicit short, usually yes or no, responses that halt deeper communication.  

Examples:

Closed Ended Questions   

Do you like to exercise?   

When did you exercise last week? 

Have you heard about the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables?     

Open Ended Questions

What do you enjoy most about exercising?

How did things go with your exercise last week?

What have you heard about the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables?

According to Moore and Tschanned-Moran, “What” and “how” questions encourage more elaboration and are the key to great coaching, where as “why” questions can be more challenging. For example the question, “why didn’t you exercise last week?” asks for some type of analysis and may stimulate resistance or even be perceived as judgmental. However, if properly used, “why” questions can also help gain deeper insight. For example, “why do these goals deeply matter to you?”  

3) Perception reflection provides an opportunity for clients to hear what they are saying from the perspective of another person.  The purpose is for the wellness coach to elicit statements of change from the client. Rather than the coach providing the rational for making the change, the client is encouraged to present his or her own case for change. In Motivational Interviewing this is referred to as eliciting “change talk.” The researcher’s that developed Motivational Interviewing have found greater progress moving toward behavioral change adoption when the client provides the reasons for change rather than the coach. The job of the coach is to use perception reflection to identify “change talk” and make the prospect of change sound positive, rewarding, and inviting.  

Skill acquisition requires practice, practice and more practice. This coming weekend I’m going to a party and I plan to change all close ended-questions to open ending questions, employ active listen skills and use pauses before responding. I am looking forward to the opportunity to practice valuable skills and elicit deeper communication throughout the evening.   
 

Karen Moreno, MA Candidacy Kinesiology/Exercise Physiology

BA Social Science/Education

Co-Founder Fitness In Action  

Reference:

Moore, M., & Tschannen0Morean, B. 2010. Coaching psychology manual. In E. Lupash (ED.), Coaching

      relationship skills (pp. 22-24). Baltimore, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Muscle Fatique - Is it all in our Heads?

Contributed by Kareno Moreno

Muscle Fatigue

Is It All In Our Heads? 

I recently read an article in The New York Times Magazine discussing the findings from a study out of England that examined the effects of rinsing your mouth with a carbohydrate sports drink on muscle fatigue. The results suggested the observed improvements in exercise performance when carbohydrate was present in the mouth maybe related to the activation of brain regions associated with reward and motor control. Could improved exercise performance be a matter of stimulating specific regions of our brains? Intrigued by the article, I found the published study in The Journal of Physiology.  

Basic Outline of the Study  

Researchers Chambers, Bridge and Jones (2009) conducted a two-part study exploring the possibility of central nervous system response to carbohydrates on exercise performance without a peripheral metabolic response. Eight male cyclists regularly involved in endurance training completed one hour time trails where they were given artificially sweetened solutions containing either glucose, maltodextrin or a placebo to rinse around their months at regular intervals. Each athlete completed the trails separately with minimal contact with the investigator to reduce external effects on performance. All the athletes participated in an over night fast and each time trail was separated by 3 rest days to reduce the effects of prior nutrition and fatigue.  

The second part of the study was to determine what, if any, effects of oral rinsing of the carbohydrate solutions had on the brain. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to identify the regions of the brain activated by each of the three solutions. This portion of the study was independent of the time trails and the proportions of glucose and maltodextrin were three times greater than those used during the exercise performance. This is a limitation of the study and raises the question of whether the lower doses used during the time trails would activate the same regions of the brain as the higher doses. However, the amounts were chosen to replicate as well as provide comparison with previous glucose studies. The researchers also pointed out that the fMRI was conducted during rest and the possibility of exercise induced changes in the body, such as hyperthermia, could alter the brains response to the carbohydrate solution. It was noted that replicating the time trails inside the fMRI would be extremely difficult and the head movement would alter the readings. However, it would be interesting to see what images resulted during and immediately following the time trail. Both saccharin and aspartame were used as artificial sweeteners during the exercise, however only the effects of saccharin was observed with fMRI. The researchers suggested the only way this could invalidate their findings was if aspartame activated similar brain regions as the glucose and maltodextrin, which was considered unlikely. Over all this was a strong randomized, counterbalanced, double blind study, which was carefully designed and easily reproducible.  

The Results

The results from the time trails confirmed findings by Carter et al. (2004a), which found a 2.9% performance improvement using non-sweet maltodextrin solution compared with a plain water placebo. Chambers, Bridge and Jones (2009) reported a 2% reduction in completion time with an increase in mean power output with the artificially sweetened glucose solution compared to the placebo and a 3.1% increase with the artificially sweetened maltodextrin solution. The fMRI showed that both the glucose and maltodextrin activated a variety of regions in the brain, which may be associated with reward and the regulation of motor activity, that were not activated with the saccharin solution.  

Researchers Conclusions

The researchers concluded that rinsing the month with non-sweetened and sweetened carbohydrate improved simulated one-hour trail performance. The possible mechanism for this observed improvement is the various regions of the brain associated with reward and motor control activated by the carbohydrate. It was also suggested that the findings support the existence of receptors in the mouth that are sensitive to carbohydrate regardless of sweetness. This, of course, requires further investigations.  

Implications of the Study

Muscular fatigue has been explained through peripheral metabolic responses to intense exercise, such as the depletion of energy sources, and the accumulation of lactate and hydrogen ions. This study suggests the brain plays a greater role in motor activity and fatigue and may change the way we approach exercise performance.  

To read the published research, check out the link below.  

Chambers, E.S., Bridge, M.W., and Jones, D.A. (2009) Carbohydrate sensing in the human month:

      effects on exercise performance and brain activity. The Journal of Physiology, 587, 8,

      

1779-1794. Retrieved August 3, 2009 http://jp.physoc.org/content/587/8/1779.full.pdf+html

HyperStrikePro Club Admin Online Trainer Demo

We just recorded a live demo of our Club Admin Features for our Online Personal training and Nutrition. Check it out here: Download 2009-07-24 12.45 Club Admin Demo

The Personal Health Investment Act by Karen Moreno

Financial Incentive To Be More Physically Active

H.R. 2105, The Personal Health Investment Today Act of 2009

 

 

 

Washington is taking a positive step toward reinforcing the importance of physical activity on the health and well-being of Americans. On April 27, 2009 H.R. 2105 was referred to the House committee. If passed, the bill would amend the Internal Revenue Tax Code of 1986 and allow pre-tax medical accounts, such as medical spending accounts (MSAs) or flexible spending accounts (FSAs), to be used for qualified fitness memberships, physical exercise programs, and exercise equipment. 

The Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT) act would allow taxpayers to place an annual sum of up to $1000 for individuals and $2000 for families in existing pre-tax medical accounts. The intention is that lower activity costs will promote more active lifestyle and improve the health of Americans.

 

Although I am a big proponent of disease prevention and physical activity, I wonder if this financial incentive is enough to motivate people to adopt a more active lifestyle.  How many pieces of home exercise equipment are used as clothing hangers or stored in the garage or the guest room/den/crafts room? How many people have gym memberships but only use them in January or May? How many people have access to corporate wellness facilitates, however never seem to find the time to participate? And here is the big question, what about the people who don’t have or cannot afford health insurance or medical savings plans. How do they gain access to affordable resources for improved health through physical activity? As health and fitness professionals we understand the complexity of the issues surrounding making physical activity a priority, and I wonder if this bill is really addressing the issues surrounding the American people’s motivation to be physical active. My purpose here is not to solve the problem, but to ask questions and start the discussion.

 

To read more about this bill check out http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-2105

http://www.ncys.org/pdf/2009/phit2009.pdf

Karen Moreno, MA Candidacy Kinesiology/Exercise Physiology

BA Social Science/Education

Co-Founder Fitness In Action

Goal Mapping - check out demo

Just recorded a brief demo of our goal mapping software we just launched called Goalster. You share your goals with friends and they all help you reach your potential together.  You can post results to Twitter and Facebook too.
Check it out here:
Download 2009-07-22 12.14 Meet Now