Comments (20)

By kilax, January 11, 2014 8:07 pm

I hope people are complaining about me behind my back. 

Ha ha ha. Wait. I am sure lots of people are, um, but probably not for the specific thing I am thinking about. 

I hope the students that take the strength class are complaining about me behind my back. Mostly, complaining about my workouts – that the workout’s tough, that is makes them feel challenged… that it leaves them sore in a good way. 

Students often mention in my class if they are sore/tired from other classes (or their own workouts), and it just made me wonder if my classes ever get mentioned in that way. I hope so! If not, I need to work harder! 

When you take a fitness class, do you expect to feel challenged/sore (in a good way)/tired from it? I don’t mean sore/injured. Just challenged, like you worked hard and your body feels it. Maybe your abs hurt a bit when you laugh, from so many plank-ups. Or you feel your shoulder muscles burning from lateral extensions. Or you’re toilet sore from so many squats. Ha ha. 

And yes… it makes no sense that I am asking for complaints after writing this on Thursday! Maybe I should say, I hope people are commiserating about my classes. There we go. That sounds better.*

*Although, this definition of the word makes me think I have been using it somewhat wrong. 

Comments (9)

By kilax, December 4, 2013 6:51 am

One of the cool things about personal training is the measurable progress/improvement/growth that you see in your clients. It’s so fun to watch, and to guide them through it!

And there are so many ways to measure it – form, weight lifted, balance, exercise progressions, and so on. It’s really countless. And there is always something to improve on! It’s exciting!!!

In life, it’s important to me to build up my loved ones. To be encouraging and supportive. 

But it’s also very important, to me, to be sincere. I am not going to bs anyone/say something just to boost their ego. 

I carry this over in to personal training – I try to be peppy, encouraging, approachable, friendly supportive, knowledgeable… all that. But like in my personal life, I am not going to bs you.  I am going to be honest. As a personal trainer, it’s important that I tell you what you are doing right, and have the opportunity to progress/improve/grow. 

So, why all this blah blahing? I was just thinking about this. And how I would never compliment someone, “just to say it.” If I compliment you on your progress, I mean it! The progress is measurable. I can prove that you are improving!

Have you ever felt like someone was complimenting you “just to say it” – that they weren’t sincere? What made you feel that way?

Comments (12)

By kilax, November 29, 2013 6:32 am

One of the (many) things I love about the studio where I teach is the close-knit, family atmosphere. We keep our group classes smallish – about 8 people max. You have the opportunity to sign up for weekly classes in month blocks  (which most do) or drop in from time to time. You get to know the people with whom you’re working out. Better yet, I get to know the students. I become familiar with their strengths and weaknesses, their favorite “mode” of workout, what kind of music they prefer… even though it’s a group class, I get to make it somewhat personal.

I’ve been thinking lately about how lucky I am to work at Essential Fitness (Efit). To have a job I really look forward to and enjoy, to spend time with what I consider my “workout family,” to build people up and to build relationships. To have flexibility to design/customize workouts to what my students and I prefer/enjoy. 

I know. So cheesy. 

Along with that cheesy thinking, I have wondered what it would be like if I taught at a gym that was set up different. Or, maybe just more traditional – certain types of classes offered at set times and people drop in as they please. There would be “regular” students, but I wonder how deep you would get to build that relationship, if you didn’t really know who was going to show up each night. Just something I have wondered! Both types of set ups have their perks!

If you take a strength or fitness class, what is the atmosphere like? Do you feel like it’s your “workout family” and you’re building relationships?

Even though I have 2-4 races left this year, I am getting REALLY excited about doing my 2013 Racing Statistics Infographic! If you are done racing for the year or want to get an early start on yours, check out my post from last year for a template to get you started!

Comments (14)

By kilax, November 23, 2013 10:43 pm

Do you know what RPE is?

It’s rating of perceived exertion – how intensely you feel you are exercising on a numerical scale*, from extremely easy to extremely hard. It gauges your comfort level and how exerted you feel.

It’s individualized – your “hard” may be another person’s “easy,” or, their “extremely hard.”

RPE is a super useful tool, but I don’t want this post to be a personal trainer learning session, so I won’t get in to it. RPE has just been on my mind recently. We’re nearing the end of 2013. We’re getting close to the time when some people start making New Year’s resolutions related to their health. Right now, most people are probably focused on trying not to pack on the holiday pounds and whatnot, but I do know a few people already making some health-related lifestyle changes. And I expect to start hearing plans/goals from others soon!

Anyway, in speaking with these people, I am reminded of what an effort it takes just to start to make some changes. It’s not easy. Habits take awhile to form. We all know this. Blah blah blah.

But beyond that, it can be nerve wracking and intimidating to start working out. To go to a gym and feel like you are being judged. Or to try to eat healthier and have no idea where to start. To feel like a dork asking for healthier options at a restaurant.

I have always thought it is important to encourage any effort at a healthier lifestyle, but now that I am a certified personal trainer, I feel it’s even more important for me to do so, since I am a member of that industry.

So how the heck is this related to RPE? I just hope that we all remember, when we see others working out, that they are working out to their own intensity scale. Maybe they are working out at a “somewhat hard” level today. Maybe your “easy” is their “hard.” Whatever they are doing, they are there, and they are trying.

It’s soooo easy to compare numbers in fitness. Miles ran, pounds lifted, pushups done, whatever. It’s also easy with food – calories, food groups, omg you eat processed stuff?! Ha ha. We all have our data. But we don’t have to compare it one another. We shouldn’t. RPE, remember? Everyone is doing something different – something to their level.

So. Yeah. This seems completely out of the blue. I’ve just heard some worry from loved ones about being judged at the gym for how they look or not knowing how to do things. I would hate to have worry like that hold people back from living and feeling healthier! And I hope that those of us already out there would be encouraging to someone trying it out.

*There are two scales, each with its own range, but no point in getting in to that.

Comments (29)

By kilax, September 24, 2013 6:40 am

Ha ha. 

If you were trying to lose weight would you find it helpful if you received (positive) feedback? Or would you want people to keep their comments to themselves?

This is going to sound CRAZY, because, hey, I am a blogger! And isn’t blogging all about wanting attention and “me me me, HEY!, look at me, hey!, over here, I am special!!!” posts? (sometimes, anyway?) Ha ha. 

But… I don’t really want people to pay attention to me and notice if I am losing or gaining weight. I don’t really want… people paying attention to my appearance at all. 

Well, THAT has to change. I am a personal trainer now. Of course people are going to pay attention to what I look like! And I need to look put together, and fit. 

And don’t get me wrong. Sincere compliments are always welcome, ha ha. It just weirds me out a bit to think that people pay that much attention to other’s appearance, because I kind of… don’t. Sure, I would notice if a friend looked upset or sad. Or got a new haircut. Or a tattoo on their face. But gaining or losing a few pounds? Nah. Just not something I notice. And again. Probably should, at least for the people I train.

So, back to my question. In the winter, I lost some weight, and was getting feedback about it. Everyone was really nice, but the fact that they notice makes you wonder what they thought of you before, you know? One person said to me “I didn’t even recognize you, you’ve lost so much weight!” Geesh. Thanks! Ha ha.

So, can you guess my answer to my own question? Outside motivation doesn’t really work for me. I don’t care what others think about me. And, I actually need to start caring. Well, needed to. Like, back in March. I am still struggling with that. Anyways.

(And the reason I am writing about this now, is that I am getting some feedback, again, and have been thinking about this for a looooong time)

And since I don’t like posts without pictures… aww, Datums Potatums!!!

Comments (15)

By kilax, August 24, 2013 7:47 am

Or, as Gina suggested, maybe a badge/lanyard.

Muah ha ha. I love my friends.

Do you have any certificates/diplomas framed and on proud display in your home/office/where ever?

My diploma is shoved back in the corner of our office, but! It’s up there! Yoda and Darth keep it company. 

So! It’s been almost a month since I took and passed the ACE personal trainer exam! And what have I been up to since then?

• I still teach a Monday night strength class at 6:30 pm and (EXCITING!) am starting a Friday 5:00 am strength class in September. 
• I continue to study so everything I learned stays in my head. I have also earned .6 of the 2.0 required Continuing Education Credits (CECs) to renew my certification in July of 2015. 
• I am offering a Saturday strength class on September 14th – let me know if you are in the area, and interested – and hope to do one Saturday class a month. 
• I might begin more one on one training. 

And that’s it! I continue to find it very fulfilling and rewarding, and am excited I have this (teaching) in my life!

Comments (92)

By kilax, July 25, 2013 2:03 pm

Did you know that the thumb is one of only three* triaxial/multiplanar joints in the body?

Do you know how many little tidbits like that I have floating around in my brain right now?

How long do you think they will last up there, now that I have PASSED the ACE Personal Trainer Exam, and am a certified personal trainer?!

WOO HOO!

Oh my gosh. I thought the test was really hard, and all the practice tests I took didn’t really prepare me for the type of questions that were going to be on it at all. There were so many things I focused on that weren’t on the test at ALL.

Ugh. 

After I maxed out of my three hour time limit, I closed my eyes, scared to see if I passed or not. I opened them and saw… an test evaluation screen. Ha ha ha. I just clicked “highly satisfied” until I got to the screen that said I passed. 

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have to say thank you A MILLION times to Brian, my trainer, who encouraged me to study for this certification, taught me, and supported me (including financially). And thanks to Steven, for also supporting me, and helping me study and putting up with all my “I can’t do that – I have to study!!!!” arguments. 

And thanks to my friends who helped me study, re-taught me math, encouraged me (I was so surprised by the amount of good luck texts and emails I got this week!), listened to me go on and on about ACE stuff they didn’t care about, and understood why I was saying “no” again to some fun plans. 

And thanks to all of you!

What changes now? 

Not much, really. I still work a full time job outside of teaching strength class. The good change is, now I get to read “for fun” again and have more of a life!

*What are the other two, Kim?

Comments (30)

By kilax, July 19, 2013 5:21 am

You know what I like to use when I am doing a math problem?

A calculator. 

When I was learning long division and complicated multiplication as a kid, you know what I reassured myself I would be able to use as an adult?

A calculator. 

You know what is not allowed on the ACE personal trainer exam?

A calculator. 

Yeah, they give you a dry erase board and a marker. 

I took a practice exam last night, and tried to remember the division and multiplication without cheating (using a calculator). 

Yeah. That didn’t go so well. 

165/.85, 35,000/60, 108×4, 200 x .5 (to .8), 20 x 1 (to .2). 

Some of them went better than others (thankfully). Multiplication is easier. 

I asked Steven to help me with some of the decimal point division and he jokingly suggested that I just look at the multiple choice answers and use multiplication in reverse. Ha ha. 

I told him, I was going to ask Bobbi‘s kids to reteach this stuff to me. We both decided that would look REALLY bad. 

So. 

Time to relearn some math. 

They actually offer a math refresher course. Looks like I will be taking it. 

When my parents visited in May we were playing Triominoes and I was the score keeper for awhile. Until everyone realized that I am not that great at math. As my dad took over as score keeper, we all discussed how we do math calculations in our head, and I found out that I am taking a lot of extra steps to figure things out. I waste a lot of time breaking numbers in to easily management increments in my head, then I have to keep track what I split the number in to, and so on. It’s really weird. 

Anyway. Enough about math. 

The good news is, I can tell you how to calculate your desired body weight based on lean body weight and desired body fat. I can tell you how many grams of protein the book thinks you need. How fast the book thinks you should lose weight. How much water you should drink before, during and after you work out. And much more. 

I am just FULL of useful information. 

Ha ha. 

Sigh.

Comments (17)

By kilax, June 22, 2013 5:05 pm

In case you don’t know. I do. Ha ha.

I am ALL DONE reading these two American Council on Exercise (ACE) books! I am ready to take my test!

Hee hee hee. NOT!!! I WISH!

Not close, but getting closer. With 950 pages of reading behind me, I feel a lot more prepared for the ACE Personal Trainer exam, but I still have a lot of studying and memorization to do. It’s flash card time, baby! Expect to see pictures of study cat replaced with flash cards. Or maybe study cat will read me the flash cards?

While I have been teaching strength class since the beginning of March, and doing some one-on-one training since May, I am not a certified personal trainer yet. My trainer, Brian, oversees all that I do (and will continue to after I am certified).

The awesome thing is that teaching class along with reading this book has made me super comfortable in designing group and specific workouts. I kind of can’t imagine going in to take the test without a little bit of experience in the field. 

So! My test* is July 25th at 9:00 am. I will continue to be somewhat absent until then. Sigh. Silly studying!

Luckily, I have Trex to keep me company while I study. Thank you, Kelly!

Anyone else think studying outside of school is miserable?

I kid! I kid! This is actually super interesting. I enjoy the studying, just wish I had more time to do it. Silly job. Silly sleep. Silly exercise. 

*If you are interested, the test is 150 multiple choice questions. 25 of the questions are experimental and not included in your score. I can’t remember how much time I have to take the computer based test… or how many I have to get right. 100% or bust, yo!

Comments (35)

By kilax, June 6, 2013 6:26 am

• As much as I love to smack talk Facebook and take breaks from it, gosh darnit, it’s pretty cool sometimes. New Neighborhood Runner Friend (NNRF?, eh, let’s just call her Jen) pointed out that we have two Facebook friends in common, and set up a dinner date for us with those two friends and another NNRF (also named Jen, ha ha ha). We went out for dinner on Tuesday night and stayed until the restaurant closed. You can probably guess that we were having a great time. I can’t wait to meet with those gals again and to see who else they introduce me to. It’s so fun to meet people in my neighborhood! It’s great to have friends so close by… and let’s be real – it makes me feel sane to know other people have the same neighborhood complaints as me (like… I should not have to wear these (below) to sleep through the night). Heh. 

• Do you think you would be up to going out to dinner with people you don’t know very well or have never met? How about joining a running relay team with people you have never met? Erin was telling me how one of their Ragnar team members was picked up off the Ragnar Facebook page, and I found that really interesting, as I assume not many people would want to do a relay with a group of strangers (which is kind of how I did it, as I joined Erin’s work running club’s team in 2011).
• For someone who loves stability, I am unexplained annoyed by behavioral predictability… for certain traits, anyway. Yeah. This bullet is not meant to make sense. 
• A few times people have asked me what my “secret” is to not getting injured from running. Which is funny, because I had stress fractures in summer of 2009 and 2010. But! I was thinking about this last night when I drove home from my strength training class, and I was thinking about how beneficial regular strength training is. I think that, paired with the right shoes (and mileage on them) and not falling trap too running too much / too soon / too intense has kept me healthy. Oh. And rest days. What keeps you injury free?

• The new Sierra Trail Mix Clif Bar is awesome-o. Has anyone else tried it?

• I have started buying popcorn for Data. I am sure the vet would approve. 

• It makes me sad how I let technology piss me off. I couldn’t watch a short video on my phone on my train ride home yesterday, or load much of anything else… and it made me irrationally upset. Even though I know there are huge pockets on the train ride home that have very low signal. And today… trying to get these pictures in to this post. Ugh. Problems with my host and some MySQL blah blah blah. Just WORK, technology. I don’t want to figure you out. 
• I realized last week that I use the number sign in my Friday Question posts… but not in Random Thoughts Thursday or in my weekly training posts. Ahh! I hate inconsistency!

Other Random Thoughts Thursday Posts: 41, 40, 39, 38, XXXVII, XXXVI, XXXV, XXXIV, XXXIII, XXXII, XXXI, XXX, XXIX, XVIII, XXVII, XXVI, XXV, XXIV, XXIII, XXII, XXI, XX, XIX, XVIII, XVII, XVI, XV, XIV, XIII, XII, XI, X, IX, VIII, VII, VI, V, IV, III, II, I.