Tomorrow I Will…

Recently, I took a class from CanFitPro called the older adult specialist.  It was a fitness/trainer class focusing on the older adult taking into consideration their unique challenges, such as their medical issues. I was interested in knowing, the level of training given to  a personal trainer/ fitness instructor in this age group, since healthcare professionals are sometimes asked to refer their clients to community settings.  The instructor  in this particular course was really good. It was evident that he knew the material well, continued his personal ongoing learning/ training, was enthusiastic about health and wellness,  lived and breathed what he taught, and was caring & confident.

A personal training session, I was informed begins at about $80/per session and can go up from here.  One would normally see a trainer 2-3x weekly to achieve their goals. Do the math; not cheap for most, but as the instructor said “its a small price to pay for your health”.  True.  But how does one know what to look for in a personal trainer or fitness instructor before making this big financial commitment to reap the health benefits?  You may consider doing a little  research, and here are a few of my suggestions;

1. Discuss with friends, family and or your healthcare provider  regarding any recommendations they would make.
2. Once you have the recommendations, interview the trainer and the facility as you would with any job since you will in effect be their employer and if you are  paying their salary  you will want the best candidate for your dollar. Don’t be afraid to ask for a resume. Inquire about such things as; their qualifications,how long have they been working in the field, do they continually upgrade their skills, do they understand your needs and wants, can they provide references etc. It’s  simply not enough to like someone or to have a good feel about someone, they need to be competent.
3. You may want to consider taking a course that a personal trainer would take to understand what it is that you can expect. This will also ensure that you will be an active participant in your training.

So perhaps before you do the leg work do a little leg work (research) of your own.

Cheers

Well the holiday season is upon us and  you know the drill;shop till you drop, office parties, family gatherings, big meals and so on.  During this time of  year I think most of us fall off the ‘health and wellness’ wagon and wait till the new year to  re-start or re-make our resolutions; exercise more, eat well, lose weight, win the lottery and so on. You’ll  undoubtly be inundated with many “how to”make the perfect resolution.  But  before you get to that, here are a few things I want you to consider this holiday season:

1.  Don’t eat  large meals as this has been shown
to trigger  heart attacks.

2.  Don’t get overly angry  for instance, at the woman who stole your parking spot, or  at the  long line at the store which  makes you want to gnaw  your arm off,   because anger has been shown to trigger  heart attacks.

3. Don’t do extreme physical activities like shoveling the driveway  if you haven’t done a stitch of exercise all year as this too will trigger,   you guessed it ——  heart attacks.

There are many factors to heart disease and many people are unaware of their heart condition.  So this holiday season  enjoy  yourself  (sort of )wholeheartedly — just don’t go overboard–

Lastly, before you embark on your New Years resolutions this upcoming year check out the Par Q and follow up with your MD.

Cheers and Happy Heartday