A Good Break Taken!

I generally train seven days a week. It just feels right and it works for me! I don't recommend it to most of my clients because of the fear of over-training injuries and just plain old recovery time.

I do however, listen to my body and that being said, when its time for a break... its time for a break. I don't often have a week where I have more rest days than training days and so it felt a little awkward to have that be the case this last week. My week looked like this:

Monday - 11.5 run, Tuesday - 11.5 walk, Wednesday - rest - 5 mile walk (I consider most of my walks under 10 miles active recovery), Thursday - rest, Friday - rest, Saturday - rest - 8 mile walk, Sunday - 5k run.

Very light week for me! Turns out it was just what I needed! I just came back from a quick 5k run and it was quick... for me. The pace was almost a full minute per mile faster than I usually run and I honestly could have maintained it for another 5k and still felt great afterwards.

Turns out listening to my body can be a pretty good thing!

If you have those times where you are doing a lot of training and you feel a little flat, it may be time to back off for a week. You may just be pleasantly surprised with the results!

Give it a shot.

Now go get active!

Why Virtual Coaching?

Finding a coach who understands what your needs are and how to meet them is not always the easiest of tasks.

Go to one of the mega-gyms and you may end up with a young kid who isn't really certified and doesn't understand the needs of a variety of individuals.  Oh sure, he or she may have gone through the gym's trainer program but that's not the same as a real certification where the trainer actually committed a fairly substantial amount of time and energy in studying their skill set.

Not only that but at most of the bigger gyms, the personal trainers get paid to sell you more sessions at $50 to $200 per, and to sell you other peripheral items like supplements and gear.  Someone focused on up selling you is likely not as focused on getting you real results.

Find a local personal trainer who is actually certified and you've got to be ready to spend a fair amount of money.  Honestly, if you've got the extra money, hiring a trainer or coach who can work with you on a regular basis is definitely a worth-while investment, in most cases.  Just make sure you don't take 10 session to find out you're not a match for this particular trainer's style.

Yes, personal trainers and coaches just like all other human beings, have their own way of doing things.  If you find a trainer that is knowledgeable and yet your personalities don't match you may find yourself being discouraged and in some cases you might even find yourself thinking about giving up on fitness and that is the last thing we want.

The other alternative and one which is just starting to gain traction, is virtual coaching.  With virtual coaching you don't have to be limited to the trainers or coaches strictly within your neighborhood.  In fact , you could literally work with a coach from Italy if you wanted to.  Its more about being able to find the right one.

That seems to be easier than the traditional method.  In spite of the fact that you lack the face to face evaluation you get from in-person training, you are likely to get better attention from your virtual coach.  It just takes more thought to design a training program and then motivate someone to do it when they're not right there in front of you.

How does it work?

There are varying degrees of virtual programs.  Some very basic programs are nothing more than telling a trainer your desires for your health and them sending you a training program to follow.

Some of the programs involve a training program designed for you and limited email access to you coach during the training period (say 3 mos.)

A program like mine begins a little differently.  Once you sign up with me, you receive an assessment to fill out.  This is designed to give me a good idea of who I am working with by providing information such as current level of physical activity,  potential health risks, current lifestyle, and your personal fitness goals as you see them at this point.

After the assessment is complete, you'll receive your initial training schedule based on everything you told me about what you like and don't like and what kind of schedule you have available for exercise.  From that point forward you'll receive daily emails regarding your training and have unlimited access to email the coach with questions regarding form or nutrition or anything else that comes up during your exercise.

Its kind of like having a daily conversation with a friend only with a serious focus on moving you towards your desired outcome!

Its affordable!

With no overhead so to speak, a virtual coach is really only charging for the program design and then the daily interaction via email or occasionally via the phone.  That's a huge advantage versus a "bricks and mortar" gym because it doesn't require a huge facility to get the job done.  Bottom-line: It usually doesn't cost as much.

I have seen some of the trainers who focus primarily on just designing a program charge $200 for a three month program design and no other trainer interaction.

In my case as it is a monthly investment in your future, I charge $29.99 per month plus an initial $25 for the start up assessment.  Since it is monthly you can drop out at any time or once you feel comfortable with your training although most people do not.  Worst case scenario, if you only stayed on board for the initial month, you'd have a completed assessment of your health and current fitness levels (something many of us never really do), you'd have a customized training program designed just for you and you would have benefited from a month of unlimited email access to your trainer.  All of that for less than one typical session with a trainer in a gym.

You can begin to see why a virtual coach might be a great alternative to an in person trainer.

Which ever way you choose to go take the time to find out what you can about the trainer.  Find out who they're certified with and what their life experience is with fitness.  Your trainers experiences can come in pretty handy down the road when you find yourself stuck in a training plateau or with an injury and you trainer has already been through it.

With a trainer, without, whichever way you choose just do!  You'll be glad you did, trust me I can say that from personal experience!

Open up almost any Internet browser and somewhere amongst the sea of information you'll find an ad that uses the term "Easy".

Why?

Well, quite honestly in this ever busier world that we live in people want the quickest and easiest solution to whatever their problem is. And quite frankly, marketers know this. They know that when they use that magical little word, they're going to get your attention.

I mean, think about it... if you were going to write an ad for a new abdominal workout video would you say:

Easy Abs!

or

Fairly Simple abs!

Most of us if we're honest want "Easy"! The unfortunate truth is - anything that is worth having requires some effort, in other words, its not easy.

The Good News is, although it may require some effort on your part being and living a healthy life is relatively simple. An example would be Weight Watchers. The program is simple by nature and although it may require you to make changes in your life that are not easy, its not complicated and hard to understand.

I've done a lot of research on why it is that most people either never get involved in fitness activities or don't stick to them. I'm the guy who if told most people don't stick to a program because its too hard, asks the question; What's too hard about it? I want to know what specifically is it that's keeping you from doing what you know is good for you?

The answers to those questions may surprise you as they did me at first. What I have found is that its not really the actual effort involved in the exercise that discourages people, its that they don't know how. A good steady training program is not going to be so difficult that you can't physically or mentally handle it, but that's not normally the problem is it.

You may have been in this situation. You decide to do something about your health. Everywhere you turn you see ads for "Easy" this or "Easy" that and maybe you even invested in some of those programs. When they arrived in the mail and you tried them out they were so complicated and hard to understand that after one or maybe two sessions you just gave up.

Let's be honest here; How many of us have an "Ab Roller" stuffed under our bed or jammed in the back of a closet somewhere?

Or...

Maybe you thought about joining a gym but just the thought of all of that unfamiliar equipment left you defeated without even trying. Maybe you joined a gym and the 19 year old trainer who obviously got hired for looks not brains, and who thinks that everyone can be motivated with a simple "Come On, You Can Do", got you so confused with exercises you'll never be able to remember that you said; "To heck with it" and never went back!

So here's the truth about being active...

1. It is not always easy! There are days for me when the last thing I want to do is go for a run or do strength training or quite frankly, anything that resembles activity. We all experience that feeling from time to time. And still I say; "The only bad run, is the one that never begins!"

2. You more than likely will experience some soreness when you first start to get active. I experience soreness on a regular basis as I continue to push myself farther and farther with my training.

3. Soreness and Pain are not the same thing! A little soreness is your body's way of saying it is in the process of rebuilding itself. Pain is your body's way of saying: "Hey dummy, something's wrong here!" A little soreness can simply mean you need to back off or take a rest and recovery day. Pain means you should get it checked out because something may very well be wrong.

4. Being active is simple. It doesn't require that you have a degree or certification in exercise physiology to get started. Yes, just like anything else, there are lots of new things to learn about the more involved in fitness you become, but you don't need to know them to go for a walk.

5. Being active can and should be enjoyable. A walk is refreshing, rejuvenating, invigorating and a great way to clear your mind. Walking with family and/or friends can be a great way to reconnect.

The more I get involved in "Virtual Coaching", the more I realize that simple is best. If the people I work with in person or online want "Easy" they got the wrong guy. If they want simple to follow instruction that slowly builds as they become progressively more fit and healthy, with an understanding that one-size does not fit all, then I'm their guy!

As the virtual coaching site launches over the next few days, that's what you can expect. Simple, fun and effective.

Remember that being active is a lifestyle choice, something you can enjoy for years to come. It's not always easy, but it really is simple!