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Training the Trainer

November 16, 2015



 

Fitness Professionals Need Trainers Too

 

 

I always thought I would be that super fit pregnant lady who bounced back to her fit self just moments after giving birth.  Afterall, I am an exercise physiologist.  I worked out multiple times a day and trained clients over 30 hours a week while running a business of managing other wellness professionals.  Fitness and health is in my blood.  This will be easy peasy.  Well, not so much.

 

In my little perfect world, I didn’t factor in two things, well, three things:

 

  1.  I didn’t fathom the possibility of not physically feeling well enough to exercise.  My morning, or as I like to call it, “all day long” sickness lasted for more than half the pregnancy.  My hips hurt so bad that I could barely walk.  I had weird ailments, like numbness in my “ring” toe (Is that what it is called?) for almost a month.  I was (am) so ungodly tired.

 

  2.  I didn’t start my family until I was 35.  I am now 38 with two beautiful girls, two years old and 6 months old.  With age, the metabolism slows down.  Let’s face it, I am tired.  I barely sleep.  My hormone levels are everywhere.  There’s a reason why people have children young.  But despite it being more difficult with age, I wouldn’t have traded enjoying my twenties and early thirties for my selfish self for all the extra weight.  But, none-the-less, the age has added an additional challenge.

 

  3.  I too, am human.

 

I always told my clients to not compare themselves to celebrities or anyone else for that matter.  Everyone is different, and most of us cannot afford a personal trainer everyday as well as a private chef.  In addition, those people make their money on looking good.  Millions of dollars can be quite motivating to stay in fabulous shape.  You cannot compare yourself to any friends or family members.  You have to compare yourself to you.  You have to aim to be the best you that you have ever been.

 

I find myself comparing myself to wanting to be “the me that I was” before I had my first daughter, Scarlett.   Here I am in a bikini just about a year before I got pregnant.  Not in my twenties, but about 34 years old.

And, I still felt overweight.  Do you ever feel the need to just go back in time and shake yourself and tell yourself to shut up?  Well, I need to realize that the girl in the pink bikini is gone.  That doesn’t mean that I cannot get  myself back into fabulous shape, but I am in my late thirties.  I have two babies.  I am still breastfeeding (I am in the lucky smaller percentage that holds onto fat with the additional estrogen I am producing.  Yay me!) My body is just different.  I gained 50lbs with each pregnancy.  I got pregnant with Daphne (my 6 month old) when Scarlett was 9 months old, and I still had 15lbs to lose.

 

So here I am.  I am 38.  I need to lose 40lbs to get to a healthy weight before trying for baby three, which I would like to pop out before or near turning 40.  My OBGYN informed me that there is a higher liklihood of gestational diabetes if I did get pregnant before reaching a healthy weight.  I also feel fat and do not recognize myself when I look in the mirror.  Who is this person?  I want to be a HOT mom, not a HOT mess.

 

My team and I came up with a dual-purposed project called “Train the Trainer.”  I will be mentoring a newer trainer to the industry, Brette Gurski, while she trains me back into shape.  After my fitness assessment, here are my goals:

 

  • Short Term – Lose 5lbs by December 5th (4 weeks from fitness assessment)
  • Short Term – Lose a total of 10lbs by January 1, 2016 (My 5-Year Wedding Anniversary)
  • Lose a Total of 40lbs by my 39th birthday (May 19, 2016)
  • Increase lower body, core, and upper body strength
  • Increase cardiovascular endurance (oxygen consumption)
  • Decrease stress levels
  • Maintain excellent blood pressure and resting heart rate
 
So if you have ever felt that getting in shape has been a challenge; If you are a working parent, trying to do it all and have time for yourself in the process; or if you are just interested in seeing how my team works to get me back in shape, I hope you enjoy reading my blog.  My story.  Stay tuned to read future blogs about challenges and triumphs.  I’ll be adding tips and letting you know what is working for me.  
 
Feel free to add any words of encouragement . . . Lord knows I need it!

 

The Author


Karen Bobos, MSed

Karen M. Bobos, MSed, has been in the fitness industry since 1996 and feels her highest accomplishments are those results achieved by her clients through her guidance. She educates clients that there is no trick to being healthy, no magic pills, but rather optimal health is achieved through eating right and moving your body.

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