PT Diaries

Hank and I have been friends for a few years now; he was actually one of the people who persuaded me to get a personal trainer. When I first started working out he somehow convinced me to climb the Grouse Grind with him. For those of you that aren’t familiar, the Grouse Grind is a hiking trail that measures 2.9 km in distance (1.8 miles) with an elevation gain of 853 meters (2,800 feet).  My first time was painfully slow taking me an hour and fifteen minutes to reach the top.  He can easily reach the top in 40 minutes but he stuck by my side. “You see that little old lady behind you? Whatever you do, do not let her pass you” he said,  pushing me not to stop.  Like many people in Vancouver I’ve developed an obsession with the Grind and hike it regularly every summer with Hank, Mike and deWolf; each time pushing for a new record time to the top.  But when Hank and I go we always partake in what we think is the best part; the beer sales at the top!

Hank is what I consider “natural born athletes.” He can run a half marathon without training and does a 5k in 18:30 and doesn’t break a sweat.  He’s on a basketball team, soccer team, hockey team and plays golf; just to name a few. He is younger than me, fitter than me and can definitely party harder than me. My problem is I try and keep up. Last time we got together was on Thursday after my personal training session for dinner at Trattoria. We had a great meal and polished off 3 bottles of wine. Argh!! What pain the next day at work!

After the ‘Olympic Party’ left Vancouver at the end of February we both vowed to stay away from alcohol for the entire month of March. This goal is a stretch for me but is definitely going to be a challenge for him. When I’m with deWolf breakfast is usually involved after our athletic activities but drinks after a workout goes without saying when I’m with Hank. So when we made plans to get together on Monday we had to swear to each other that no matter what we would to stick to our plan and stay away from booze; especially since we had both made it through our first weekend ‘dry’.  The deal was to do a leisurely run and then have sushi for dinner. “Sounds healthy right?”

We meet at Marinaside Crescent and headed down the seawall towards Burrard Bridge, right away catching up on gossip (of course). Rather than taking my usual loop around False Creek, Hank suggested we turn right when we got over bridge and jog along Cornwall Street towards Kits beach. The view of the mountains along the water was fabulous. “I should really venture out to this side more often” I thought to myself. Though it was a chilly the sun was out and lots of people were milling about enjoy the weather. We crossed back under Granville Bridge heading towards large staircase that brings us up to the Cambie Street Bridge.  I was just about to start the climb when I turned around to find Hank on the pavement doing pushups; I giggled as I notice a couple on a bench looking at him as if he was out of his mind. “I’ll take a picture…” teasing I’d post it on my blog. In all we ran about 8 km in 50 minutes, not bad considering our nonstop chatter and frequent photo stops.

We decided against sushi and choose to have dinner at the Hurricane Grill instead. “I’ll have an Ako Salad and an herbal tea” I said. “I’ll have the steak salad and a cranberry soda” Hank said. We ate our salad and as always swapped ab exercises, workout routines and new fitness goals. “Would you like refills on your drinks?” the waitress asked almost mockingly. “Yes please” we said as one.  It felt odd not to have a cocktail, as if ‘something’ was missing. As we were finishing up the waitress came back with the dessert menu; we paused awkwardly and Hank said “hummm…ok, maybe we’ll have a look…..” Well, we did run 8 km and burned approximately 500 calories each. We both had salads for dinner and drank non alcoholic beverages; which technically means we save about 450 calories each. Yup… that’s justification enough for us…. Sorry the picture is a bit blurry I was ‘high’ from all the sugar…yum!

PT Girl xo

As mentioned in my previous blog, once upon a time I had a serious gym phobia and as a result the first year and a half I worked out outside with my Personal Trainer Steve. Under no circumstance did we set foot indoors. For 18 months, come rain, snow, sleet or shine we were out there twice a week. Steve’s fitness knowledge was apparent from the start but his subtle approach at breaking down the physical and mental limitations I’d place on myself was crucial to my development.

My only reference point to “sports “or “fitness” was equestrian jumping and a few seasons on the basketball team as a teenager. So when Steve asked me what my fitness goal was I offhandedly said “I wanna run a 10 km race under an hour.” Where that thought came from I had no idea but I believed this to be unattainable and had no intention of following through.

Each session Steve would make me do a variety of resistance exercises but always incorporated some running; and every couple of weeks I would notice I was capable of going a bit further before I had to stop to gasp for air. Before I knew it I was jogging for over 30 minutes without stopping. It took me a long time to admit it, but I was enjoying the workouts and even though Steve was a tad self-lovin’ he really grew on me.

Then one day, out of nowhere Steve reminded me of my goal and told me it was time to sign up for a race.  I tried to back pedal and make excuses but he would have no part of it.

I ran the Sun Run as my first 10 km race in 58min 24sec. When I crossed the finishing line I felt completely exhilarated and at that very moment I knew there was no turning back…I was absolutely hooked!!

PT Girl xo

The Personal Training Phenomenon

In 2008 approximately 261,100 people were employed in the fitness industry.  A growth of 29% is predicted between now and 2018.*  This is an above average growth for any sector and is due to the increasing number of people who are choosing to spend their time and money on fitness as well as the  recognition from corporations’ of the long term benefits health & fitness programs have on their employees.

A Personal Trainer should provide you with the proper guidance for reaching your fitness or weight loss goal. They should hold you accountable for your successes as well as your failures.  Finding the right Personal Trainer can have many benefits such as: quicker results, speeding up your learning curve and providing a great source of knowledge and motivation.

What to look for in a Personal Trainer:

1. Proper Certifications &  Insurance
2. Listens to your wants and needs
3. Records your progress by taking regular measurements or conducting fitness test
4. Able to provide a solid network (chiropractors, physiotherapist, massage therapist and contacts to sport specific training)
5. Enjoys his job and gets excited about your session – a good attitude
6. Professional  and accountable
7. Ends the session with a stretch

My Personal Trainer’s Warning Flags:

1. Doesn’t look more physically fit than you
2. Plays doctor and diagnoses your injuries
3. Takes calls or text messages during your session
4. Ignores your questions or needs
5. Arrives late for your session or doesn’t return your calls
6. Recommends trend diets and questionable supplements/herbs

*Statistics taken from United States Department of Labor http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos296.htm