Personal Trainers: Good, Bad, and Downright Dangerous

There are an enormous number of people out there professing to be "experts" on training and nutrition.  It's hard to know who to listen to.  Here are a few tips I've discovered when looking for a trainer:

1. Look for someone with a thirst for knowledge and a desire to learn new techniques and try different ideas.  If they are constantly reading up on new techniques and research, they are a lot less likely to just be using the same program for every person who comes to them, and a lot more likely to be willing and able to work within a person's strengths and preferences.

2. Run far away if you see a very restrictive low-calorie diet plan.  Personal Trainers are NOT nutritionists.  They have some basic knowledge, but should not be doing any more than making general recommendations.  I highly recommend searching out a Registered Dietician in your area for sound nutritional advice.  You can search for Registered Dieticians in Canada at http://www.dietitians.ca/Find-A-Dietitian.aspx.

3. A good trainer will correct sloppy form and have recommendations to avoid injury whilst exercising. 

4. Find someone who has time for you.  If a trainer is fantastic, but they don't have time to answer a few quick questions when you're struggling, it's pointless to have one.

5. Anytime someone is constantly trying to sell you on a particular product or gimmick and is unwilling to make a general recommendation and let you choose your own product is probably a sales rep for that company.  This does not necessarily mean it's a bad product, but it doesn't mean it's a good or valuable product, either.  I find this to be a breech of trust between client and trainer.

Really, you want a trainer who has passion for what they are doing.  You can definitely tell if it is "just a job", or if a trainer is truly passionate about helping others.  And, to be honest, a bad trainer can be a lot worse than no trainer.

Good luck!

Running Shoes - An Injury Waiting to Happen?

Running shoes have been around for a long time, with the claim that they will help prevent injury.  And supposedly you have to replace them every 3 months to ensure the health of your body.  But what if your $150 running shoes are actually causing injury?

Hear me out.  When you run, what kind of method do you use?  Do you run landing hard on your heels and then rolling to the balls of your feet, or do you land lightly on the balls of your feet and push off slightly forward?  What about when you run barefoot along the beach?

Running shoes are rigid by design to "support" the foot.  But because they are rigid, it tends to make people land hard on the heels of their feet rather than lightly on the balls of their feet.  This rigidity found in almost all footwear these days can also lead to foot problems in some individuals.

Or at least, that is the claim made by barefoot shoe manufacturers.  It seems that not enough research has been done yet on the topic to either prove or disprove barefoot running as the healthier or less injury-prone method, but I'm willing to give it a whirl.

I have a pair of Vibram Fivefingers barefoot runners, and I like them so far.  But I have not used them for much more than short jogs or sprints.  I look forward to seeing some more research done on the topic.

Food for thought, anyways.

PPD - Myths vs. Reality

It's been a long journey for me to make this post.  The truth is, I struggled on and off with Postpartum Depression for months after the birth of my second baby.  Other than my husband, this is the first time I have actually admitted it to anyone.  My baby is now 7 months old, and I am finally feeling like I'm able to get out of the house and do some of the things I love once again.

There is a stigma attached to any kind of mental illness.  Here are some of the most common myths I've found about PPD (some of which I believed prior to struggling myself):

1.  Only "weak" people get mental illness. 

Obviously not.  But the "strong" ones are the ones who aren't to proud to ask for help.

2.  PPD only really affects moms who have nothing going for them.

I had a great career, a loving husband, a nice house and healthy kids.  So there goes that idea!

3.  Since depression is all in a person's head, they can just decide to get over it.

It's really not that easy.  And because it is "all in a person's head", there really needs to be an outside source to help them through it.

4.  You can tell when someone has PPD

The only way you can know for sure that someone has PPD is if they tell you.  Some people are very good at hiding their feelings.

5.  PPD only affects the occasional mom

Approximately one in four moms are thought to suffer from PPD at some point.  And many moms (myself included) never report it or seek professional help.  That's hardly occasional.

So what can we do about it?

If you are struggling with any kind of mental illness, talk to someone you trust about it at the very least.  You are a stronger person than I am if you have the guts to seek professional help, and I applaud you.

If you know a new mom well, come over to visit, hold the baby, and just be there for her.  Ask her how things are going (not with the baby, with HER) and really care about her answer.  I always craved someone to spill my guts to, but my pride always got in the way.

Is "Clean Eating" a myth?

I've been pondering this question for awhile now.  In my previous contest preparation ("off-season"), I ate perfectly within my diet plan 6 days of the week and then was allowed one "cheat day" per week.  The problem with this is that there were quite simply too many things I was trying my best to stay away from except for on Saturdays... when I would binge and eat whatever I wanted.

And when I wasn't giving myself "cheat days", I would invariably wind up breaking down one day and going on a lengthy binge.  Either way, not healthy.  And if you are actually one of the people who can ALWAYS stick to perfectly "clean" foods (whatever that means), I'd call that an eating disorder.

So what is the solution?  I've started trying out a new "diet" called the Macro Diet, or IIFYM (if it fits your macros).  I recommend watching this video by Layne Norton, a coach, bodybuilder, powerlifter, and scientist:

Basically, I'm now shooting for 240g of carbs, 150g of protein, 55g of fat, and at least 30g of fibre.  Within those macros, I can eat what I want.  I'm finding the "My Fitness Pal" app is a great one for tracking my macros on a daily basis (I just ignore the calories).

Nothing against clean foods, but moderation is the key.  Instead of eating clean 90% of the time and then sitting down and eating an entire pizza or tub of ice cream, I'm attempting to eat mostly clean, but if I want a small bowl of ice cream or a slice or two of pizza, I can just factor it into my daily macros... guilt free!

Another thing to keep in mind is that when you hire a personal trainer, they are not certified to give you a diet plan!  Only a certified dietician can do that.  There is a reason nutritional science is a lengthy program; it is very easy to mess up a person's entire metabolic system with poor nutritional advice.

Before competing again, I need to get my eating habits into a healthy and sustainable method.  Right now, that is my #1 priority for my health.

Things are looking up

Things are looking up.  I'm down about 3lbs this week and I'm feeling a lot better.

I've found some accountability.  My trainer is going to take a look at my food journal every week and do measurements once in awhile as well.

I have a sitter lined up to take the girls to on weekends so that I can go to the gym (I'm potty training my 2 year old this weekend, so unfortunately I can't leave the house for that reason).  My permanent nanny will be here next Sunday, so I will have some more help with the house and kids at that point.

I'm finally done my flight test ("Pilot Proficiency Check" is a yearly flight test for commercial pilots), so I can stop stressing about that.

There are always things to stress about, but I'm slowly learning to prioritize and not worry so much about the things I can't change.

But you know the biggest reason I'm better managing all the stress in my life?

Because I'm making clean eating and working out a priority.

This single act has turned my life right around.  I am finding that any goal is easier to obtain if you just put your health first.

Time to Hit the Gym

I sometimes wonder how I made time to make it to the gym every day after having my first baby.  Did I just make it more of a priority, or am I truly that much busier now?

I believe it's mostly the latter.  I've taken on a management position at work, which keeps me quite busy.  It was also part of the reason I was back to work after just taking two weeks of vacation time rather than any kind of formal maternity leave.  Two young kids also keeps me a lot busier outside of work than just one baby does.

But if I'm being honest, it was more of a priority as well.  If I worked a long day and couldn't make it to the gym, I would go in the evening.  I simply don't have the energy or drive to do that anymore.

My solution is to go each day on the weekend.  If I can make it both Saturday and Sunday at some point, I only have to try and fit in two gym sessions during the week.  So I now have a sitter lined up for an hour or two each Saturday and Sunday.

No excuses.

Accountability

I'll be the first to admit it; I need some accountability.

I'm busy.  I'm a manager at a successful helicopter company.  I have two children, ages two years old and under.  I manage two properties, including 5 tenants.  I have two cats.  My husband works 12 hour days.  I'm in the process of getting a live-in nanny from Peru.  I'd like to start a business and get my personal training certification.  Any kind of socialization requires I shower every day or two.

These are all excuses.  In this day and age, everyone is busy!  But regardless of what is going on in my personal life, I need to make clean eating and exercise a priority.  It has been almost 4 months since I had my last beautiful daughter, and I'm only down to 165lbs.

Accountability.  That's what this post is about.  I am perfectly capable of getting to the gym, eating clean, and generally living a healthy lifestyle.  This IS NOT dependant on how busy I am.  Those are all excuses and I know better.

The solution I have found is to find accountability anywhere I can (except my husband... I've discovered that I tend to take offence to him telling me what to do).  I've asked anyone and everyone I know to help hold me accountable and just text me whenever they think of it to see how I've been eating and whether I've been exercising.  If anyone else reading this post wants to help out with this, you're welcome to!

I'm hoping this will be the change I need to get a good thing started.  I've admittedly been struggling since the birth of my second darling girl, but I'm working my way up once again.

Goals for this week:

Get to the gym 4 times.
Follow my diet plan at least until Friday night.
Read at least one chapter in my CFES Fitness Knowledge manual.
Recruit one person to keep me accountable on a daily basis.