Bit of Background
Being a personal trainer is a great job to work in daily. I get to coach, which I miss from being involved with basketball for so many years. I get to help my clients reach their goals, vent about what’s going on in their lives, help keep a positive environment for a taxing workout, and keep them motivated.
It’s been tough since retiring from basketball. I haven’t played basketball since May of 2019. After 25 years of being involved with playing and coaching it was hard to just leave completely. I did my own training by walking and cycling but it wasn’t the same as the workouts I had from basketball over the years. Then COVID hit…it’s been a rough couple of years. Getting in and out of lockdowns, dieting because I had the time to focus on calorie counting, measuring food, weighing myself every day to see the scale fluctuating and seeing results come after severe calorie deficit…it’s all so relatable for my clients.
Training Ups and Downs
I finally hit a stride about 6 months ago in January. Started training again and had a consistent workout regimen set for myself. I had increased to a five-day split leading up to
my cousin’s wedding and a leg in the Cork City Marathon in June. I was feeling great had more energy, my strength was building each week, and I was in a rhythm. Then it hit me…I caught COVID. I had severe cough/aches/trouble breathing/shortness of breath for about 3 weeks total. With my leg of the marathon I chose to walk my leg with our very own iron-man Colm. This kept me accountable even though running was not going to happen! Recovering and getting my breath back is still an effort, but it’s time to get started again.
Getting Professional Advice
Starting off, I needed to get myself looked over by a professional. I’ve been suffering from a shoulder mobility issue for the last few years and wanted to get that looked at by a physiotherapist to be sure that I’m starting out in a safe and comfortable manner. I want to avoid injury in a few weeks’ time after starting a new program. It’s important to listen to your body and get started on the right foot and keep working safely towards goals. After about five weeks of rehab exercises and physiotherapy appointments I’m fortunate to have built strength and gotten the all-clear to go ahead with a program building strength.
Starting a New Programme
Starting out I have taken some baseline measurements. I’ve measured weight, body measurements, and recorded baseline weights lifted for my workouts. Planning is key as well as having a clear goal. Starting with a fitness goal for myself is a big aspect of getting a routine in place. I rarely set a scale-based goal for myself. I prefer for myself and for my clients to have a fitness/performance goal in mind and work towards that for the duration of the programme. With that in mind, programming is basic, focusing on a handful of exercises for a few weeks, working on building a serious base of strength and power, all while focusing on maintaining consistency in my workouts and hitting 10k steps per day.
Non-scale victories are great! Losing body fat is a goal, but the number on the scale doesn’t always reflect that. Measurements changing all over the body, measuring strength, feeling clothes fit better, having more energy, having better posture, clearer skin or anything that is a result of following a program can be considered a victory or a win!
You Can Start Too!
We’re all here for similar reasons but self-improvement is at the core of the fitness industry. If you need help, feel free to email me katy@nrgfitness.ie and I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have! All of us at NRG Xpress are here to help you reach your goals and we’ve all been at different stages of elite and beginners. You’re not alone, starting is just the first step 😊