Tag: IDEAfit

Is Your Trainer still Certified?

I just returned from the Health & Fitness Summit in Denver. This is the fifth conference sponsored or co-sponsored by IDEA that I have attended. IDEA is an educational organization that provides on-line courses and in-person events that allow fitness professionals to stay up-to-date on the newest research and trends in the industry, as well as to work toward new areas of expertise. Aside from gathering with our fellow trainers, for many of us, it is an opportunity to obtain the all-important Continuing Education Credits that we need to keep our certification(s).

Just as attorneys and doctors have to keep learning after they finish their formal school training, fitness professionals are required to participate in continuing education. It varies for each certifying agency, but usually is around 10-20 hours of study per year. I have two certifications and they require 10 credits per year; luckily, I can use the same course for both accreditations.

Why is this important? No one wants an attorney who is not up on the latest changes in the laws where they practice; there is perhaps nothing worse than paying big bucks to get out-of-date or otherwise incorrect legal advice. The same is true of doctors; would you want a procedure that was standard in the 1960s or do you want the latest techniques that offer the greatest chance for success with the least difficult recovery? Research about human physiology and exercise continues on a regular basis–although some of it is in jeopardy based on current threats to funding of the NIH and CDC. What trainers thought was best for older adults and clients with chronic illnesses such as Parkinson’s, Diabetes, or cognitive decline in the past is not necessarily what is recommended today. Every year, when I attend these conferences–as well as when I do on-line courses–I learn more about how to best get my clients the results they desire while keeping them safe and injury-free. CECs are not just what I need to keep my certification current; they are what keeps me at the top of my game and of value to my clients. If your trainer has let their certification lapse, it is not just a formality; it means you may be getting inferior services.

In the next blog posts, I will discuss some of what I learned this year. I will share some of the latest research–which I can do because I take my continuing education seriously.

Thinking about Thanking

I have blogged several times in the past about the health benefits of being grateful. Our general outlook on life (positive or negative) can have a profound effect on our health and wellbeing.

In the spirit of the holiday, and in the interest of good health, I would like to briefly reflect on those things for which I am thankful this year at Thanksgiving. Of course, I am grateful for my health, my family, my friends, and my general welfare, but I want to discuss a few more obscure blessings in my life.

I am truly grateful for the clients in my personal training business, At Home Senior Fitness. I am truly fortunate to have a great group of clients–not just because they help me pay the bills, but also because I have been able to build great relationships with most of them. I have shared meals with clients, visited them in the hospital, and seen them through joyous occasions and times of loss as well. They have also seen me through ups and downs. I really do care about my clients and that care and concern is returned in spades.

I am grateful for the personal trainers that I had as a client. I always enjoyed the workouts and the results, but did not realize what a huge effect they had on me, pushing me to always do more and better. This has influenced the way that I train my clients as well. I also learned from them the importance of relationships as well as building and maintaining trust.

I am thankful that I have a network that has helped me build my business. Sam Kalamasz, who is working with me, has been a great resource and is committed to helping me grow my client base. ACE (through whom I maintain my certification as a personal trainer) has been helpful and informative. FAI (through whom I have my specialization to work with older adults) continues to enrich my skills. IDEAfit is the main source of my continuing education credits; their on-line resources and conferences are pretty top notch. SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) is also an invaluable tool; they exist in most cities and helped me get organized as I launched my business. I definitely could not have done this all on my own and these organizations have been vital.

As we approach Thanksgiving, I encourage all of us to go beyond the “typical” things we are grateful for and consider some of the other factors that have helped us get where we are. The next step, then, is to try to be the person that others are grateful to have in their lives.

Best wishes to all for a happy and fit Thanksgiving!