As a college student set to graduate next month, I can tell you all about the “Freshmen 15″ (or worse) and the health horrors you encounter over the course of college. With the never-ending piles of fried food in the dining hall and steady flow of beer on the weekends, paired with a full schedule that doesn’t leave much down time- and really, who wants to spend it at the gym? – it’s easy to let a few pounds creep on.
Senior year hit and I realized it was time to shape up my life, including my body. Who wants to hit adulthood with a gut? You face the fact you’re going to go home after college and see high school friends, and you don’t want to be the one they whisper about, “Wow she really gained weight…” After a trip down memory lane and a glance through a photo album from prom, I knew it was time to hit the gym.
So, I joined a local gym, or “health club” if you want to get technical. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a total slob, I was a semi-regular at my college’s gym. The fact I’m now paying to belong to a gym is extra motivation, and knowing I can work out unbothered by frat guys and “meatheads” is worth it. I’ve always hated running, like run a quarter mile and convince myself I pulled a muscle and jump on the elliptical kind of hatred. But, I was making big changes, and decided to make running my goal.
It’s been a few months, and would you believe it I’m up to running about five miles a day. I love the new muscles in my legs, but not as much as I love knowing I could probably outrun someone if I were followed or in danger. It’s also great knowing that I’m improving my cardiovascular health, as heart disease runs in my family. This sudden empowerment motivated me to do more, and get a personal trainer.
My gym offers a free personal training session a month included in my membership fees, so I saw the front desk and set up an appointment based around my availability. They told me, “ok you have an appointment with Ted next Tuesday at 10.” I didn’t know what else to ask so just showed up for my appointment the following week. What a mistake. I didn’t know anything about the trainer, and he didn’t know anything about me. Not only that, when I went for my appointment they told me they had to switch, and I didn’t have Ted, I now had Kyle. Kyle was apparently confused, and kept calling me the wrong name. He didn’t ask me what I wanted to target, instead we rushed into an upper body work out. Maybe he had spoken to the other girl who’s name he kept calling me, because he referred to a phone call we had- only I had never spoken to him. He went on to tell me about his family, his girlfriend, his kids, asked me how old I was and commented that he was almost twice as old as I was. He told me I had a nice smile and if I were his daughter he wouldn’t let me out of the house. He briefly told me about the exercises I was doing. He DIDN’T ask me about my health history, my normal routine, or what my goals were. I felt like because one set was “easy” for me, he would quadruple the weight and my arms turned to jello. I’ve worked with a trainer before, and he always said he wanted to challenge me and not kill me, so I would feel it but still want to keep training. I didn’t get that feeling from this guy, at all. I wanted him to give me advice on what to target, show me a routine that I could do on my own, and not talk about his kids. I didn’t know what I was getting into.
If I had used Fittron, I wouldn’t have encountered any of those problems. With Fittron I could have searched for a personal trainer in my area, and saw their pictures, bio, certifications, and referrals. I could have spoken to them before the session so my goals would be clear and I would know who they were. I could have read articles they posted on Fittron’s Pro Page, and I could have been confident that they are serious professionals who know what they’re doing. I don’t have tons of money to throw around, I am a poor college student after all- so I could’ve posted on Fittron’s solicitation board stating, “Young adult seeking PT for fitness advice in Central NJ. Will pay 60 for session.” The professionals could’ve came to me. That’s a lot of “could haves,” and instead I ended up disappointed and unable to lift my arms to shampoo my hair for a week. To top it off, using Fittron is FREE. So let’s add dumb to the the list of disappointed and in pain.
Don’t end up the next the next fitness horror story like me. Take advantage of all the great features Fittron has to offer. You have nothing to lose and a great body and trainer to gain.
BACK TO THE BASICS: OUT OF THE GYM & INTO CENTRAL PARK
