I'm a Trainer...
I typically train clients between 5-7 hours per day. Of course that's mostly 30-minute sessions (with a few 1-hours mixed in), and many of them back-to-back-to-back. So that's 10-12 clients per day. Lisa and I start at 5:00-5:30AM most mornings, and finish up around 7:00PM most nights. Yes, we take "4 Hour Lunches" to maintain our sanity, and not burn out as most Trainers eventually do.
We're Trainers... It's our passion.
Between clients, in free half-hours here and there, I spend a lot of time reading articles on fitness and nutrition, research "summaries", and professional blogs I follow due to their consistent quality information, which 90% of the time simply re-affirms what I'm already doing professionally, and occasionally gives me new information that makes me better. I really respect the great writers I follow, and LOVE to absorb research and cutting edge information on the science of what I do. A lot of it, I simply share and comment on on Facebook, because it's stuff I just DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO WRITE MYSELF! I get inspired to write something in an effort to educate, inform, and motivate my clients, and the thousand friends/followers I interact with every day via social media, and the dozen clients I work with every day. But often in my research for my OWN article, I find one already written, and well researched, and saying 99% what I wanted to say anyway! This is the amazing beauty of the internet, and social media, as a conduit of information shared among people of common interest. I refuse to "plagiarize and tailor" as many bloggers seem to do, just rewriting other writer's ideas, and calling them their own... so I share.
What I've learned... is even though I am a "decent" writer myself, I'm not nearly as talented with the written word as others.
What I've learned... is even though I have a great depth of experience, and analytical ability to crunch statistics and spot trends (My degree is in Mechanical Engineering... not Exercise Science), I'm NOT a talented researcher, nor do I possess the time to do research.
What I've learned... is that my passion for actually training people, the "in the trenches" personal side of the business, doesn't leave the time to host a Facebook group, or coach 50+ people over the phone. (Maybe due to the fact that I have a great home life!!! Thank you, Baby...) I enjoy being able to blog a bit, share posts I like on social media, and add my personal spin and opinion here and there... but I'll never be an "Internet Fitness and Nutrition Guru".
There are people who have a talent for producing information, and there are people who have a talent for applying that information.
There are the people who write the textbooks, and there are the people who teach from them.
There are the people who map out military strategy, and there are the people who lead from the front, "on the field of battle".
I'm occasionally (okay, frequently) at odds with the people who write, research, and plan... They typically have either retired from the teaching/training roll, and are losing touch, or they are purely academic types, who never deal with the real-flawed-human aspect of their science.
They have their role, and I thank them.
I have my role... Using their knowledge to help real people, with real dreams, real goals, and real struggles. Life isn't a sterile laboratory... I'll continue to write a little... but mostly about the application, not about the theory. I'll write about applying the theory to the real world. I'll write about the Psychology of Exercise... from a trainer who deals with "flawed" athletes as opposed to elite athletes, eager study participants, and physique competitors. I'll write about my own struggles maintaining an above-average physique with a damaged body.
I'll keep writing... what I know.
And I'm perfectly fine with that.
I typically train clients between 5-7 hours per day. Of course that's mostly 30-minute sessions (with a few 1-hours mixed in), and many of them back-to-back-to-back. So that's 10-12 clients per day. Lisa and I start at 5:00-5:30AM most mornings, and finish up around 7:00PM most nights. Yes, we take "4 Hour Lunches" to maintain our sanity, and not burn out as most Trainers eventually do.
We're Trainers... It's our passion.
Between clients, in free half-hours here and there, I spend a lot of time reading articles on fitness and nutrition, research "summaries", and professional blogs I follow due to their consistent quality information, which 90% of the time simply re-affirms what I'm already doing professionally, and occasionally gives me new information that makes me better. I really respect the great writers I follow, and LOVE to absorb research and cutting edge information on the science of what I do. A lot of it, I simply share and comment on on Facebook, because it's stuff I just DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO WRITE MYSELF! I get inspired to write something in an effort to educate, inform, and motivate my clients, and the thousand friends/followers I interact with every day via social media, and the dozen clients I work with every day. But often in my research for my OWN article, I find one already written, and well researched, and saying 99% what I wanted to say anyway! This is the amazing beauty of the internet, and social media, as a conduit of information shared among people of common interest. I refuse to "plagiarize and tailor" as many bloggers seem to do, just rewriting other writer's ideas, and calling them their own... so I share.
What I've learned... is even though I am a "decent" writer myself, I'm not nearly as talented with the written word as others.
What I've learned... is even though I have a great depth of experience, and analytical ability to crunch statistics and spot trends (My degree is in Mechanical Engineering... not Exercise Science), I'm NOT a talented researcher, nor do I possess the time to do research.
What I've learned... is that my passion for actually training people, the "in the trenches" personal side of the business, doesn't leave the time to host a Facebook group, or coach 50+ people over the phone. (Maybe due to the fact that I have a great home life!!! Thank you, Baby...) I enjoy being able to blog a bit, share posts I like on social media, and add my personal spin and opinion here and there... but I'll never be an "Internet Fitness and Nutrition Guru".
There are people who have a talent for producing information, and there are people who have a talent for applying that information.
There are the people who write the textbooks, and there are the people who teach from them.
There are the people who map out military strategy, and there are the people who lead from the front, "on the field of battle".
I'm occasionally (okay, frequently) at odds with the people who write, research, and plan... They typically have either retired from the teaching/training roll, and are losing touch, or they are purely academic types, who never deal with the real-flawed-human aspect of their science.
They have their role, and I thank them.
I have my role... Using their knowledge to help real people, with real dreams, real goals, and real struggles. Life isn't a sterile laboratory... I'll continue to write a little... but mostly about the application, not about the theory. I'll write about applying the theory to the real world. I'll write about the Psychology of Exercise... from a trainer who deals with "flawed" athletes as opposed to elite athletes, eager study participants, and physique competitors. I'll write about my own struggles maintaining an above-average physique with a damaged body.
I'll keep writing... what I know.
And I'm perfectly fine with that.
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