Me Trainer. You Client. Part 1 of 3 in a series of posts on finding a quality trainer in todays fitness craze

Me Trainer. You Client.
In today's growing fitness market, people will do almost anything to get into shape. The pressures have moved from purely looking good to feeling good to. Historically magazines and media protray perfect looking people as happy and successful and often create a distorted image of what happens in real life. If we see it on TV or read about it in a magazine, it must be true and correct, right? And people would do anything, including subject themselves to hours in a gym, painful surgery and even poor treatment by a drill instructor to look like the happy people on TV.
While the main reason for working out today is still looking good, we are finding more and more people beginning a fitness routine because of increasingly poor health stats from their doctors. With more people than ever in the overweight and obese catergory, more people than ever are joining the quest to get those people fit and healthy.

Unfortunately, the fitness industry is not set up for this. Doctors, nurses and dietitions go to school for many years, obtaining a 4 year degree then medical school, nursuing school and grueling internships. They have a tried and true training system in place that weeds out those that are not serious and does a fairly good job at creating knowlegable professional capable of living up to their high salaries. People put their lives in their hands, so this should be how it is done.

But what I am seeing every day more and more is that people are putting their lives in the hands of fitness trainers every day as preventative and prescriptive measures to lose weight, get healthy and stay healthy. So why don't ALL trainers have to go through the same type of certification and training that doctors and other health care providers do?

We see trainers with certifications that they got on the internet and many trainers with no certifications. The number of clients that I see that realy stories about how their trainers caused them to have perminant injuries is unacceptable. As a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Group Instructor and trainer for other fitness professionals in the outdoor fitness arena, I see many trainers with a passion for helping others that know and understand the need to continually educate themselves. But I also see many trainers with little experience, poor customer service skills and little to no knowlege of the body, giving advice to people on nutrition and fitness.

So how do you make sure you have a certified trainer?
Ask. Before giving anyone your money, ask to see a copy of the certification. Ask them where they are certified through and if they are personal trainers, how many hours of actual experience they have training clients with you. Ask for referrals and contact them. If you are joing a group program such as a boot camp, make sure you instructors have a group fitness instructor certification. If the clients begin to hold the trainers to a higher standard, the trainers will be forced to continue to educate themselves.

How do you know which certification is better?
The National Commission for Certifying Agencies or NCCA accredits programs that meet certian standards. Choose a trainer with a certification from a certifying body on this list. The following are the most popular certifications that you will see: NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine), NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association), ACE (American Council on Exercise), ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine). If your trainer doesn't have one of these, make sure to take extra precaution when interviewing them. Don't just believe that because they call themselves a trainer, that they can help you! More on this in Part 2.

Remember that you often get what you pay for. If you are using a trainer that gives you a "free" session at a big box gym, they are not getting paid very much and therefore may not be of the same quality as a trainer that has ventured out on their own.

Finally, look at how your trainer is running their business. If they are using illegal road signs, negative adversiting or are operating without permits, business licenses or insurance they may not be the type of person you want to rely on for your long term health needs.

The "boot camp" girls next door

The American Boot Camp Company is made up of an amazing group of men and women. Those that are leaders and followers. Instructors and clients. Everyday, I am amazed that the ability of so many people to stay positive, achieve their goals and make amazing self discovery. So when I tell them that "I believe in them", it is more than just words, it is the truth.

Every now and then a couple of people really make a mark and do more than just remind me why I get out of bed every day - their actions and choices help me to get out of bed. So this post is for them - the boot camp girls next door!

Thanks girls!
For being such great role models For showing that you can do it ALL and still get in a run.
Thanks for being a super smilely, whistlin', single gal on the prowl with a super cool day job and still finding time for your friends and making time to help folks get in shape before dawn each day.
Thanks for being a beautiful bride to be that choses her words wisely and never stops smiling all the while managing a career, one of the most eligible bachelors in Atlanta, being the new girl in town and a new love for the crazy sport of running. Thanks for running because you can!

Ladies, you reminded me why I do what I do, but more importantly you were there for me when I needed the same support and belief that I give my clients every day.

So Thanks!

Is your boot camp legit?

Earlier this year I heard about a news cast where the Atlanta City Council was going to vote on reducing the programs offered in Piedmont Park because the fields were becoming degraded from overuse. Immediately I felt the need to write to the council people and explain to them NOT to cut the programs, but to begin to regulate the use of the fields in off hours. That means, regulating Boot Camp.The regulation of Boot Camp, or outdoor fitness, is a cause near and dear to my heart. As a pioneer in the outdoor fitness boot camp arena, my company was one of the first to obtain permission to use the public parks through obtaining permits and paying fees to the counties. Yes, that’s right; we have to pay fees to use the parks as a “for-profit” company. No, this doesn’t upset me. It actually seems very logical.As a business owner, I need to obtain a business license, file for a tax ID and pay rent for the space where I run my business. Just because my business is run in a remote location, doesn’t mean that “rent” isn’t necessary. When I use the park four days a week to run my boot camp, I should be helping to pay for the general maintenance of the facility I use. Although my customers are local residents and their tax dollars go toward park upkeep, so should some of the profits that I make while running my business on that land.Additionally, as a business owner, I have to think about how to keep the space where I run my business it tip top shape. So I try to use a different field every day, not running down the same space with 100’s of jumping jacks in the same 10’x10’ space. By doing this, I save on wear and tear on the field and I provide a safe place for my clients to workout. Overused fields are the number two cause of injury (dehydration is number one) in an outdoor workout because participants can easily turn an ankle in a field with holes. When we come across such a field we immediately report it to the parks department and then we don’t use the field. Because we pay fees and have relationships with our parks departments, we can do this.When companies squat on park land and don’t obtain permits or pay fees where necessary (not all counties are the same), they can’t call the county and complain or report the holes, thus creating an unsafe environment for their participants. The lack of permitting in public parks also poses another threat – serious injury with no insurance. Because many of the companies running boot camps in public parks are just personal trainers, they don’t have liability insurance. Some don’t even have business licenses. Furthermore, some personal trainers don’t even have a simple certification on the basic principles of training and human physiology. Without regulation, you won’t know who you are dealing with until you are injured. God forbid should some become seriously injured – who would be held accountable? The trainer with no insurance? He doesn’t have any money. So you sue the county. Now all of your fellow participants have to pay through higher taxes and programs like mine that follow the rules also suffer because then the parks become more stringent. So how do you tell if your boot camp is really legitimate?Ask to see their business license. If they have a physical location, all you have to do is look for the county permit on the wall.Make sure your trainer(s) are certified in group fitness and have experience. The best trainers will have multiple certifications. Our trainers go through a nationally approved certification for Outdoor Fitness. Look for NASM, ACE, AFAA, NSCA, and ACSM. If you don’t see one of these initials next to your trainer’s name, make sure they have coaching experience or a long list of references.Make sure the company you choose for your boot camp follows the rules. Do they have permits? If they don’t, you could be fined for being at the park/facility when you are not supposed to be. If the boot camp program has a food plan, which most outdoor programs should provide some guidance due to the rigorous nature of the workouts; do they follow the USDA guidelines? Unless your trainers are also dietitians (not nutritionists), you should be getting a lot of education, but not specific meal plans to follow. Check out myfoodpyramid.com to see the limits of the USDA plan.

The Biggest Loser - The Problem with Reality TV

So as are many of you, I am so very interested in The Biggest Loser TV show. I love to watch the 2 minute out takes at the end of each season, all in a row and see how determined the people are and how even more determined they are when they get kicked off or make the cut to lose weight. The stories of each person are inspiring to even the most insane fitness enthusiast.

But what worries me is the thought that many people actually think it is safe and possible to lose the amounts of weight those people are losing in such a short period of time. The show alludes to double digit weight loss in a week and if the participants don't lose that weight, they are shunned and kicked off the show. What are we teaching our country?

All fitness and nutrition guidelines say that between 1-2 pounds a week is healthy weight loss, yet these people workout 4 hours a day and under insane conditions. We think it is cool that they have personal trainers that swear and scream at them while they scream right back.

Reality is actually not like the Biggest Loser. Reality is a struggle to lose the 2 pounds that are safe each week while balancing work, family and life. Reality lies in develop a supportive group of trainers that encourage you to be healthy and to not overtrain and to eat the right foods in the right amounts. In my opinion, reality is boot camp.

And how much fun can that be! With The American Boot Camp Company you get a 5 to 1 client to instructor ratio, much like The Biggest Loser TV show, but none of the drama from the trainers or other participants. You get only encourage trainers that believe in you. You get a healthy eating plan that teaches you about portion control, proper food choices and keeping your energy levels even. And most importantly you get one workout a day in only 45 minutes that kicks your butt beyond the need to workout again. Who needs Reality TV when you have The American Boot Camp Company?

Throwing the first stone - the price of being a leader

Something many people don't know or understand about me is that growing up in a lower middle class neighborhood in Western Pennsylvania, being younger than most of the kids on the street, and being the minority in a black/white world gives you a certain outlook on the world and forces you to see people in a different light. Couple that with having a mother that never judged anyone and paternal family that believed the world was theirs for the taking and you get me, Mari Garner, the girl that nobody gets. I know my flaws and my gifts and I try my best to focus on the positive. I know that I possess a passion and a drive that is unique and that many times runs hot enough to burn - and does. It is my battle in life to fight the negative side of passion and to channel it into something good. That battle I fight every day and sometimes I win and sometimes I lose. And as many people feel the victory, some also feel the brunt of defeat. And in analyzing each defeat, I realized that because people get so caught up in seeing only whats on the surface, they miss out on ever meeting the real person behind the drive.

So here goes. The neighborhood that I grew up in shaped the type of people I relate to and especially the very type of people I trust and consider friends. I learned that loyalty and being there when times are tough far outweigh being invited to the Saturday night bash. And that everybody that has an "attitude" or a "chip on their shoulder" has one for a reason and to try to look past that to see the real person. I have met some many wonderful bullies, pushers and wall flies because I looked past the exterior and because so did they. So as I have ventured out into the world, I have always tried to look past peoples apparent flaws, to try to understand why they act the way they do and to try never to judge them for it. But is just amazing to me that so many people cannot do the same for me.

Yes, I am a tough cookie. My mom died when I was 23 and I don't have a female role model to show me how to curtsie and laugh sheepishly at the boys or even how to shop or cook. Even when my mom was alive she pushed me to be independent and self sufficient so I never had to rely on anyone. And furthermore, both my parents taught me that to be a leader I had to march to the beat of my own drum.

So being 32, the owner of a very successful business, a wife and a leader of many puts me into a unique place. That place is not one that I really love to be in but I am in nonetheless. As people watch my every move, from the look on my face when they make a silly comment to the amount of sweat I wring out of my shirt after a workout, they are constantly measuring me against some imaginary standard. Every word out of my mouth, in every conversation I have is analyzed and judged. Even in social situations, a comment made in jest or a phase said in exhaustion is held against me. And so I have been labeled aggressive, abrupt, harsh, hardcore, and direct on a good day. And because I am a female, all of those descriptions are negative.

But what I find offensive is not that someone calls it like they see it, no, that I admire. Its that they don't have the gumption to actually say what they need to say, or the intelligence to look past that rough exterior and see the real person behind that unyielding personality. If they did, they might see that with all the fervor that I use to keep up that exterior, that I am a dedicated friend with a might to help my friends that goes above and beyond. They would see that the same passion that I run my business with is carried over to the way I view each persons ability for good in their own lives. They just might see that I truly believe in the human spirit so much so that every time they judge me, I just turn the other cheek and try to understand what it is that makes them feel that they have to analyze me. And that although I will ALWAYS call it the way I see it, that I know my opinion shouldn't define another person and is only an opinion and that I even celebrate when others present differing opinions. Most importantly they would know that being "right" isn't a goal for me, but rather I constantly challenge people to figure out what is "right" for them.

The point of this posting is that everyone should take a hard look in the mirror each and every time they point out a negative trait in another person. They should understand what about themselves causes them to see that negative trait. Then they should consider that they also have flaws and maybe they should try to find the good in each person. That search for positive is a conscious choice that we can make that can really make a difference for the better in each of our lives.

Who believes in instant gratification?

Every year I close my outdoor operations down in January and people normally assume that is because it is too cold even in Atlanta to run outside fitness. But that is not really it. It has more to do with the type of client I want to attract. My ideal client knows that they need extra motivation and knows that they need support, but doesn't make "resolutions".

So in a world of "get fit quick", my company promises "results in 30 days". But doesn't that mean I want those clients seeking instant gratification? No! Because the kinds of results that I am promising are those that lead to long term changes to a person and help them to find a perminant path to fitness and health success. More energy. Glowing skin. A general sense of health.

But will they also SEE results. You know - weight loss?

If they follow my plan, yes. They will see that and more. They will see a perminant increase in their energy which will allow them to do more, experience more and both look AND feel better.

By eating healthy and exercising regularly, they can fight of multitudes of health issues and they can set an example in their community. But they can't always do it alone - which is why independant operators, like myself, look for clients that are not seeking instant gratification, but rather those that want to make a long term change.