There was an article I saw last week that pretty well bagged Personal Trainers - PT’s – commenting how underqualified they were, and how a lot of people are jumping on the bandwagon, so PT wannabes are being exploited by Training Organisations wanting to make a quick buck. If you’re going to read the article, make sure you read the comments as well. Most observations are second hand.
However, my observation has been that most people working in the fitness industry come from two main camps. The first camp is made up of people who just love being physically active and who want a career based around this passion. The second camp is made up of people who have made their own hard slog journey from obesity to fitness, and who want to help others achieve this transition also.
My personal opinion is that trainers from both camps work best with clients with similar values to themselves – so the fitness fanatics train other fitness fanatics, and people who used to be large train others who no longer wish to be large.
It’s about connection, empathy and being inspirational. I love my PT, Lyndell, because I respect the path she has taken – one I plan to take as well. She knows the pitfalls I will be encountering and can help me overcome them or avoid them altogether. That is what is valuable to me.
It is well, well, well recognised that to be successful in an endeavour, be it building a business, losing weight, writing a book or learning to be an artist, you need a coach or mentor to teach, train, touch base with. Alone, we can disappear up our own intellectualisations and rationalisations and never achieve anything except a bunch of words. How many of us know what we need to do to lose weight but never get around to applying it. That’s where a PT comes in. It’s about ACTION.
