Wanna Get Fit?

Wanna get fit? Just call me! I earned my Personal Trainer Certificate with a score of 92% on the exam. I still have lots to learn, and I hope I always feel that way! It's so exciting to know that I have a solid base, and have lots of options for my own growth while guiding others to reach their own goals!

For my own development as a trainer, I currently have four goals.

1. Find the beginning, and start there.
   
2. Keep it simple.
   
3. Keep it short.
   
4. Keep it fun.

Each client has their own starting point. If I were to get a job working in a gym similar to where I work now, most clients are not very informed or interested in fitness. Most clients come to the gym for their health, for their appearance, or for fun with their friends. In contrast, I go to the gym because I really enjoy how proud I feel lifting increasingly heavy weights, or testing my limits with interval training.

So what I have to keep in mind is that a potential client will fall anywhere along the myriad continua of fit-unfit, informed-uninformed, experienced-inexperienced, and enjoyment of working out. What they all have in common is an interest in getting or staying fit.

I am developing a fairly standard set of questions that cover what I need to know about my client before developing a plan. I need to know about their health, their eating habits and activity level, what activities they enjoy, and their goals. I also need to know what they 'know' about fitness. Oftentimes people don't realize that information has changed, or that they've misunderstood something. Not every question needs to be asked, some would only come up if the client asked about it.

It's important to start with the basics.

• Why is the client here?
  
• What do they already do in support of their goal?
  
• What is the thinking behind what they're doing?
  
• Is it getting them what they want?
  
• What are their limitations?

Some friends have volunteered to be guinea pigs, and hopefully a few more will be taking the plunge! It doesn't matter too much for now whether they are Dutch or English speaking. I can't wait to see what I can learn from them!