Frequently Asked Questions
What is an active woman?
Are you ready for a change?
Are you new to exercise?
Are you at an intermediate or advanced level of fitness?
What is the time commitment?
What shall I expect during my first few training sessions?
Can I bring a friend?
Do you offer weight loss programs?
What are the physical effects of aging?
Does exercise have to be difficult and painful to achieve results?
My muscles feel so tight all the time, can you help?
What are the benefits of Functional Fitness, especially to women 40 and older?
Is it true that regular exercise may help decrease cancer risk?
What is an active woman?An Active Woman is a proactive woman! She understands a positive attitude in life is a choice. She can be any age, any shape, and any size. She is ready to embrace new levels of energy and enjoyment in her life. She realizes the importance of maintaining an active lifestyle in preventing future health complications. She appreciates her ability to fully participate in her life, and the lives of the ones she loves. She is the new role model for Active Aging. back to topAre you ready for a change?Why is that we often find making a change in our lifestyle so difficult? We try to change ... only to find ourselves right back where we were. Change takes time and patience. And it takes the right mind set. Psychology of Change
As your personal trainer, the greatest help I can offer will come once you have reached step 3 or higher. We will work together to build the solid foundation you need to make the change stick by building on the success of reaching smaller goals. Small steps lead to big gains with fewer setbacks. If you are ready to make a change, I can help! back to topAre you new to exercise?I can help you! I will enable you to grow to enjoy movement so you will come to know that simple exercises can become part of your day and really make a difference in your life. back to topAre you at an intermediate or advanced level of fitness?Are you looking for greater challenges with your current fitness regime? You appreciate the accountability and consistency of training with someone who knows what they are doing and has the expertise to ensure a great workout experience. I can help you be fit for life, and fit for sport! back to topWhat is the time commitment?"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now."
Ideally you should plan to attend 2-3 times per week. Our sessions are normally 60 minutes. I will help you to find other times in your schedule where you can advance your progress on your own by incorporating active lifestyle activities. Depending on your starting level, you will start to feel more energized right away. Studies have shown that it takes 21 times to learn a new habit. Getting back in shape and incorporating a regular exercise program into your life will take some time and personal commitment. You can do it! The personal rewards you will achieve will be well worth your efforts! It's your turn to enjoy all that life has to offer! By the 1–2 month stage you will start to experience positive changes: feeling better about yourself, feeling more attractive, clothing fitting more comfortably, feeling healthier. By the 2-3 month stage the learning curve is very evident with increases in your strength and endurance, flexibility, and confidence, less aches and pains, a new awareness of your posture, feeling more attractive, increased vitality, and the personal satisfaction that you are following through with your personal commitment to yourself! By this point, (like most people who have trained with me, or still do so today), you will probably look forward to your personal training sessions, and miss them, when you are unable to attend. Now you will have some skills, and a new awareness, enabling you to effectively and safely participate, and benefit from a regular exercise program; be it on your own at the local gym, an exercise class or at your home. Your body will eventually get used to certain exercises and ‘plateau’. Therefore, it is important to adjust and vary your routine every few months in order to continue to benefit. This is an opportune time for some further personal training. You may decide a few sessions will be sufficient. This all depends on you personal goals, needs and abilities. Some people choose to continue personal training; it helps them to stay on track, and continue to challenge or maintain their personal fitness levels. back to topWhat shall I expect during my first few training sessions?"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."
The initial consultation is complimentary. We can meet in person in my studio, or have a talk on the phone. This usually runs about 20-30 minutes. My primary responsibility is to safely and effectively guide you to successful attainment of your goals. Therefore, I require a comprehensive understanding of your personal and professional background, your physical capabilities, (taking into account any medical conditions or past injuries), and your desires and needs. So our first session together is a comprehensive fitness assessment, which enables me to systematically gather subjective and objective information about you and utilize that information appropriately. This takes about 80 minutes. It is not designed to diagnose any condition nor replace a medical examination. When necessary I refer clients to qualified health-care providers. I do an evaluation of your gait and posture, balance and core strength, joint and muscle flexibility, and your overall general strength; looking for any muscle restrictions or strength imbalances. A cardio-respiratory fitness test and a body composition assessment are included. With this information I will design an exercise program tailored specifically for you. During the second session, we go over the results from your assessment. Then you will begin, systematically to learn your personal program. We will work together, one-on-one in a regular program, fitting in with your time and commitments. Sessions last about 60 minutes, introducing increasing exercise challenges as you progress. I aim to make this an enjoyable and achievable experience. Your program will address your: posture, muscular strength, endurance and flexibility, joint stability, core stability, balance, reactive ability, and cardiorespiratory fitness. This isn’t Boot Camp – It can be fun. Consecutive personal training sessions are a development of your program. Each session I aim for you to leave feeling better than when you arrived. It is important to bear in mind that this is a journey, rather than strictly a destination. Your program will focus on exercises that are appropriate to you, and on doing them as effectively and efficiently as possible. This will help you to elevate and sustain your optimal fitness level. This approach will ultimately lead you towards achieving your goals! * A computer printed personal fitness program, including diagrams and descriptions is available for an extra fee of $100.00. back to topCan I bring a friend?"A strong, positive image is the best possible strategy for success."
This is a good idea and I encourage exercising with a friend. I do require that you each attend some sessions individually in the beginning. I will do a proper assessment of each of you, and then work with you individually until you having a basic understanding of your own personal exercise program. Once these objectives are achieved, you and your friend will reap the rewards of working out together with your own personal trainer. back to topDo you offer weight loss programs?Fitness is an important part of a weight management program. I can help you with the fitness component. This will go hand in hand with your consultation with a qualified dietician. back to topWhat are the physical effects of aging?You already know that aging is inevitable – but do you know how the resulting changes in your body will affect your lifestyle plans and overall level of health? A realistic plan for aging successfully should include a program for coping with the following, sometimes inevitable conditions:
Dr. Paul Takahashi, of the world famous Mayo Clinic, writes “Exercise is probably the single most important thing you can do to age successfully. The benefits are seemingly endless and can include weight control, improved circulation of blood and oxygen, increased muscle mass, better mood and improved balance. And, it’s never too late to start.” Mayo Clinic – “Exercise can help avoid disease that many people mistakenly believe come automatically with age. You can reduce your risk of dying prematurely by almost half if you exercise every day”. New England Journal of Medicine – Regular physical activity cuts your risk of heart disease, stroke, HBP, diabetes, osteoporosis, depression and anxiety, falls and fractures, breast cancer. Cornell university Medical College – “There are numerous benefits of following a regular exercise program – even for individuals who are challenged by such conditions as joint pain, back pain, arthritis, osteoporosis, or are recovering from an injury or surgery (joint replacement etc)”. back to topDoes exercise have to be difficult and painful to achieve results?"In health there is freedom. Health is the first of all liberties."
Dr. Jody Welborn Portland Oregon, Cardiologist, USMS Sports Medicine committee, Masters Swimmer: “Despite what your coach may say, pain after exercise is not an indication of a good workout. With a regular, carefully planned exercise program there can be gain without pain”. Dr. P. Mafferstone “Coach of the year” Triathlete magazine: “Much ‘over training’ can be blamed on the no pain, no gain myth. According to this myth, you have to suffer, to exercise to the point of agony, in order to benefit. You can build your aerobic system with easy exercise”. Soreness and pain are different. Soreness is often the by-product of hard work. Pain, however, indicates a problem that needs to be examined and corrected to prevent further damage. Many people do not see pain for what it is. The body is smart – pain is a signal that something is not right. If a nagging pain comes on slowly and lingers, it is important to find out what caused it, where the pain is coming from, and what can be done to correct it. back to topMy muscles feel so tight all the time, can you help?Yes! Sore, tight muscles cause aches and pains we would all rather live with out. I can help rid your body of those tight muscles and get you back to being pain free and balanced. The body naturally has good mechanics. It is through bad habits, unnecessary tension, sedentary activities, and unbalanced exercise that natural efficiency is lost and our bodies try to compensate. Let's look at an example: consistent muscle tension. Muscle tension creates unbalanced forces within the body. These alter joint position and body mechanics. The body will find the path of least resistance (due to pain) and move differently. Adaptive changes will eventually affect the muscle, then the bone surfaces, then the capsule which surrounds the joint, and finally, the connective tissue (ligaments and tendons). Once an abnormal movement pattern is established due to faulty body mechanics (and this can happen very easily), the pattern establishes itself, UNLESS WE MAKE A CHANGE. We must address weaknesses in order to make true progress. And I can help! back to topWhat are the benefits of Functional Fitness, especially to women 40 and older?MUSCLEThe amount and size of muscle fibers decreases with age. The muscle fibers that seem to be most affected are those of the 'fast twitch' variety, which govern strength and speedy contraction. There is evidence to suggest that these changes are related to a sedentary lifestyle, rather than age. Muscle mass increases sharply in the older person after regularly exercising for a relatively short period of time. BONEBone density begins to decline by 40, but this accelerates around 50. As a result of this bone fragility women become more prone to falls and fractures. Later in life, statistically 1 in 4 women will fracture their hip or vertebrae. HEART and LUNGSModerate intensity exercise is best. Studies show that cardio respiratory fitness takes longer to achieve as we age, but the physical benefits are similar. Regardless of our age regular exercise will improve our cardio respiratory stamina. JOINTSOur joints require regular full range movement to remain supple and healthy. Regular flexibility exercises also strengthen the surrounding soft tissues (tendons, ligaments) and reduce the chance of injury. People with or even starting to get arthritis can benefit enormously from a gentle exercise routine that includes working joints through their comfortable range of motion. BALANCEAs our eyesight changes, and the fact that our reaction time may not be as quick as it was when we were 20, we become more prone to trip and fall. Exercise as well as improving bone fragility improves our balance. Core stability exercises, which are often rather fine and subtle to perform, are particularly beneficial for balance. They involve muscles which we are usually unaware of. The Functional Fitness Program teaches us to feel and recruit these core muscles more effectively. BLADDER CONTROLJacquelyn “Many of my older clients have commented that their bladder control is better after learning to engage their ‘Core’ properly”. BODY FAT LEVELSRegular exercise burns calories, increases muscle mass and speeds metabolism. This will help to maintain an appropriate weight. back to topIs it true that regular exercise may help decrease cancer risk?There are some studies that do suggest that routine exercise may diminish our risk of some cancers, and breast cancer is one of them. back to top |
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