Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Trainer Tuesday: What is expected of you by Mike Sands


So this is your first time working out with a personal trainer.  What is expected of you, what should you hope for, are you a little scared/nervous?  As a personal trainer I expect you to be healthy, honest not just to me but also to yourself.  When you lie to yourself you don’t hurt the trainer, but you will hurt all of your progress you have done to date.  There are some tools that you can use to help with your weight loss and your goals. 

The best tool that you should have with you all the time is a food diary.   It has shown that you will lose more weight with a food log/diary, then if you did not have a food log with you.  All a food diary will do is keep you accountable with everything you put into your mouth.   When you have a certain amount of calories you are able to eat, you need to know what you are eating. 

After a few weeks of keeping you food log you will start to realize that you are no longer eating all the junk food and you are eating healthy.  That does not mean that you have to give up everything that you like.  It just means that you should balance out the bad with the good.  

Another tool that I give all of my clients is an exercise log.  Even though you are with the trainer every day or at least once a week, you should still be keeping a log of all of your exercises.  You should be keeping this log to write down all of your accomplishment while working out.  When you are with your personal trainer, it is there job to make you push the limit and get you to grow.  

The last tool that I give all of my clients really isn’t a tool at all, what it is, is a free day.  This free day is the only day when you don’t have to follow a diet and you can eat anything you want within reason.   When you are on a diet all the time you can get bored with eating healthy all the time.  That is when you can eat the pizza or go to the fast food restaurant that you like.  Know that does not mean that you can have your free day every day for one week then eat healthy the rest of the month.  No you get one free day a week; you should keep that free day on the same day every week.   

With these four tools and the help of your personal trainer you will start to see the body that you want.   

3 comments:

  1. Hi Mike, I agree that a food diary really works. I did well with a digital one a couple of years ago. Then I hit a stubborn plateau along with some family stuff and I stopped using it. I’ve tried a few “meal/diet plans” since, but realize the food diary is what works for me. I got a new app and now I’m back to tracking food and exercise.

    What I haven’t done in the past is allow myself a Free Day. I think that will help with the “I just want a slice of pizza (or whatever), but I can’t have it” deprivation I feel sometimes.

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  2. Hi Mike, great information. I agree that a food diary really works - I just need to use mine consistently.

    I've found in the past when I have utilised Free Days (especially if its the same day each week) that I'm less likely to crave pizza or chocolate or any other "bad" food because I know I can have that food on that day, and often by the time I reach the Free Day, I don't feel like that food anymore.

    One question - exactly what details should be noted in the exercise log when I'm exercising on my own.

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  3. Hi Mike -

    I have two questions for you. The first is because I'm a Type I juvenile diabetic there is no such thing as a "free day". Any suggestions on something that I could have one day a week that I could think of as a "splurge"?

    My daibetes was diagnosed about 50 years ago and was never overwiehgt until I had two different surguries within 3 years. Since I have neuropothy as strenuous exercising is difficult. I have had two stents put in my leg so I can now walk for distances but only at a "regular" pace. Do you have any suggestions on any exercises that I could try?

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