Options

Dear S.,

I'd like to take this moment to thank you for stopping by last week. Seeking out the options that are available to help you achieve your goals is an important first step.

As you assess the landscape of fitness facilities, you will begin to see patterns taking form . . . especially in the relationship between pricing and accountability. Let's take a look at some of the options you'll encounter, and how they might benefit you:

• Free: this is a very effective method of getting prospective clients through the door . . . though the allure of free disappears as soon as you realize that no one is invested in your success.
• Low-end monthly options: if you are a self-motivated individual who just needs access to some equipment to bang out your daily exercise, this option might work. Though if you're like most of us, our commitment level is usually directly connected to how much we invest. This often becomes the "I only pay $30/month at Gym XYZ . . . though I never use it."
• Mid-range gym memberships with sign-up or annual fees: this is the most common gym option around. If you are looking for an almost country-club experience, these gyms usually have nice locker room facilities, day care, and spa amenities. Popular for good reasons, there are class offerings for everyone. As long as you don't mind having your money go towards a class you don't use, and are ok with year-long contracts with cancelation fees, this might work just fine.
• Higher-end group options: these are your yoga, pilates, bootcamp, and functional fitness facilities. For people who thrive in medium-sized groups, these work well. The price reflects a higher level of attention than a standard gym group class. These settings create social accountability . . . where your buddies will hound you when you don't show up.
• Boutique-style personal training studios: the least common and highest priced option available, these are designed with the individual's needs in mind. This is an ideal setup for people who need to know that their coach will be expecting them, and who require customized plans to accommodate physical or sensitivity limitations. Sometimes a last stop after not finding success in other facilities, the high value in personal training is the personalized attention.

We fit into the last category.
The Fittest Me is a personal training garage studio that designs individualized fitness and nutrition programs for the non-gym goer.

What does that mean for you?

Well, that depends on:

• Your injury history
• Your mobility and range of motion
• Your exercise experience
• What your goals are
• What you see as blocks to your goals
• What kind of time and/or financial constraints you have
• How specific and/or urgent your goals are
• How hard you want to work for them
• If you can tolerate exercise intensity
• If you have a history of trauma
• If you have mental health issues
• What you are willing to change to get the results you want

What we've observed is that a one size fits all approach to fitness leads to injury, disinterest, and a failure to thrive. Unless the gym environment is a perfect social and fitness match, it can actually serve to de-motivate someone who thinks that they should be able to achieve the promise of weight loss solely based on their own will power.

However, for those whose needs don't meet the traditional gym mold, the magic of fitness happens when these individuals feel supported and recognized. Whereas before there was only an inability to fit in, now there is relief and a sense of finding one's home.

A few examples of people who have found their home with us:

• In her late 40s, R had given up on her own beauty, but is now down 20+ pounds, and has built strength. 
• L, in his 50s, became deconditioned through the distracting responsibilities of fatherhood . . . but is now exercising five days per week and has overhauled his eating habits.
• Recently diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis, H's workouts are kept at a low or moderate intensity while she builds strength for her yoga practice.
• B's workouts are designed around her uterine prolapse . . . allowing us to help her safely build strength from the inside out.
• C's exercise anxiety used to get in the way of her fitness success, but after working through those fears together, she no longer feels held back.
• After finishing physical therapy for her back and knee, M is now loving the strength-focus of the workouts that meet her where she is on a daily basis.

Our fitness certifications, background experience, and research include those of functional fitness, functional gymnastics, aerobic capacity training, mobility, body building, pelvic floor health, cognitive behavioral training, as well as nutrition mentoring. We ensure that we have the knowledge required to support your health goals.

After considering all the options available to you in the fitness world, if you don't find one that supports your goals, come give our personal training studio a try. You might learn for yourself what our loyal clients have already discovered . . . that the value of working with a personal trainer who puts your needs first is in fact invaluable.

To your health . . . 

-Coach Rebecca