No Shame or Guilt, How We Make Workouts Possible for Adults Over 40.
When it comes to working out you always want to set the intention to improve both your mental and physical health. Exercise should make you feel good about what your body is capable of doing. Setting your intention determines the outcome of your goal, but what if the person you hired is setting you up for failure?
How can you tell if your trainer is planning on setting you up for failure? Let’s look at some harmful behaviors these trainers have.
They guilt you for not following their strict meal plan.
We’ve had a handful of members who’ve worked with a “nutrition coach” that has guilted and shamed them for not following the strict diet they created for them. You should NEVER pay someone to guilt you for something you’re struggle with. This is very harmful to your mental health and also creates more problems than it does good. Let’s be honest here, most of us have kids at home who are picky eaters or partners who are picky eaters as well.
These challenges make it difficult for you to follow a strict plan because you don’t want to cook three different meals. Another thing that this “nutrition coach” is failing to do is understand that their strict diet is made up of foods you probably have never heard of or tried. This makes it even harder to do something you already struggle with. Then they guilt you for not following it? Makes no sense to me.
They say "You’re not working hard enough for your goals."
This statement is bullshit because if you’re showing up to the gym and trying to make changes, then you’re doing the hardest part already. You’re on the right track to success, it just takes time. It’s toxic trainers that say you’re not trying or you need to put more effort in, that’s fucking dumb because you are and that’s why you’re paying them.
Goals take time and life does get in the way. If you’re doing your best to try and make change then keep it up!! If you’re struggling and your trainer shaming you for not working hard enough then it’s time to leave them. They should be acknowledging your efforts and helping you become successful, not beat you down for what you haven’t accomplished.
They make you feel ashamed for not being able to do what they can do.
“What do you mean you can’t push a 250-lb sled? I can do it, so you can you, you just need more encouragement!”
How fucking dumb is that? Trainers who use their own capabilities to determine what their clients can do is dumb shit. Don’t do dumb shit.
Your trainer should be meeting you where you’re at with tons of tools in their tool box to help you achieve your goals. If your trainer is making you feel bad about not being able to do a push up or any type of exercise then they need to be fired. It’s completely unfair if your trainer is comparing their strength to yours, also super douchey.
They’re not taking into consideration how you’re feeling when it comes to the workouts.
I remember seeing a friend working with a trainer at Anytime Fitness years ago and seeing them struggling with a lunge. I was walking by and they mentioned to me how difficult and painful it was for them to do. I responded with “let your trainer know how these are making you feel, they should give you a different exercise”. She did mention it and the trainer didn’t give her a modification and continued to do make her do the exercise.
That’s a dick move on the trainer’s behalf for not taking into consideration how an exercise is making their client feel. There are exercises you will not enjoy doing, but should do because of how beneficial they are for your health. A simple modification would have been a step up for the client, but the trainer was not considerate of the client and caused more harm than good.
How we set you up for success, by building you up not beating you down.
We give our members absolute autonomy
The foundation of what we represent as a company is being able to be your authentic self with the ability to have your own autonomy, which means you have the choice in everything that we do here. If you don’t like an exercise that we’re doing, we encourage you to speak up so we can find the right one for you.
Are you struggling with goals that you’ve set, let’s find a more simple solution to what you’re trying to accomplish. Are you intimidated by other people staring at you while you work out? You’re safe here because we are appointment-based service, no strangers allowed here!!
We don’t believe in the social norms of having to look, act, or speak a certain way. You don’t need to hide your concerns or insecurities here, because we don’t judge. We’re all entitled to our own autonomy and choices. We help encourage our members find their own physical autonomy when it comes to our approach to fitness.
We have endless modifications
Can’t do a push up yet? Cool let’s work on a plank or a yoga block push up. Have bad knees when you squat? No problem, try the press out squat instead. Your back hurts when you bend over? Let’s show you how to bend over properly. Worried about not being able to get up and off the ground? Let’s show you some exercises that will get you stronger to do that. Have a broken elbow and you’re in a cast? You sure bet we have exercises you can still do, just ask Vivian!
Everyone is going to start at different levels with different goals and different experiences. We truly understand this for the members we work with, so we will always meet them where they are at.
We’re professionals
Professionals don’t shame or guilt their clients, instead they take the time to listen to what their clients are struggling with and help them with simple solutions. Being professional means not using gross tactics that discourage you from trying, instead we use communicational skills to see how we can further help you. Another part of our professionalism is knowing that what works for us won’t work for everyone, so we keep an open mind to look for other tools and skills to assist you.
We strive for expertise in our field
Education is another big part of our gyms foundation. We place a high value in continuing our education because we understand that things will always be changing with new research about the body. In order to stay on top of our game we invest in continuing education like certifications, workshops, clinics, books, etc.
Once you believe that you know everything you stop learning. Networking with other gyms and other coaches has allowed us to level up our knowledge to better serve our members.
Your take away from this article should be to know that it is not okay to hire someone that is going to shame and guilt you for trying.
No one deserves that and if you’re feeling that way right now, then we have the place for you that will show you how to do things properly.
If you feel that fitness hasn’t been fit for you, email us today to see how we can help you get started today!!