Last night on SBS, Insight had an episode titled No Pain, No Gain. It was an interesting debate, I still don’t know where I stand with most of what was said, so I can only wonder what others who aren’t in the industry can make of it all.

If you missed it, here it is. It goes for nearly an hour all up, so get yourself cosy if you plan on watching the whole thing.
No Pain No Gain

Now I have strong opinions on the fitness industry and I will make them in another entry soon, but for now I just want to address a few things that were mentioned in the show and how they relate to me, because realistically I am the one who is taking care of your fitness, so I want you to know where you stand.

They mention education. They constantly mention this 8 week course to get qualified. When I got qualified in 1999, I did a face to face part time course over the course of about 6 months. I then had to do a 3 month case study on a real person. I had to do every aspect of training this person from the assessment to the programming to the personal training. This makes 9 months all up to get a cert 3. In 2002, we got told the cert 4 was soon to be compulsory, so I started my cert 4 by correspondence, it took me the better part of a year to get through the 6 workbooks thoroughly. Bear in mind I had been full time personal training for 2 years by this stage.

Now, you can go in and in 8 weeks, you have your cert 3 and cert 4 without any experience or ever training a real life client. You are then left to fend for yourself.

They mention registration. The industry is self regulated apparently. You don’t need any qualifications to call yourself a personal trainer and start training people. Whilst this is true, they won’t be able to attain any insurance, so it is a risky game to play. I say that the individual must do their research to make sure their trainer has qualifications, registration and experience.

I currently hold level 3 advanced registration with Fitness Australia. This is the highest level of registration they currently provide.

They mention that the average life span for a personal trainer is 18 months. They say it is a demanding job with early starts and unusual working hours. I say there are way too many trainers getting qualified, you only have to turn on the radio to hear an ad to become a personal trainer, it’s touted as a great way to work your way through university. This puts a whole bunch of people who aren’t really passionate about their career out there and with this many trainers out there, there are not enough clients and so it is not financially beneficial, so they go and find another job.

But this is not the only reason, people see it as a hobby job. They love fitness, so they think why not make a living out of it? Unfortunately, enjoying fitness and having the desire & skills to help others are 2 very different things. They soon find that out.

But, it doesn’t stop there, there is generally a lack of respect for the payment of trainers from clients. Everyone needs to realise that this is a career, not a hobby. When you cancel a session that won’t be paid for, think of how you would feel if your boss rang you and said don’t bother coming in today, I won’t be paying you.

I am proud to say that I have been in the game for over 10 years now. I have faced the same financial problems others have faced over the years, but I love helping others reach their goals and this is what keeps me going. I do take it personally when someone doesn’t make it all the way and I know I shouldn’t, because it has to be a personal decision to change your life for the better, but I do really care about everyone who wants to make that change and I will do my all to make it happen.

They mention working beyond your knowledge or qualifications. I think this is a major problem. I am not a physio, so I don’t diagnose injuries, I refer them on. I am not a kids exercise specialist, so I refer kids on. I am not a pre and post natal specialist, so unless it is a long time client who I know well, I will refer them on. I will keep my long term clients because I am well aware of their past exercise experience and capabilities. I am experienced in pre and post natal and have done several short course, but hold no specific qualification, so I can do the training, but I would be better not to without the relevant qualifications. If someone came to me with a serious illness, I would need to refer it on.

They mention training to breaking point. I train everybody hard. I don’t train anybody beyond their threshold. What one of the main problems is that a lot people aren’t aware of what they are capable of. They often quit too early or have the wrong mindset when entering into something. I think I am very reasonable, I have achieved some great results for those who are willing to put the effort in. Generally those people who don’t put the effort are the ones who won’t get those results and will move onto the next big thing that will work for them (not). I don’t push to that breaking point, I try to get near it, but if anyone disagrees, please add it to the forum so we can address it. New people are always encouraged to start off slow and build up, unfortunately, competitiveness usually takes over and they work beyond their means, which can result in some pretty bad delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).

There was mention of trainers working the clients too hard unnecessarily. Is it unnecessary? I question the results of the trainers that say that? I know that a lot of trainers are useless. They give their clients the most pathetic training sessions and then wonder why their clients don’t get results. There was video of a trainer who’s clients weren’t lunging properly. Thankfully, i always try to drill you guys with technique, but sometimes people just don’t listen no matter how many verbal or physical cues you give them. Now at the end of the day, if the guy in the video wasn’t bending his leg properly, what harm was he doing, she said he wasn’t activating his glutes like he should have been. Well he was activating them more than if he was laying in bed. The big picture is that we need to get everybody out moving regularly. Technique is vital, but there has to be a balance between the nay sayers and those who really want to work hard.

They mention trainers causing injuries. This may happen sometimes, when you do see really bad technique and yes they are right, there are some bad trainers around, but what will generally cause an injury is everything the client is doing outside of the training session. When an injury occurs, it is the straw that broke the camels back. If you take a group training session for example. You have 10 people doing the exact same thing and with good technique, yet 1 person can get an injury. Why is it so? It is something that has been building up over time, poor posture whilst sitting and standing, repetitive movements at work, picking things up incorrectly etc. You then go ahead and do a few exercises and bang the shoulder or the knee or the back goes. It didn’t go from a perfect joint to an injured joint in 10 seconds, it went from a good joint as a child and over the years it has deteriorated without any knowledge of it doing so and then you do something completely different and the injury presents itself.

In the comments, I see statements about choosing an exercise physiologist as your trainer. I don’t believe you need a uni degree to be a great trainer, you do need more than 8 weeks. I think you should also have to do a certain time frame working for a gym, being paid by the gym to carry out professional supervised training sessions, instead of being dumped headfirst into the industry to fend for yourself. I started out in a large gym part time reception, part time gym instructor. It is good to get experience in a structured atmosphere. Unfortunately over the years, the industry has changed a great deal and if you can still find a gym where you are greeted by a gym instructor who is being paid by the gym and is not just talking to you so they can convert you into a client then you are a lucky person. There are no outlets for new trainers to gain that experience anymore. Instead they are put under pressure to get more clients so they can pay their rent or their “mentor”.

Please feel free to give me your feedback at the forum you know I love to hear what you have to say!

Great class this morning, you all did really well in those Tabata shuttle runs!

In a recent article I read in Health Smart about food colourings, a couple of things disturbed me. I have always known that they are not good for you, but it is the attitude of the authorities that astonishes me the most.

Studies have shown that at least 15 commonly used food colourings can produce behavioural problems and other health problems in some people, especially children.

So why have them in our food? Well, here’s a few comments that caught my attention;

Food Standards Australia New Zealand ensures we are consuming additives at levels which would not poison you if you ate them everyday. Gee thanks for that!

FSANZ says these colours are not contained in everyday nutritous foods children should be eating. No Joke, but they’re still out there and they’re still being advertised everywhere you go and at every checkout and in every school canteen.

FSANZ already requires by law that all additives are listed on products. The problem is that most people out there don’t know that their ADD (attention deficit disorder) or asthmatic or aggresive child’s problems are coming from the food that has been passed to be sold in our schools.

Now this is my favourite – I quote “Consumers would baulk at food without colourings. Can you imagine drinking a clear but orange-tasting fizzy drink?” NO I can’t, I wouldn’t feed orange fizzy drink to a stray dog, with or without colour!

Now on the upside, a number of companies are taking the initiative themselves. I know that Nestle now make their Smarties free from artificial colours. I walked past Donut king the other day and they had huge signs all over their counters stating all natural colours used to make their donuts. I have even taken the time to check out a few products in the supermarket and a lot of them stated no artificial colours or flavours.

So they are out there, just take the time to look and buy the products with no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. This is really easy when you eat all natural food, the way they were intended to be eaten.

No artificial colours, flavours or preservatives

In Europe, all foods that contain these additives must carry the following warning “May have adverse effect on activity and attention in children” Wow, children in Europe must be effected worse than ours. Is that correct FSANZ?

Here’s the colours they have found most commonly produce reactions;

102, 104, 110, 122, 123, 124, 127, 129, 132, 133, 142, 143, 151, 155 and 1 natural colour 160b

And here’s just some of the products they are commonly found in in Australia. I have highlighted the ones that should shock you;

Prawn crackers, Froot Loops, cakes, biscuits, muffins, pickles, ice cream cones, dried fruit, cordial, flavoured natural mineral water, flavoured milk, rissoles, medicines (including children’s and infant cold preparations), muesli bars, hokkien noodles, pies and  toothpaste.

Awesome class this morning guys, thanks for the feedback, I didn’t think you would all love the running that much, I will have to incorporate more running interval challenges!

Totally unrelated to fitness or health, I am just totally blown away by the talent this girl has. The video goes for about 8 minutes, but I highly recommend taking the time to watch it, absolutely awesome.

Click here to watch the video

This video shows the winner of 2009’s ” Ukraine ’s Got Talent”, Kseniya Simonova, 24, drawing a series of pictures on an illuminated sand table showing how ordinary people were affected by the German invasion during World War II. Her talent, which admittedly is a strange one, is mesmeric to watch.

The images, projected onto a large screen, moved many in the audience to tears and she won the top prize of about $75,000.

She begins by creating a scene showing a couple sitting holding hands on a bench under a starry sky, but then warplanes appear and the happy scene is obliterated.

It is replaced by a woman’s face crying, but then a baby arrives and the woman smiles again. Once again war returns and Miss Simonova throws the sand into chaos from which a young woman’s face appears..

She quickly becomes an old widow, her face wrinkled and sad, before the image turns into a monument to an Unknown Soldier.

This outdoor scene becomes framed by a window as if the viewer is looking out on the monument from within a house.

In the final scene, a mother and child appear inside and a man standing outside, with his hands pressed against the glass, saying goodbye.

The Great Patriotic War, as it is called in Ukraine , resulted in one in four of the population being killed with eight to 11 million deaths out of a population of 42 million.

An art critic said:

“I find it difficult enough to create art using paper and pencils or paintbrushes, but using sand and fingers is beyond me. The art, especially when the war is used as the subject matter, even brings some audience members to tears. And there’s surely no bigger compliment.”

Click here to watch the video

It was bad enough when McDonalds joined forces with weight watchers about a month ago, but now they are advertising on radio for their special dinner boxes.

This is the quote that their wonderful overpaid marketing department has come up with “We’ll take care of dinner tonight. Grab a value dinner, tuck in and let the stories begin” This is accompanied by the picture of 4 cokes, 4 fries, 2 big macs, 2 cheeseburgers and a pile of chicken nuggets. mmmm nutritious and delicious.

How about they use mine instead “We’ll take care of dinner tonight. Grab a value dinner, tuck in, get really fat and have a coronary heart attack”. Too simple I know, but I should refrain from what I really want to say.

I am still astounded every time I hear the obvious proclaimed as up to the minute news. The latest thing they are shouting about is that there is as much sugar in kids juices as what there is in soft drink. Who didn’t already know this? Is this really news?

We all need to take notice of what is in our foods and especially what is in our kids food because fat kids become fat adults. If you are reading this and you are overweight, I want to ask you, are your kids overweight also?

Childhood obesity is a major major problem for many reasons.

Firstly, overweight children get teased and bullied. It is unfortunate to say because nobody should be teased or bullied, but it does happen. Is that what you want for your child?

Overweight children will most likely develop eating disorders as they get older.

Overweight children will probably become overweight adults.

Do you struggle with your weight? Are you unhappy with your appearance? Are you constantly looking for the quick fix to lose weight? Would you wish this same fate upon your young loved ones? Do them a favour and educate them early how to eat healthily.

It’s Easter time, hip hip hooray! I’m no expert, but I am fairly sure Easter is not entirely about chocolate…

I think Easter eggs and Hot cross buns started making their way into the supermarkets not long after Christmas and the campaign to make us all fat with chocolate really gained momentum in the last month or so.

I will be the first person to say how appealing those beautifully wrapped shiny bunny rabbits and eggs look. It takes a lot of willpower not to buy one and smash into it straight away. It’s just not right, we are a big fat obese nation! You only need to go to a shopping centre to see that for yourself!

Like I said earlier, it is up to us what goes in our mouths, but it is hard to fight temptation all the time. If it is hard for me to resist and I am super conscious about what goes into my mouth, what is is like for someone who is overweight and just cannot resist the sight of those very cleverly designed and marketed Easter goodies.

I just wish the authorities would get it and do something good for this nation, other than the 1 ad on TV which is now getting old. We all got inspired by the guy walking along getting fat and then changing his life and getting thin again, it is a great ad, but we’ve seen that one, it made it’s mark, it did it’s job and now we need more. We need more than 1 ad when we are constantly bombarded with junk food everywhere we go.

I walked into the local shopping centre the other day and this is the first thing I see as I walk in. It goes for about 15 metres. What chance do parents have, the kids are just going to be begging for some of the sweet treats and I know I have had this conversation with friends of mine, when we went to school you would be hard pressed to find one overweight kid. Now it is about 1 in 10….

There is something you can do to fight back. Don’t eat any Easter eggs until Easter. There is absolutely no excuse for eating any easters products now! If you wait until Easter, it is very limited as to what you can devour, but if you have already started, I shudder to think how much you will consume unnecessarily!

I feel so strongly about the following subject that I need to break it down into 3 different posts to really convey how bad this problem is.

I am going to start at the local indoor sports centre.

I take my 2 year old daughter to Kinder Gym once a week. It is held at the the local indoor sports centre. They have a gym, personal training, gymnastics, boxing classes, indoor basketball, soccer, table tennis and the list goes on.

I have been going for about 6 weeks now and I normally don’t look at the counter as I walk in but last week Hannah came with me and her first observation was what was on the counter.

There was nothing for sale other than junk food. They had a pretty extensive range too, from dozens of different ice creams, to any chocolate bar you can think of down to lollies like red skins and milkos. Now if you would like something hot, they have a great selection including hot chips, chiko rolls, chicken nuggets etc. Do I need to go on?

This is just crazy. This is meant to be a sports centre! I am not stupid, I know it is up to the individual person to make the decision as to what goes in their mouth, but surely we can help out a bit by providing more nutritious snacks for after exercise other than 100% junk food.

There is no secret as to how tempting junk food is, especially for kids and especially when it is right in their faces all the time!

I don’t know what the answer to this problem is, I just know it is a problem!

What do you think?

What an awesome way to start the week guys! Thanks for making this morning a great class!