by AAPTE | Nov 19, 2019 | Uncategorized
Meditation
Certification Expands the Services Provided by Fitness Professionals
Meditation, a buzz word and hot trend right now among many
circles. Spas, fitness studios and wellness clinics are beginning to add
meditation classes to their class schedules. Meditation is a mental exercise
that when practiced routinely trains the brain to think, process and react
differently. Just like physical exercise, this mental exercise has many
benefits backed by science including its ability to reduce stress and anxiety,
improve cognitive function, improve focus, strengthen the immune system and
improve cardiovascular health.
Meditation comes in many forms and styles, similar to workouts
and most well-known for “clearing the mind” or “letting go of your thoughts”
these are not the only techniques meditation has to offer. Meditation can come
in the form of walking, listening to music and even observing your thoughts
rather than letting them go.
As a fitness professional you coach your clients to live a
healthier lifestyle, incorporating exercise into their daily routine to
strengthen their body and improve their health, many times clients are facing a
mental game that may be limiting or discouraging them from reaching their
optimal goals. Meditation and mindfulness practices can help combat this often
negative mental dialogue.
Fitness professionals are continuously searching for ways to
enhance their skills, help their clients and obtain continuing education
credits. This newly available Level 1 Meditation Certification course is a
great addition to your current career path. Below are three ways you can expand
your revenue as a fitness professional by becoming certified to teach
meditation.
Personal Training – Add On
Becoming certified in meditation adds value to personal training sessions in
many ways, often clients come to the session stressed out from work, family
obligations and to-do lists. Fitness professionals can begin their training
sessions with a five to ten-minute meditation to center and focus their clients.
A short meditation is great for calming
the body and focusing their mind for the workout ahead. One of the benefits of
meditation is that it improves focus and concentration, when visualization
techniques are used prior to a workout a client will visualize their form and
technique of a workout, enhancing the effectiveness of the workout. By having
them visualize parts of their routine, coupled with breathing techniques to
reduce the tension and stress in their muscles, a client will be able to focus
on their workout from a better state of mind and a body that is ready to
receive. Adding a short meditation to the beginning of your workout means
adding revenue to your pocket. Increase your hourly rate by $10 or $15 to reflect
the “new service offering”. While this may not seem like a huge amount,
multiply this by ten sessions a week and you have increased revenue by $100 to $150
per week for less than two hours of work.
Group Classes
Group meditation classes are an excellent way to increase revenue. If you
are at a gym where they are looking to expand their current class offerings,
becoming certified to teach group meditation classes brings value to the gym
and money to your pocket. Another option is to rent a room and bring together
your current clients for a mental fitness group class priced between $15 and $20
per person which gives you the flexibility to earn up to $400 or more per
class. If you choose to host events with a fitness aspect and mental fitness
aspect, the amount that can be made per event is even higher; upwards of $1,500
to $3,000 per event.
Private Meditation Coaching
Private coaching is in demand for business professionals and entrepreneurs who
are working to find some type of balance between their professional and home
life. Many want to create space for finding stillness, reducing stress and creating
time for inner peace. Private coaching per session begins at $65 per hour and
can extend as high as $150 per hour depending on the type of session, length of
time, etc. Many of your current clients may be the perfect candidate for
mindset coaching without you having to spend a lot of time searching for new
clients.
Becoming certified to teach meditation is a great way to
expand your training offerings. The Journey into Tranquility course is a Level
1 Meditation Certification online course that is offered by AAPTE for
continuing education credits. If you want to expand your knowledge and earn
CEC’s without becoming certified to teach classes, we only require the online
portion of the course be fulfilled. For those wanting to teach, there are
additional requirements to become certified. This course teaches a 3-step
process for teaching meditation that is also beneficial for your own life by
implementing the steps taught in this course to reduce stress and improve
productivity within your own career.
by AAPTE | Jul 27, 2018 | Personal Training
At AAPTE, we believe structure determines function and condition of structure determines opportunity. “Training movement” is a piece of the exercise equation. Our partner at The Cofactor, wrote a clear and concise article that addresses why training movement patterns without a functional understanding of what is moving, is a concern.
by The Cofactor
Movement is the new buzz word sweeping across the fitness industry, with fans, believers, and devoted followers.
Not a day goes by without an Instagram post, a blog or YouTube video saying “it is about movement” and “train movements” etc.
In my attempt to lookup movement patterns, I found some references saying it is 5 patterns, others referred to 6 patterns and finally references to7 patterns.
Based on those movement patterns, movement screens were also developed and regularly conducted on clients and athletes, outcomes are then used to determine patterns needing work or improvement, so trainers can focus on them, at least in theory.
Based on movement patterns we are expected to squat in a specific form, push in a specific form, deadlift in a specific form etc. This line of thinking, of course, makes life easy for us trainers as all we have to do is look for a few reference points and judge if the move matches a pattern dictated to us.
It is no wonder in the age of prepackaged everything, trainers jump all over the idea, we really do not need to think, we just need to follow “protocols” or some pre-determined motions while sounding intelligent! rather than analyzing and getting down to the bottom of issues. The later is hard work and dedication.
Yes, I am going to rush into a conclusion and already tell you that I am not a big fan of the idea of movement patterns, and for the rest of this blog, I am going to explain why.
Read the full post here…
by AAPTE | Apr 15, 2017 | Diets, Nutrition
Your body requires a balanced diet for proper function. This includes proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, fats, and minerals. Proteins are essential in the body for proper brain function, tissue repair and regeneration, metabolism and boosting the body immunity among others. Protein is a component of body cells and is a component of a healthy diet.
Food for thought:
Protein supplements offer a convenient way to help meet your protein intake requirements. Most people can obtain their daily dietary requirements of protein easily. However, if a situation where greater protein intake is necessary, you may need to supplement your intake.
There are two common varieties of protein supplements; plant and animal based. Favorite sources of plant proteins include peas, rice, hemp, and soy. On the other hand, whey is an animal based protein supplement. It is a highly processed derivative of milk. Whey supplements have been around for a long time while plant protein supplements are only gaining popularity in comparison.
There are distinguishing factors you should be aware of between the two. Let’s look at some of them.
Advantages of Plant Protein Supplements
- Effectiveness: They are just as good as whey protein supplements in getting the job done.
- Digestion and metabolism: They are digested better than the dairy-based whey.
- Healthier: Plant proteins are not processed. They do not contain artificial additives, preservatives or flavoring components. They are an exceptional source of amino acids, fiber, antioxidants and more.
- Taste: They are mostly considered to be better in taste and easier to mix with water.
- Variety: There is more choice in the food components in plant-based proteins.
However, some plant protein products contain lower amounts of specific amino acids. This is of little concern as your body will get sufficient nutrients from the combination of both your regular diet and the supplement. Alternately, you can opt for products that have the complete range of ingredients.
Advantages of Whey Protein Supplements
Whey protein supplements also enjoy a host of benefits over plant protein supplements such as;
- Cost effective.
- You will find it at your favorite local or online store.
- Whey is effective for muscle growth and repair. Additionally, it is packed with digestive enzymes and other nutritional enhancements.
- Convenience. It comes in an easy to ingest format such as a shake, which is quickly absorbed into the body.
In spite of the undeniable attraction to whey, there are several drawbacks to using whey protein supplements including;
a) Whey protein supplements are highly processed which negatively impacts the net nutritional value
b) They may contain significant amounts of artificial ingredients and flavorings
c) Most people with dairy-related allergies find it difficult to hold them down and properly digest them, not to mention elevated levels of stomach gas.
Conclusion
Both plant and whey protein supplements deliver proven results. Plant protein supplements offer healthier, easily digestible organic blends of two or more ingredients to achieve desired results. Whey protein supplements are affordable, convenient and have been trusted for years. Accordingly, take your pick based on individual preferences and health benefits.
by AAPTE | Apr 14, 2017 | Marketing
Social networking is crucial in today’s marketing world and is an integral part of promoting your business. Being a personal trainer means you are in charge of your own marketing; Here are some tips:
Use Every Social Media Platform At Your Disposal
There are multiple social media marketing platforms that can help you reach more followers, fans, and new clientele. For example, creating a Facebook fan page for your business, which will help create a fan base that is highly interested in your personal training journey and your skills.
Similarly, it will only benefit your bottom line by creating pages across Twitter, Instagram, and Linkedin. This is because fans and possible clients that you can not reach through one platform, you will more likely reach through several other social media platforms.
Post To Your Social Media Pages Everyday
Once you have your social media marketing platforms set up make sure that you are posting daily, multiple times a day. Personal trainers know that self-promotion can be tough and time consuming, but building your brand is an important part of bringing in clients. Posting daily will help to increase traffic to your pages, which means increased views, likes, and followers.
Part of this aspect means mixing up your posts, like offering tips and recommendations as a personal trainer. This means you should include videos and photos. For example, sharing a weekly video of a workout or posting before and after photos of clients that you have helped. This social media marketing strategy helps increase the popularity of your pages because it showcases your professional skills and client successes.
As your social media marketing skills begin to grow, many personal trainers admit that creating online workout programs brings in more traffic. For instance, creating a 6 to 8 week workout program that your followers could try helps to build up trust and loyalty in your skills as a personal trainer. This is because folks that are able to try your program and actually get results are more likely to seek your services in the future.
Also, a great way to make your social media pages interactive is by allowing your followers to post as well. They can post their trials and tribulations as they implement your workout program. It is important to note that having a great response rate will strengthen their loyalty, so make sure you are answering questions and commenting on their success.
Offer Incentives in Bold Posts
One of the best ways to increase traffic to your social media pages is by offering discounts and deals on your personal training sessions. When you make these promotions, ensure that your posts are noticeable and straightforward. This means make your promotional posts bold, eye-catching, and crystal clear when it comes to what you are offering. It will help bring in new clients and provide more incentive for fans that were originally on the fence about reaching out to you.
by AAPTE | Mar 2, 2017 | Uncategorized
The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting your intake of solid fats and added sugars to between 5 and 15 percent of your daily diet. Added sugars increase your calorie intake without providing the body with essential minerals. They also increase your risk for diseases such as diabetes, heart failure and obesity among others. Traditionally, fruits were the primary sources of sugar. Today, you find processed sugar in almost all packed foods.
Natural sugars available in milk, lactose and fruits benefit the body. Additionally, taking sugar in moderation helps your body function properly. Sucrose, available in table sugar, serves as your body’s primary energy source. Your small intestines produce sucrase, which breaks down the sucrose into fructose and glucose for easier absorption into the blood stream. It then travels to the liver for processing and distribution into cells, where it metabolizes into an immediate energy source.
Your body also stores extra glucose as glycogen. When the primary source of energy is unavailable, your body breaks down the glycogen into single glucose units. They serve as energy sources during workouts, at night, when you take a rest and in between meals to prevent dangerous drops in your bloods sugar levels.
Sugar critics frown on sugar for its lack of nutritional value; it delivers empty calories to the body. Nutritionists advise that you use complex carbohydrates such as starchy vegetables, cereals and grains as your main sugar sources. Simple sugars metabolize fast, causing rapid blood sugar spikes and drops. Complex carbohydrates help with more stable blood sugar levels, sustained energy levels and provide more vitamins and minerals than simple sugars.
Several scientific studies also indicate that sugar ultimately affects your health negatively. A sugar-laden diet increases your risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes and dementia among others. Sugar taps into your preference for sweet tasting things and can easily become addictive. While you cannot liken sugar ‘addiction’ to drug addiction, people that experience sugar cravings often exhibit dependency symptoms. A good example is obese people, who keep taking sugary things even when they experience difficulty walking or breathing.
Every time your sugar intake goes beyond the recommended levels, you increase your risk for diabetes by up to 1.1 percent. Over a prolonged period of time, diabetes becomes inevitable. Diabetes further increases your risk for heart disease; over 65 percent of diabetes deaths occur from a heart-related complication. Sugar intake also increases bad cholesterol levels and dangerous triglyceride blood fats, while inhibiting your body’s ability to clear our bad cholesterol.
High sugar levels in the blood affect your face. Sugar attaches to proteins, forming new molecules such as advanced glycation end products or AGEs. The new molecules attack and damage nearby protein, including collagen and elastin, the components that help your skin remain firm and elastic. Eventually, skin proteins become brittle, leading to wrinkly and saggy skin. AGEs further promote the growth of fragile collagen, which affects your body’s natural antioxidant enzymes. This affects your skins ability to deal sun damage and environmental toxins.
Sugar triggers your liver to increase its fat storage in weird places; eventually, globules of fat develop around your liver, heart and around your stomach. This can gradually lead to liver and heart disease.
Ultimately, sugar is not the enemy; your consumption of sugar is the problem. The first step to reducing health risks associated with sugar is reducing your intake of simple sugars, and choosing complex sugars instead. Some changes in the beginning may include a sugar-free diet, where you only rely on natural sugars from carbohydrates and fruits.
Additional Text
Sources The Washington Post: Where People around the World Eat the Most Fat and Sugar
SFGATE: Importance of Sugar in the Human Body
WebMD: The Truth About Sugar
Harvard Health Publication: Eating too Much Added Sugar Increases the Risk of Dying with Heart Disease
Prevention: 11 Weird Things Sugar’s Doing to Your Body
