Free Personal Training Session

I find it entertaining when free sessions cancel. I give away free sessions all the time, just to help them out and set them down a more focused path. I honestly don't care if they sign up with me or not, I just want to know that they are exercising and doing it safe. Either with a friend or another personal trainer. So when a complimentary session cancels, they tell me..."It sounded good but I'm actually a very lazy person". Maybe a bit of an exaggeration but it's pretty close.

Do you have a plant? Do you find time to water it? Do you DVR your shows and make time to watch them? You make time for these things everyday, but some of us make excuses to do the most important thing to improve your life. EXERCISE!

Excuses are pretty much my #1 pet peeve. I'd really rather hear the truth. Call me and say "Hey, I'm feeling lazy today" or "Hi, I was up late watching Jay Leno and I'm to tired. At least then I would know it is not a priority for you. It's nothing personal, I still like you, but I love what I do and when you make excuses it stops me from doing what I love.

Attached are some coupons, I hope you will take advantage of them. Call me for your free training session, either at my home 440-479-5148 or Slim&Fit. I look forward to hearing from you

http://www.fitforcefitness.com/

A Client's View

Yes, I enjoy working with women who are fearful or intimidated about starting an exercise program. Working with these clients can be challenging but it is incredibly rewarding. I love seeing the look on a clients face when she exceeds her own expectations. Women who are overweight or lack confidence in their physical abilities have so much to gain from becoming active. Below is what one of my clients posted on her blog after training with me. I just had to share it with you!

There was no WOW class today, so I had the opportunity to work out with Charlene at Slim & Fit in Mayfield Heights.  And I hit her.  Don't blame me!  She made me do it – she gave me the gloves and she told me how to do it.  As one who left a self defense class in tears, I believe I have special authority to say how much fun this workout was.

        I was nervous before the workout.  I even ate and tracked a bowl of -- as Calvin & Hobbes would say -- chocolate frosted sugar bombs.  {Note: this morning I realized I'm a stress eater.}  I was afraid that she'd expect more from me than I was capable of.  We people pleasers don't like to let others down.  I was afraid that I'm not as strong as I seem to be in WOW.  Maybe all that lifting & sweating I do would earn no better than a C+?

        Thankfully Charlene, who was a successful contestant in last year's Lighten Up, turned out to be friendly, funny, and supportive.  We did some treadmill, then some upper body, some treadmill, then back, some treadmill (to keep my heart rate up) and some free weights, some treadmill, then Charlene asked me if I'd every boxed.  Erm, no.  Are you kidding?  I catch spiders and put them outside.  I brake for squirrels.  Punch?  Only with the Wii or a DVD – never with another person on the receiving end.

        So what do I do when I'm working out and faced with an unfamiliar, apparently uncomfortable task?  I step up and try it, of course.  To say "I can't" would be way more humiliating than to try it and look like the spaz that I am.  So I put on some giant red gloves, and Charlene put on some hand pads with targets in the palms.  She told me where to punch, and I punched.  Since it was absolutely clear she was in no danger of a bruise or a sprain or even noticing that I was hitting her, I was okay with it and found that this was FUN!  It was new, it held my attention, and it got me sweating!  When I hopped back onto the treadmill after that bout, I think I may have felt a bead of sweat forming on my forehead!  No dripping yet, but it's a start.

        My advice to you who haven't worked out with a trainer before: give it a whirl.  Trainers are fantastic.  No matter how weak I actually am, they make me believe in myself.  They tell me I'm strong. Today Charlene shocked me with a new one: she told me I'm flexible!  I'm sure it's only because my leg was in a rubber band going one way while the rest of me was pulling in a different direction, but it was still nice to hear.  It's another piece of positive talk I can keep in mind when I'm working out.  Sure I know that I'm lumpy and awkward, but I've also been told that I'm strong and flexible.  How cool is that?

NEED for SPEED

Speed, for the most part makes you happy. Who wants to be doing something longer than we have to? If we can do something in half the normal amount of time, we are going to do it. We don't want to wait. We want it now.

But this isn't about making things faster. This is about patience.


You see it everywhere. Do our workout and lose 50 pounds in 30 days. Shake this dumbbell for 6 minutes each day and tone your arms. Glide on this seated coaster thingy for 15 minutes and watch your love handles disappear. Take these pills and burn the fat off of you. Sit down in front of the T.V. on any random day and on any channel you can see at least one commercial that promotes these products. Lots and lots of claims. I'm curious how many of you reading this blog has purchased the shake weight.

Everyone wants results and wants them quick. People expect, when they take or use these products, to see results fast.  You spend the money and your closet is filling up with failed products. Don't fall into this trap!

Understand when you put in the work, it takes time. It takes time for your body to burn fat and build muscle. Don't get frustrated because the scale is not moving. This is the number one reason people stop exercising. Big gyms are praying that you get frustrated and don't show up anymore. You have paid for the year because of a promotion, they have your money, and in the end that's what they want.

Ask yourself: Do your clothes fit better? Do you feel better? Can you do things you couldn't before? If you answered yes to any of these, then the work you are doing is working. Continue to work hard and get the results you want. Just know that it is going to take time.

When I run into people that constantly ask "So...what was your secret to losing weight". There is no secret, I bust my ass in the gym, period!

Work hard and everything else will fall into place.

http://www.fitforcefitness.com/

Why Would You hire a Personal Trainer?

There are many reasons why someone would hire a CERTIFIED personal trainer:

SAFETY - Form is crucial when working out and it doesn't matter if you're a beginner or more advanced. You can easily injure yourself by exercises incorrectly. If you have a trainer coaching you through every rep, injury can usually be avoided. It is important to learn proper form on every single exercise

ACCOUNTABILITY -  Ever think " Ohhh, I'm going to work out after work", then 8 hours later say "um, no I'm going home"? We all have! Having a scheduled appointment with a trainer, that you have paid  for, you will be less likely to back out. Aside from losing the cash, you will feel the pressure of not letting your trainer down.

CHALLENGING - Trying to challenge yourself is difficult. If you are always doing the same work out it can get boring. A trainer will mix up your usual routine and stunt your muscles in a whole new direction. I had a client who told me she thought she always worked out hard until she hired a trainer and realized she was just coating through her normal routine.

RESULTS - Depending on your training intensity (weights, cardio, nutrition & goals), it usually takes anywhere from 4-8 weeks to see results. It really depends on how hard your work. Some clients tell me their jeans fit differently after 2 weeks. I think that is rare and they were busting their butts, doing plenty of home work at the local track.

Shape Up for SUMMER

New Strength Training Session will start next week 03/01/11 - 03/24/11. Class is on Tuesday's and Thursday's, 6:00PM at Hope Ridge Church located at 9970 Johnnycake Ridge Road in Mentor. Cost is $40 for 8 classes. Please bring a set of dumbbells, exercise mat and a water bottle. Reminder to the current News-Herald Lighten Up Contestants you can attend for FREE. Please send me an email to register for the class. Hope to see you there! charsin@roadrunner.com

Weight Training for Women

Weight Training for women is not that much different than weight training for men. What determines the type of resistance program has to do more with a person's goal rather than their sex. What I am finding out, is that women have different weight training goals than men.

Women typically never want to get bigger. Whenever a new female personal training client comes to me, one of the first things they say is " I don't want lifting weights to make me bigger". They ALL want a strong, firm, slim body but are concerned about their legs getting bigger. I have seen women who will not train legs at all for fear of making them bigger.

Both men and women do agree strength training is good for them. The truth is that all forms of resistance training will make the muscle cell bigger to some degree. You can train and eat in a manner that will increase your strength and shape the muscle. Most bodybuilders train for size by doing set after set, of one exercise, with heavy weights and make the workouts last for a long period of time. Avoid this type of training if you don't want to make your muscles bigger.

Females can train for strength by doing full body workouts. What you want to do is make the muscles stronger and just a LITTLE bigger so you can get the benefits of weight training without a significant increase in size.

Email me at charsin@roadrunner.com if you have any questions about your program or need help getting started. Summer is just around the corner!

Lose Weight with a Lucky Charm

I am a big fan of visual reminders of my goals. If you hop on a scale, or try on your skinny jeans once a week as a check on your progress, what keeps us making the right choices the rest of the time?

A lucky charm can be a reminder...a simple trick to keep our long term goals front and center. This can go a long way when you are tempted by that cupcake or the extra serving of mashed potatoes.

Last year I was a contestant in "The News-Herald Lighten Up Contest". I wore a bracelet for the entire 6 months and never took it off. The bracelet said "Live the Life you Love" on one side, and the other side said "Love the Life you Live". Similar to the bracelet in the picture below. This was my visual lucky charm and it served as a constant reminder of my weight loss goals.

I now wear the bracelet from Dr. OZ that says "Just 10" This is my Lucky charm reminding me that I still want to lose 10 more pounds. Well....really 20 more pounds but I set small goals to get to the main goal.

Do you wear a lucky charm as a reminder?