A few months ago you may have seen an image that went viral on Facebook (among fitness professionals, anyway) that presented a parody of sorts of the life of a personal trainer. It showed a series of pictures and captions depicting the public perception of personal trainers. One image showed an '80s aerobics instructor fitted out in a leotard, leg warmers and high bangs with the caption, "What my mom thinks I do." The next image showed a screaming drill sergeant captioned, "What my clients think I do." There were few others, all quite comical, and unfortunately, not far from how many people may still view a profession in fitness. The last image, however, tied the parody together. It depicted a psychiatrist with a patient on his couch who was sad, frustrated and depressed. The caption read, "What I really do."
Most fitness professionals can probably recount those few clients to whom they felt they were being paid for a counseling session, not a workout session. This begs the question then: How much of our profession is coaching and counseling beyond biomechanics, dumbbells and meal planning? How does this "mind-body connection" come into play as we develop the most effective, results-driven programs for our clients? What does "mind-body connection" really mean to us and how do we best communicate it with our clients?
When we talk about the mind-body connection, the theme of this issue of PFP, we can interpret the concept a few different ways. I'm sure many of you refer to the mind-body connection with your clients as they perform a movement with the goal of creating the physiological response of using the brain to activate the muscle at work which then triggers the muscle more effectively (in the simplest of explanations).
Another way we can interpret the mind-body connection is in a more holistic sense; an awareness of how the physical and mental are intrinsically connected. And for some, mind-body connection is the focus on the mindset of training our bodies but realizing that physical change cannot occur without a healthy mindset first.
In this issue of PFP, we've focused on several definitions of the mind-body connection:
- Beth Shaw, founder of YogaFit, provides a plan for fitness professionals to integrate yoga successfully and safely in our client programs.
- Ever thought about the benefits of becoming a certified wellness coach? Richard Tuma walks us through six strategies of how to successfully add wellness coaching to your repertoire.
- Mike Seril has built his business, in large part, by partnering with the medical professionals in his community. In his feature, he shares simple tactics you can implement today to generate referrals from your local medical community.
- Be sure to read this month's Journey to Success profile featuring coach, author and industry leader Sage Rountree. She shares with us the three lessons she credits to her success.
Whichever "mind-body connection" definition resonates most with you, I hope you find inspiration in this issue and then share that inspiration with your clients and colleagues. And don't forget to "Like" our new Facebook fanpage and connect with our community of professionals:www.facebook.com/pfpmedia.
Namaste,
Lindsay Vastola
Most fitness professionals can probably recount those few clients to whom they felt they were being paid for a counseling session, not a workout session. This begs the question then: How much of our profession is coaching and counseling beyond biomechanics, dumbbells and meal planning? How does this "mind-body connection" come into play as we develop the most effective, results-driven programs for our clients? What does "mind-body connection" really mean to us and how do we best communicate it with our clients?
When we talk about the mind-body connection, the theme of this issue of PFP, we can interpret the concept a few different ways. I'm sure many of you refer to the mind-body connection with your clients as they perform a movement with the goal of creating the physiological response of using the brain to activate the muscle at work which then triggers the muscle more effectively (in the simplest of explanations).
Another way we can interpret the mind-body connection is in a more holistic sense; an awareness of how the physical and mental are intrinsically connected. And for some, mind-body connection is the focus on the mindset of training our bodies but realizing that physical change cannot occur without a healthy mindset first.
In this issue of PFP, we've focused on several definitions of the mind-body connection:
- Beth Shaw, founder of YogaFit, provides a plan for fitness professionals to integrate yoga successfully and safely in our client programs.
- Ever thought about the benefits of becoming a certified wellness coach? Richard Tuma walks us through six strategies of how to successfully add wellness coaching to your repertoire.
- Mike Seril has built his business, in large part, by partnering with the medical professionals in his community. In his feature, he shares simple tactics you can implement today to generate referrals from your local medical community.
- Be sure to read this month's Journey to Success profile featuring coach, author and industry leader Sage Rountree. She shares with us the three lessons she credits to her success.
Whichever "mind-body connection" definition resonates most with you, I hope you find inspiration in this issue and then share that inspiration with your clients and colleagues. And don't forget to "Like" our new Facebook fanpage and connect with our community of professionals:www.facebook.com/pfpmedia.
Namaste,
Lindsay Vastola
