Heather Bedard, C.H.E.
Finding the right trainers and therapists is critical to building a successful support community around you. Sometimes they may be hard to find, but they are out there. Here are some tips to finding the right people in the categories of trainers, instructors, and therapists.
Personal Trainers
When looking for a personal trainer, you want to look for someone who has trained or is training professional athletes. This is because they often have experience with a wide range of physical abilities and a whole-person approach. This could also be found by looking for someone who understands physiology or who has trained with someone who does. You would also want to look for someone who exemplifies the principles they tout. Many times, you will find the best trainers at smaller gyms, and they may be a little more expensive, but it’s worth it!
Usually, the first appointment will involve an assessment to evaluate your strength and identify points of weakness. You should tell your trainer if you have any injuries, and they should be able to detect any muscular or structural imbalances that you have. A good trainer will change your routine often and push you to do more than you think you can. They should make constant corrections and be focused on you the whole session. Most likely you’ll be sore the next day but that will improve with time and not be so drastic. You should notice your body begin to change and get more toned and leaner. It may go without saying, but if you are not noticing changes in your body, then you need a better trainer or a better program!
You can find the Questions to Ask Your Personal Trainer printable under the printable resources page that comes with your membership, but some good questions you can ask would be:
· Where did you get your training or certification?
· How long have you been training?
· How many people like me have you worked with (injured, overweight etc…)
· How long are the workouts?
· How many times a week should I be coming?
· What is your training philosophy?
· How hard do you push your clients?
Yoga Instructors
Along the same lines as a personal trainer would be a yoga instructor. There are many different types of yoga but the one you will be benefit most from for weight-loss would be more aggressive style. Hot yoga would be good for healing and rapid progress. You will want to find an instructor that is skilled so that you can prevent injury. The best way to ensure this is to ask if they participate in ongoing training. Your instructor should provide constant direction and walk around the room to watch the whole class. Watch a class and see how the class is controlled. Is it a quiet, peaceful place to grow in your discipline? Your instructor should encourage you to participate in other physical activities as well.
Physical Therapists
If you see a physical therapist, their goal should be to improve you as a whole. Because of this, you will want to find a therapist who will treat you as a whole person to identify the root cause of what you are struggling with. They should do hands-on, manual therapy, and give you things that you can work on at home. You will want to find a person that can help you improve your posture and recover muscular symmetry as well as help you re-establish functional movement. Oftentimes the joint or muscle that is causing the problem isn’t the one that is causing the pain. This is why it is so important that your therapist assesses your body as a whole. One of the most effective therapies is called the M.E.L.T. Method. M.E.L.T. is a self-treatment technique that helps to prevent pain and initiate healing. This method simulates the techniques that a physical therapist would use. You can find a local M.E.L.T. practitioner at www.meltmethod.com. I used this method as part of my protocol for relieving TMJ pain and it was incredibly fascinating to experience my body responding to the different techniques I was doing on myself and how I could personally restore symmetry and balance to my body without even leaving my house!
Be choosy when picking your trainers and therapists and you will be much happier with the results!