As a personal trainer, I am always trying to find effective exercises that are fun. I have used my weighted hula hoop off and on for years, but this is the year I have finally found my groove.
At lunch, I go down into the basement, dim the lights and put on some deep meditation music. I hula hoop for 20 minutes, then do a seated meditation or yoga poses for the other 10. I don't have to change clothes, I get a good core workout, and I feel rested when I come back upstairs to finish my day.
I am slowly learning how to balance work, family, and exercise. As you can see from my previous blog, what happens when a personal trainer gets a real job. I could get down on myself, but I am turning it into a challenge and a learning experience. I hope you join me on my journey back to a hard body. I have 25 pounds to lose and a whole lot of muscle to gain.
My plan as of now: Yoga 2 nights per week, Cardio and strength training 3 nights per week. I will add an additional day of cardio in there when I get the chance.
Visit my website at http://www.keepfitnessfun.com/.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
What happens when a Personal Trainer gets a real job.
I have been a certified personal trainer for eleven years. Growing up, I was naturally lean, muscular, and flexible. Needless to say, I looked good without having to try real hard. Let me tell you, that does not make for a good personal trainer. Through my early twenties, I could strength train, forget about the boring cardio, and have that nice muscular appearance. ( I did have that short time frame where I was addicted to donuts and gained some fat, but I overcame that with strength training.) I could not quite understand why all my female clients weren't like that.
After having three children, I was ten pounds heavier and had lost quite a bit of muscle mass. I figured I would work out more once they were all in school. I still worked at the gym and fit my workouts in when I could. However, I was frequently tired and did not put as much into my workouts, therefore, I did not get as much out of them, either. I still remember a single, male trainer telling his workout buddy, "I could never stand to be more out of shape than my client!"
That pretty much said it all. I was a hypocrite. I was trying to get people into shape, when I was having a hard time getting my own hard body back. Plus, I was spending so much time at the gym with clients, that my children spent all their spare time in the nursery. I really only got to see them on weekends. I would drop them off at school, go to the gym. Pick them up from school, head back to the gym until it was their bedtime. So, I got a day job so I could make money and still spend quality time with my kids and husband.
WOW! I have put on 18 pounds since then and can't seem to find the energy to exercise enough to lose the weight. I eat pretty healthy and always bring my food from home. I stay away from the vending machine, for the most part, although that was not the case for a short period of time.
I have been hula hooping daily for 20 minutes over lunch with a 5 pound hoop. It feels great! I was doing pretty well with strength training, but that has gone down hill this last week. I feel too tired to get up early before work to exercise. At night, I fix dinner, help the kids with their homework, watch a little television, then read to the kids and we all go to bed. By nine at night, I have no desire to exercise. The personal trainer in me wants to run back to a job at the gym so I can be fit again. But, I need to learn how to lose weight while working full time and caring for three kids (and a husband) so I can help others in my situation.
I need to kick in the cardio with a little strength training, until I lose the fat. I will keep you posted on my journey, and see if I can lose this weight. In the meantime, please feel free to visit my website http://www.keepfitnessfun.com/.
After having three children, I was ten pounds heavier and had lost quite a bit of muscle mass. I figured I would work out more once they were all in school. I still worked at the gym and fit my workouts in when I could. However, I was frequently tired and did not put as much into my workouts, therefore, I did not get as much out of them, either. I still remember a single, male trainer telling his workout buddy, "I could never stand to be more out of shape than my client!"
That pretty much said it all. I was a hypocrite. I was trying to get people into shape, when I was having a hard time getting my own hard body back. Plus, I was spending so much time at the gym with clients, that my children spent all their spare time in the nursery. I really only got to see them on weekends. I would drop them off at school, go to the gym. Pick them up from school, head back to the gym until it was their bedtime. So, I got a day job so I could make money and still spend quality time with my kids and husband.
WOW! I have put on 18 pounds since then and can't seem to find the energy to exercise enough to lose the weight. I eat pretty healthy and always bring my food from home. I stay away from the vending machine, for the most part, although that was not the case for a short period of time.
I have been hula hooping daily for 20 minutes over lunch with a 5 pound hoop. It feels great! I was doing pretty well with strength training, but that has gone down hill this last week. I feel too tired to get up early before work to exercise. At night, I fix dinner, help the kids with their homework, watch a little television, then read to the kids and we all go to bed. By nine at night, I have no desire to exercise. The personal trainer in me wants to run back to a job at the gym so I can be fit again. But, I need to learn how to lose weight while working full time and caring for three kids (and a husband) so I can help others in my situation.
I need to kick in the cardio with a little strength training, until I lose the fat. I will keep you posted on my journey, and see if I can lose this weight. In the meantime, please feel free to visit my website http://www.keepfitnessfun.com/.
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