Put Your Best Self Forward!

I opened my personal training business nearly nine years ago knowing that statistically, most new businesses fail. When I opened, we had a really good start because the economy was strong. After being in business for less than a year, the events of 9/11 led to people being more frugal with their money. An easy way for people to cut back financially was to cut back on extra expenses including personal training. Suddenly, less money was coming in. I had a fitness equipment payment the size of a mortgage and only a little bought time with savings to succeed. If it wasn’t for exercise, I don’t know how I would have gotten through those times. When I was stressed out about business, a good workout allowed me to relax, think straight, and come up with plans to succeed. Here we are nine years later still in business and succeeding in the worst economy in decades.What I find ironic is that people tend to stop exercising during times of stress. I can’t tell you how many times clients have cancelled appointments because they were stressed, depressed, or anxious because of life events. Exercise has been shown to alleviate symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. Embarking in a consistent exercise program also results in physical changes that allow an individual to be more self-confident in their appearance. Physically, individuals that exercise regularly are more productive in their work environment. With all of these positive results directly related to exercising consistently, it is obvious that the best thing you can do when life becomes challenging is exercise.If you are presently unemployed, there are many ways to exercise on a budget. A thorough exercise program for basic health needs consists of cardiovascular exercise, strength training, and flexibility training (stretching). If you can afford a low cost gym membership and a few personal training sessions to get some education on how to safely and effectively exercise, then I recommend doing so. If a gym membership and personal training sessions are out of your budget, everyone has the opportunity to do cardiovascular exercise right out their front door. Walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, and rollerblading are all forms of exercise that are basically free. Follow up your cardio with some stretching and you have satisfied two of the three basic components of a good exercise program. Once you are employed and you can afford to add a gym membership to your budget, you can add strength training into your regiment.The most common complaint I hear from clients that are employed is that they have difficulty finding time to exercise. Exercise is a necessity to optimize your health and productivity in the work place and it needs to be scheduled into your daily routine. If you can afford a personal trainer, having an appointment forces you to make exercise a part of your weekly routine. A good personal trainer will educate and motivate their clients to make healthy life decisions when it comes to exercise and eating habits. If consistent personal training is not part of your budget, get a few sessions with a personal trainer to show you the ropes and do the majority of your workouts on your own. After learning the basics, schedule occasional sessions with your trainer to guide you through your progression as your fitness levels improve. As for scheduling your workouts, for most people, working out first thing in the morning is ideal so that procrastinating doesn’t lead to skipping your workout.

Whether you are an employer, looking for work, starting your own business, or, you want to keep your present position in a difficult economy, then exercise should be a part of your weekly routine so that you can “Put Your Best Self Forward”. (as quoted by Christy Robins a Hillinger Personal Training personal trainer for Job Shop which will be aired on KTTV News early November)