For those looking to hit their fitness resolution

1Joy

It is a fact that most people have already falllen off target for hitting their weight loss goal for the New Year. I am a personal trainer

Joy

Joy, I'm sorry that I had to edit your post. Our board rules do not permit our members to advertise their personal businesses or promote commercial products.

However, we welcome you as a member, and we are happy to get your advice on fitness matters.

SuZenGuide, moderator

luvmylocs

hey there, i'm a group fitness instructor. nice to see another professional on the board!!

1Joy

Awesome! This is one of the best industries in the world. Helping people to stay trim and healthy, so that they can live long, blessed happy lives. What state are you in?

Mamacurl3

Do you have insight for nursing Moms?

luvmylocs

1Joy wrote: »

Awesome! This is one of the best industries in the world. Helping people to stay trim and healthy, so that they can live long, blessed happy lives. What state are you in?

i'm in houston, tx. we have a lot of people that need help. we're not a big outdoor exercise city. we have a lot of gyms and i love teaching and interacting with the members.

mamacurl3 what are your fitness goals? i have a book at home on maternity and post maternity fitness that i can reference but you should be okay to do cardio and strength training which will get you toned. pilates is great. there's a book out called "lose your mummy tummy" one of my members actually showed it to me. you can check it out on amazon. good ideas

http://www.amazon.com/Lose-Mummy-Tummy-Julie-Tupler/dp/0738209813/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201302067&sr=8-2

Mamacurl3

I guess figuring out my goals would be a good place to start. I would like to increase my cardiovascular endurance and incorporate more strength training. I'm pretty much back to my pre-pregnancy weight but would like to drop another 10-15lbs and ditch the back fat. My tummy's ok, pretty much the same as it was before babies, though it's never been all that flat and I seem to always have a stubborn layer of chub (my lovely muffin top) LOL

KurlyKarenLee

My fitness goals are to get back to where I was before the holidays. I've worked out faithfully for over a year and have gotten myself into pretty good shape but caught a cold right before Christmas and stopped working out while I recovered. Then came Christmas and the "what the heck" attitude so I slacked off my exercise routine (not completely --but 2-3x a week instead of 5x). I only gained 5 lbs. -- but then --just as I was starting to workout again and getting my strength back ---another cold came along!

I'm having problem getting re-motivated because whenever you take a week off, it's such a set-back physically. It's a mind-set thing, I know but I have GOT to get my motivation back!

What do people who do this for a living do when they lose their motivation?

luvmylocs

KurlyKarenLee wrote: »

What do people who do this for a living do when they lose their motivation?

well for me as a group exercise instructor even when i don't feel like working out i have to go because it's also my job....so it's good and bad, i can't just sit on the sofa sometimes when i want to but that forces me to stick with it and keep going even when i don't want to but i do take breaks when i'm not working out and get rest. it's a balance....workout and rest...both have to be good for optimal fitness

KurlyKarenLee

luvmylocs wrote: »

KurlyKarenLee wrote: »

What do people who do this for a living do when they lose their motivation?

well for me as a group exercise instructor even when i don't feel like working out i have to go because it's also my job....so it's good and bad, i can't just sit on the sofa sometimes when i want to but that forces me to stick with it and keep going even when i don't want to but i do take breaks when i'm not working out and get rest. it's a balance....workout and rest...both have to be good for optimal fitness

Since I'm diabetic, working out is not really optional either. I try to look at it as part of my job. I get up 5 days a week and go to work so I try and force myself to do my workout 5 days a week. Once I get back into my normal routine and get my stamina back, I'm sure I'll get my motivation back. Maybe if I start reading all of the Women's Health magazines that I have piling up it'll help, too!

1Joy

Hey
Mamacurl3
How much longer will you be nursing?

KurlyKarenLee
I used to put diabetics on eating plans when I worked for a Cardiologist before my fitness career. You should be on a low-glycemic eating regime. I highly recommend the webinar for you bcs you sound like you have desire but need accountability and structure. It is actually produced by Dr. Shari Lieberman who is known for helping her patients lose weight (body fat) and keeping it off without going for crazy calorie restrictions.

luvmylocs

women's health is a good magazine....i'm behind on magazines....lately i've been telling myself i don't have to read every article with such detail...i've got to start skimming a bit or i'll never finish my pile of mags

good for you for working realizing w/ diabetes you've GOT to work out. and i agree diet is key!

KurlyKarenLee

1Joy wrote: »

Hey
Mamacurl3
How much longer will you be nursing?

KurlyKarenLee
I used to put diabetics on eating plans when I worked for a Cardiologist before my fitness career. You should be on a low-glycemic eating regime. I highly recommend the webinar for you bcs you sound like you have desire but need accountability and structure. It is actually produced by Dr. Shari Lieberman who is known for helping her patients lose weight (body fat) and keeping it off without going for crazy calorie restrictions.

I'm not the "normal" type 2 diabetic. I'm not overweight. I'm struggling, though, to fit into my size 2/4's because I haven't been exercising as much as was previously.

I'm very strict with my eating. I tried ADA's diet but that was too many carbs. My doc suggested Southbeach --but I love fruit too much. So I do a modified Southbeach with at least 1 piece of fruit a day. I stay between 1300 & 1500 calories a day.

Mamacurl3

1Joy wrote: »

Hey
Mamacurl3
How much longer will you be nursing?

Joy, (that's my middle name btw) I am not positive, whenever she weans herself. Probably until next fall, my kids tend to wean around the 13-14mo range though. I tend to see another drop in weight sometimes between 9-10mos post partum so I'm holding out for that, if I can keep my sweet tooth in check and my workouts up. I either run/jog/walk on the treadmill, ride the stationary bike or tae bo or a combination of the three 35-50min a day 5-6days a week, I'm hoping to start a Zumba class once week next month. Strength training, I have a harder time keeping up with. I do pushups (modified), light free weights for shoulders, triceps and upper back...but that's about it. But that happens probably more like twice a week, my time and resources are pretty limited right now so I do what I can and usually cardio takes precedence . Anything you think I'm missing out on that I could try? I appreciate your help:) Thanks much

1Joy

I've been a little on the busy side lately, to say the least:)

K:You should be able to eat fruit. The melon family are the only ones that are high gylcemic, so limiting those would be great.

M: You may want to do some higher reps with 5lb weights so that you can burn more body fat. Also, you should eat like an angel 90% of the time. Your cardio sounds fine.

kcurls

luvmylocs wrote: »

hey there, i'm a group fitness instructor. nice to see another professional on the board!![/quoted]

lovemylocs, I have a question for you. How did you get into doing this professionally? This is one of my fantasies in life, and I always like to find out how people go about this.

I am a full time teacher at a community college, and pretty burnt out, and so I have often thought maybe my future goal would be to go to half time (with benes) and teach fitness half time.

I am a long-time step fan, and do spinning, as well as run and lift weights and am pretty fit although I would have a ways to go if I were to have to teach more than one class a day! So this would be my fitness goal too, obviously.

Any insights or advice would be appreciated.

luvmylocs

kcurls wrote: »

luvmylocs wrote: »

hey there, i'm a group fitness instructor. nice to see another professional on the board!![/quoted]

lovemylocs, I have a question for you. How did you get into doing this professionally? This is one of my fantasies in life, and I always like to find out how people go about this.

I am a full time teacher at a community college, and pretty burnt out, and so I have often thought maybe my future goal would be to go to half time (with benes) and teach fitness half time.

I am a long-time step fan, and do spinning, as well as run and lift weights and am pretty fit although I would have a ways to go if I were to have to teach more than one class a day! So this would be my fitness goal too, obviously.

Any insights or advice would be appreciated.

hey kcurls,

that's pretty ironic. i used to teach as an adjunct but got burnt out (students were so apathetic) that's when i transitioned into teaching at the gym. i always worked out and loved it and i'm so happy doing it. for me the pay is around the same as what i got as an adjucnt but i get to work out while i get paid doing this!! i have a full time, corporate job that i rely on to really pay the bills though. i think it's best to start part time. i would think it would be hard for this to be your full time, only source of income. i teach more than one class back to back from time to time but i couldn't possibly teach enough to make it full time plus there aren't that many time slots. remember with most classes your options are to teach in the morning (before work) maybe a mid morning, maybe a lunch and then from say 5 - 8 pm and then you've got saturday and sunday mornings.

anyway, i was a member at 24 hour fitness. they actually have instructor training twice a year where they teach you how to teach 24 hour branded formats so i did that and at the same time got a group instructor certification through ace (american council on exercise) www.acefitness.org the cert allows you to have the knowledge to teach any format. it's good information to have. there are LOTS of companies out there that offer instructor training. the logical step is to learn to be an instructor in a format that you already teach. for me that was cycling and strength training. i learned and now teach pilates (have been for two years) and actually it's one of my strongest formats! i always get lots of compliments on it. you never know what you'll be good at. my style is a little different in all formats. i'm practically a drill sergent in cycling but i'm more nurturing in pilates. i'm more like bob on the biggest loser (a hugger and encourager) anyway i LOVE it. after my 24 hour training i got a few classes and as folks gave up classes or new times were needed i got more classes. i teach different things throughout the week and it's the perfect mix for me.

i definitely think if you love working out and interacting with people being a group fitness instructor is the way to go. i love it! you really can control your own schedule and teach as many different places as you want and have time. i also teach at an apt complex that offers free yoga/pilates once a week. it's cool. you touch so many lives. i've had members ask me to train them. you really learn the fundamentals to be able to do both if you get certified so it's a good way to supplement your income. i see myself teaching for the rest of my life. even when i'm 70 i'll be leading the senior class in pilates or something.

if you have any specific questions let me know!!

kcurls

luvmylocs wrote: »

kcurls wrote: »

luvmylocs wrote: »

hey there, i'm a group fitness instructor. nice to see another professional on the board!![/quoted]

lovemylocs, I have a question for you. How did you get into doing this professionally? This is one of my fantasies in life, and I always like to find out how people go about this.

I am a full time teacher at a community college, and pretty burnt out, and so I have often thought maybe my future goal would be to go to half time (with benes) and teach fitness half time.

I am a long-time step fan, and do spinning, as well as run and lift weights and am pretty fit although I would have a ways to go if I were to have to teach more than one class a day! So this would be my fitness goal too, obviously.

Any insights or advice would be appreciated.

hey kcurls,

that's pretty ironic. i used to teach as an adjunct but got burnt out (students were so apathetic) that's when i transitioned into teaching at the gym. i always worked out and loved it and i'm so happy doing it. for me the pay is around the same as what i got as an adjucnt but i get to work out while i get paid doing this!! i have a full time, corporate job that i rely on to really pay the bills though. i think it's best to start part time. i would think it would be hard for this to be your full time, only source of income. i teach more than one class back to back from time to time but i couldn't possibly teach enough to make it full time plus there aren't that many time slots. remember with most classes your options are to teach in the morning (before work) maybe a mid morning, maybe a lunch and then from say 5 - 8 pm and then you've got saturday and sunday mornings.

anyway, i was a member at 24 hour fitness. they actually have instructor training twice a year where they teach you how to teach 24 hour branded formats so i did that and at the same time got a group instructor certification through ace (american council on exercise) www.acefitness.org the cert allows you to have the knowledge to teach any format. it's good information to have. there are LOTS of companies out there that offer instructor training. the logical step is to learn to be an instructor in a format that you already teach. for me that was cycling and strength training. i learned and now teach pilates (have been for two years) and actually it's one of my strongest formats! i always get lots of compliments on it. you never know what you'll be good at. my style is a little different in all formats. i'm practically a drill sergent in cycling but i'm more nurturing in pilates. i'm more like bob on the biggest loser (a hugger and encourager) anyway i LOVE it. after my 24 hour training i got a few classes and as folks gave up classes or new times were needed i got more classes. i teach different things throughout the week and it's the perfect mix for me.

i definitely think if you love working out and interacting with people being a group fitness instructor is the way to go. i love it! you really can control your own schedule and teach as many different places as you want and have time. i also teach at an apt complex that offers free yoga/pilates once a week. it's cool. you touch so many lives. i've had members ask me to train them. you really learn the fundamentals to be able to do both if you get certified so it's a good way to supplement your income. i see myself teaching for the rest of my life. even when i'm 70 i'll be leading the senior class in pilates or something.

if you have any specific questions let me know!!

LML, thanks so much for all your info! It is indeed ironic that we have sort of similar trajectories in our careers.

I'm currently a 24fitness member and have indeed seen the notices about instructor trainings, but never felt quite confident enough to try it. I'm 43, and have had various knee, neck and back issues, so part of my own mental work is to get over my own fear of injury, while at the same time, learning how to strengthen and prevent problems in those areas. Exercise, it turns out, is the solution to all of those problems, which is why I am so inspired now! I also work with a trainer who has been great for teaching me how to manage all these things.

I wouldn't want to teach fitness full time (see above, injuries!) - I would want to hang on to my full time job, but go half time (not adjunct) - we have that option, plus can keep benes. I would be making less money, but at this point I really don't care, I need a change and know I would enjoy it.

LOL on your comparison to Bob! When I teach beginning ESL, I'm a total Bob, but with the advanced folk, I'm Jillian. I think a little of both in your repertoire is a good thing for any teacher!

Yes, I have a fantasy of teaching a "silver sneakers" class when I get older. In fact, I have had a few white haired 'old lady' instructors kick my ass in class when I was first starting out! I wanna be them.

Texas Mama

Joy, LuvMyLocs...

I am in the Houston area and have a tummy tuck planned for April 14th. That's 10 weeks from now. I weigh approx 200 (keep hovering over a +/- 3 pounds). Around September I was 215, and started to diet on my own...some exercise, but not nearly enough. I pulled off 6 lbs (thanks, Christmas!) however It's now HIGH TIME I get as much off as I can to optimize the benefits of the tuck. Since the beginning of the new year, I lost 9 lbs, but began to plateau, big time. Was doing the 6 week body makeover, and doing the "fast track" plan which had greens at every meal and snack (not a problem for me) with either chicken, turkey or tuna with it. No breads, no dairy, no sweets/sugar. So I had been eating extremely low fat and okay with it. I haven't felt that good in a long time. Constipation was a thing of the past and all was well. Kept losing and gaining the 3 lbs and it just got annoying. Then I bought Alli because a couple of my friends had done it with amazing results. I'm afraid to weigh myself because I've been eating more than usual on this diet. They tell you to add back in some fat because your results will be greater if you eat more fat - suggests to keep your fat around 15 grams PER MEAL. That's hard for me now that I've been doing so well with NO fat.

My question is this - since the low fat/greens and tuna diet I had grown accustomed to wasn't working anymore, should I be doing this alli plan with extra fat? or should I be adding flax to my tuna and greens and try that? I want to be at MOST 180 by the time I have surgery, so that's 20 lbs down in 10 weeks. It's do-able, but will be hard. I'm not fluffy at all - my "weight" is carried all over and I think MOST of it is water....what do I do?

Please respond - I am dying over here!

1Joy

Hey Texas
I commend you for wanting to work on your lifestyle changes instead of just jumping on the OP table only. I personally am not a fan of Alli and I am not a fan of your mainly high protein diet (that should be 2 weeks MAX). I would suggest you do research on some natural weight loss supplements. I would highly recommend adding some complex carbs to your diet along with fruit. Organic cheese 1x/wk is great too. Have a variety of fruit and veggies, especially since as humans we tend to be creatures of habit. Last but not least, most of my clients who have lots of stored fat skip meals. They get busy and skip meals so much that it is a habit. Please make yourself eat small meals and drink water even when you don't want to or don't feel hungry or thirsty.

ps I believe you will have a speedy recovery after surgery.

luvmylocs

hey texas mama,

i would encourage you to do several small BALANCED meals and lots of water. continue to eliminate the white stuff. add green tea (tea bags not the bottled w/ extra stuff in it). i also like yerba mate (it's a tea) you can get it at whole foods or the vitamin shoppe. i don't know anything about alli except what i've read which is that depending on how you eat your food can go right through your system, fast!! anyway, balance your diet, don't eat late. don't eat a lot of fruit. make sure you're taking a good multi. get some good cardio in, preferably in the morning on an empty stomach (think body for life). i'm also a fan of breath work and mind/body exercising for a healthy balanced body and mind. i'm in houston too! good luck for your surgery.

luvmylocs

hey kcurls!

don't let your age keep you from going to the instructor trainings! some of our best instructors are a little bit older. ironically a lot of early 20's aren't that interested in the responsibility of teaching. there are a lot of 30 & 40 something women in the classes and they LOVE seeing someone they can relate to instructing them. i think you'd be great...being a teacher in the classroom will translate well to the gym.

which formats are you interested in teaching? cycling is what got me hooked but i really love teaching the pilates and strength classes now too. i've also taught one of the dance formats we had and i'm going to be working with the belly dance instructor in hopes of being able to teach that one day....

go for it!! look into the ace certification, although it's not required for 24 hour fitness now but you can teach anywhere with it...and they have a plethora of good resources once you get your certification...

any other questions you have just let me know!!

Texas Mama

how funny that you mention body for life. Hubby and I did that back in '01 and he had amazing results. I got stretch marks. I figured that white stuff definitely DOES have an effect on me. I will start the more balanced meals in smaller portions so I will not feel hungry. I did all this before when I lost 30# in '05 after baby #2. I looked AMAZING and felt wonderful, in body and mind. I looked so good that it got me preggo again! :pl: I was in good enough shape that I didn't know I was pregnant until I was nearly 22 weeks. (I don't get the monthly reminder anyway, so that wasn't really a trigger for me!) Anyhow, #3 has been a great blessing and has definitely thrown me for a loop.

Wondering if you've ever seen the "For Emergency Use Only" workout/diet in either M&F Hers or Oxygen magazine (I can't remember which). It had a pretty balanced diet and the exercise plan was cardio every morning and weights every night so that your body was constantly reminded that it needed to be running at maximum capacity at all times, hence, weight lost. Meals were 5 or 6 daily. At this point, something like that REALLY IS an emergency being that my dr. has suggested that I drop 20+ so that I will be happier with the surgery. (Frankly, the before and afters for the fitter patients were downright amazing, next to the B&A's of the non-fit lazy-looking patients.) I'd rather be one of the "OMG" photos....

What is your opinion of the emergency plan I just described? It's doable to me, but I'm not sure if I would really be hurting myself to do too much all at once.....