Fitness professionals often provide industry recommendations to help you feel good, strengthen bones, improve hormones and slow down aging. They provide industry recommendations similar to doctors giving prescriptions. “If you complete 150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise, 2-3 strength training sessions and flexibility activities most day of the week you can “manage” the symptoms of aging and “maintain” good health.” This is the industry standard and what is recommended to everyone looking to improve their fitness, health and wellbeing. However, what if you are already doing all of that or more? What if you have a limitation that prevents you from obtaining that standard? Do you just give up?
After a recent experience with battling my own health issues, I have made it my mission to change this system and provide help to many people who have been feeling that the “industry standard” has failed them.
My recent diagnosis of “aging”
After months of feeling like I had the flu, battling difficult emotional swings and experiencing extreme pain in my joints and muscles, I finally saw my general practitioner. I was given the diagnosis of being post-menopausal and having osteopenia. It was explained to me that my feelings of lethargy, brain fog, body aches and pain along with weight gain were just “normal” symptoms of menopause and getting older. In other words, I was suffering from the well known disease called aging. My doctor advised that I get more exercise, especially weight bearing exercise. I also needed to improve my diet by eating more green leafy vegetables. And I needed to stretch more. Plus, this diagnosis came with referrals to other specialist such as a cardiologist and rheumatologist to help me with the unavoidable symptoms of aging.
That might sound like a perfectly respectful recommendation. However; I am a 45 year old fitness professional who teaches 3 fitness, strength and yoga classes a day, 5 days a week along with completing my own 60 minute personal workout every morning before my workday begins. This equates to about 4 hours of exercise per day, 5-6 times per week. Two to three hours of strength training, 30 minutes of cardio and one hour of yoga daily.
I am also an ayurvedic nutritionist and fitness nutritional specialist. So I am very much aware of what eating a healthy diet looks like. Although I allow myself to splurge on occasion, for the most part I eat a well-balanced diet. One that includes a green smoothy every morning and a leafy green salad most days with dinner.
Now you can see why the “standard” recommendation given to me by my doctor left me feeling a bit short-changed and “failed” by Traditional Medicine .
Fitness Prescriptions
As Fitness professionals, we also sometimes give clients the same types of recommendations. We are taught to “sell” fitness as a way to feel good, strengthen our bones, improve our hormones and slow down the aging process. We are provided with numerous studies that show that diet and exercise can “fix” almost anything that ails us. And we are told to provide “industry recommendations” on the type of exercise, the frequency and duration. We often hand out workouts in a similar way that a doctor hands out prescriptions. However, by not listening to our clients and really getting to know them we are no better than doctors giving out useless information.
I have had many clients come to me after being told that they needed to lose weight or else they would be looking at a very shortened life span. This “prescription” often came after being told that they now have one of the main diseases associated with obesity or aging. They were told to change their diet and exercise more. Although, their doctor never asked what their diet currently looked like and if they were already exercising. Even if the doctor did ask these simple questions, I am willing to bet they never asked why.
By the time these clients came to see me, they were already shamed into believing that they were doing something wrong. And were left feeling very powerless on their ability to fix it. Although this practice of “shaming” clients into seeing fitness professional may keep business flowing, it is doing a major disservice for the client. And it may be the number one reason why so many people fail to change their lives.
Take back control
If the doctor would have only asked a few more questions. Showed a little more concern and compassion. And didn’t jump to conclusions then the patient may have been given hope, strength and the determination to make any positive changes that needed to be changed. I would prefer to work with this strong, determined, hopeful client over a desperate, powerless one any day of the week.
I can’t change the medical system and I have no control over how doctors view their patients. However, I can control how I view my clients and help them on their journey. It is time for you to take back the control of your own health and wellness! I strongly believe that “aging is not a disease” and you are not “broken”.
There are many industry recommendations on the type of physical activity, the frequency and the duration needed to “achieve a healthy lifestyle.” But only you can determine the best path on how to get there. Only you, know how your body is feeling and how to help it grow stronger and heal. I would love to help you create the path that works best for you. If you are interested in working with me please visit my Work with me page or schedule a free consultation with me to get started.
