Resilience is an important consideration in the way we develop (or grow) both physically, and psychologically. As a personal trainer, I may not talk about resilience head-on, but it is a key element in the work we do together. Resilience is a built skill that allows you to adapt to sources of stress and “bounce back” with greater ease. It also involves personal growth. By working out, we intentionally introduce stress (the good kind of stress, called eustress) to your body for it to adapt, get leaner, stronger, and…..resilient. This helps you run that half-marathon, have more energy for your kids during the day (…and more so at night, when you’re running through the bedtime routine), increase mobility and range of motion, as well as feel more confident in your own skin. We do the same for mindset. Motivation isn’t really necessary (or needed) to keep working out, the act of just adding a little bit more stress (like an extra push up) into your workout trains your mind to adapt from “I can only do 10 pushups” to “I can do more than 10 pushups.” By developing a resilient mindset, you end up being able to actually f-e-e-l more proactive in your fitness journey. FUCK. YES.

 

As your personal trainer, in order to teach your body and mind resilience, I also have to model resilience within my own life, business, and well….with my clients. I can say a lot about the benefits of creating a resilient business, but that isn’t what you are here for. What does that mean for you? One of the best ways that resilience in my business applies to you is through online training opportunities. Before this year, I was a gym freak, I didn’t think that online FaceTime training sessions were going to allow me to instill one of the core tenants of my training philosophy, form, nor was I truly that confident that I was going to be able to create the “right” energy with my clients being separated by a computer or phone screen. These were all elements of stress that I decided to introduce as a service to my clients because of……resilience. Thanks to this, I’m a more resilient personal trainer, and I welcome pretty much any type of distance-training environment. If you want to work out, I want to be there to help you, it’s that simple. It also allows me to reach and connect with more people all over the states (and maybe, just maybe, someday… the world 🌎 ) and allows you the opportunity to “accidentally” press mute during our training session and pretend like it’s a bad connection. Not that any of my clients have ever tried that…Ahem, Karen…

“By developing a resilient mindset, you end up being able to actually f-e-e-l more proactive in your fitness journey. FUCK. YES.”

Much like any other training modality you may come across, there are always going to be benefits and drawbacks to online training. Just a quick side note here – I  want to draw your careful attention to the use of ‘benefits’ instead of ‘pros’ and ‘drawbacks’ instead of ‘cons’ – this is intentional. The distinction is an important one for me to make because working out via online platforms is just different from working out together in-person, it’s not better or worse, and your unique situation is going to determine whether the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. That’s for you to decide and if do you decide it works for you, I’m all in, ready to tailor whatever fitness journey you need; in whatever way best works for your needs. So here we go, some benefits and drawbacks for you to consider…..I am looking forward to reading about what your preference is in the comments below;

 

Benefits

• Geography – sometimes you find the perfect trainer, and then you have to move – why go through the hassle of finding a new one when you can take them with you via Zoom, FaceTime, or whatever app you prefer. People with hectic travel schedules also benefit in this regard.
• Distance makes the heart grow fonder, and in some instances, keeps it healthy too. Sometimes when you are already struggling with a compromised immune system or health challenge, you may end up skipping the opportunity to work out because you just can’t expose yourself to that one sick person at the gym who prioritizes their muscle mass over everyone else’s wellbeing – well, you don’t have to worry, because online training allows you to work right from the comfort of your own home.
• Speaking of working out from the comfort of your own home – online training can really benefit your weekly workouts by helping you become acclimated to your own personal space – the space you use to work out when your trainer isn’t there. Bonus – you don’t have to worry about what you look like, or whether those 5 lbs dumbbells make you look weak (they DON’T btw, but it will help retain your focus either way).
• Lastly, life is just not as flexible as we want our bodies to be. Sometimes your schedule is just too tight to go to the gym, or you have a child/children running around, and no access to daycare. Having access to online training creates that magical space for you each week to actually workout, get fit, all while juggling the very real aspects of being a modern-day adult. Ugh, life is hard sometimes, but working out doesn’t have to be. 😁

 

Drawbacks

• Here is where things get real – the energy is different between trainer and client when you are in-person. It just is. In-person connection builds trust easier and minimizes misinterpretation and misunderstanding of physical cues and facial expressions/gestures. This also applies to group training or gym environments, especially for extroverted people that get into the zone easier by being around other people doing the same thing (Uh.. me! 🙋🏻‍♀️).
• There is also the concept of tactile feedback, where I’m able to adjust form not just more meticulously, but in a way that helps you retain the information. Touch is one of the most powerful nonverbal ways to not only retain information but to remember the detail, which is important to consider when learning form and function during training sessions.
• Although I’m always open to the creativity of turning your chair into a piece of workout equipment, you may miss the versatility of workouts in gyms, or even with me in my garage-turned-gym. We most likely won’t have access to the full range of equipment most people are used to working with. This doesn’t mean I want you to go crazy buying a home gym all a sudden, it just means that convenience matters to some people – does it matter to you?
• Not having certain types of equipment can also be a bit more challenging for those with very specific goals (i.e., bodybuilders and physique models, professional athletes, World-Record holders). We can still connect online, but if this is you, we may need to find access to additional facilities where we can address specific mobility, endurance, and strength needs. Reminder, this isn’t to say I cannot train you online. I SURE AS SHIT CAN. It just means you’ll have to have a gym membership and give me a pre-workout tour first. 😉

 

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