Marisol was dying for a different kind of gift for
Christmas, her birthday and for Valentines Day.
She says that most women her age would have easily jumped at the
opportunity to have diamonds, jewelry, a new Chanel bag, an exclusive vacation,
spa treatments etc., from their husbands
or loved ones. They kept asking and
trying to get these things for her. She
only wanted one thing – ten private personal training sessions.
She says she watched many others workout with a private
trainer and she really wanted – and felt she needed – the personal attention
for herself. She was right.
Her gym had added quite a bit of new equipment over the
years; a Smith Machine, plate loaded Leg Press, Bosu Balance Trainer,
resistance bands, Body bars and lots and lots of stability balls. Marisol had actively and regularly taken
cardio step classes with the rest of her “fitness crew” three times a week in
the studio of the fitness facility, however, none of them were interested in
pursuing private personal training or venturing beyond the studio into “the
gym” to increase their strength, balance, stability.
Marisol suffered with some lower back issues for many
years. She actively pursued Pilates Mat
once a week over the past 3-4 years as a way to build her core –
abdominal and spinal – strength. While
she regained her core strength, she still experienced a mental block with a
number of exercises within the Pilates Mat program. She wanted to master these exercises. Specifically, The Rollup, Teaser and
Corkscrew remained challenges to Marisol.
She wanted private one-one training to focus on these exercises in
addition to learning how and when to use the new equipment in the gym facility.
Getting Started
We got started with her 2X weekly session and she began
delighting herself almost immediately. Not unlike many women I work with, Marisol had some
assumptions about her physical and mental strength. I find that many women discount the strength
we have physically. We are clear in our
desire about a specific outcome and will, given the chance to select a
resistance tool - generally select 5-7 pounds shy of the weight the body can
realistically handle.
Further, women (and many men for that matter) also tend to
ignore the mind-body connection – that internal focus and control - necessary
to move the body. The importance of
mental control and management of the body’s muscle movement, the use of breath
and the all important concept key to Pilates and core strength, “movement in
opposition” or working the resisted opposition to a stabilized force. These three areas, a) control, b) breath and
c) oppositional resistance were the key training points used in Marisol’s Ten
Sessions. See the video of our actual
last private session and the glee she exhibits throughout the course of the
hour.
As a woman over 50, Marisol also needed to address and
refine her dietary habits. Yes, she had
a very healthy diet regimen, but was lacking a key element to support her
training – no protein. She reported
early on in the process, that while she was mentally prepared for the intensity
of the hour (which was recommended to be proceeded by 20-30 minutes of cardio);
she sometimes found that her energy levels did not want to comply.
I uncovered that Marisol was ignoring her body’s need for
protein to support the new muscle development.
We simply added two hard boiled eggs to her breakfast and supplemented
her snacks (mid-morning and mid-afternoon) with a healthy protein. Her lunch and dinner already contained the
required a) healthy protein, b) complex carb c) poly-unsaturated fat, e.g.,
olive oil, canola oil, etc. She came
back within a week of these adjustments noting the “new woman” energy.
The 10-Private Sessions turned into a renewed focus,
delighted spirit and a much stronger Marisol.
Check her out in the video and let us know what you think!
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Great Work!
By: Cory Cowan (Guest) on 27-03-2008 23:44