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Sometimes it is hard to understand on your own what your strengths and weaknesses are when it comes to strength training. Do you ever see someone running in your neighborhood and just know that it is not the exercise for them. Or do you see someone who just gets better and better every time you see them go by. I have seen both.

I see people wearing braces and really trying with little success and more and more injuries. Sometimes it is not a simple fix. Sometimes they are just not ever going to be successful at a particular sport because of a pre-existing injury or limitation.

But more often than not, what is causing them problems is often easily corrected with a personalized strength and/or stretching program. Some people literally just need a couple of stretches to stop their problem.

But here is the complicated part. Everyone is different. So without an assessment, it is impossible for any personal trainer to just “give you some moves”. Be honest, what are you struggling with? And if money is tight, be honest about that too. Getting you on a program that works with all the things that make you unique is really the ultimate goal.

Tags: Douglasville, Fitness, Personal Training, Running, Strength Training by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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Face facts! We are aging from the day we are born. And we should be concerned about living a healthy life for our entire life. As we get older, we get wiser. We realize that some of the things we are doing are counterproductive to a healthy life. If we started unhealthy habits, like smoking, we stop. If we are smart, we also review our eating, weight management and exercise programs in the same way. Are there certain things you do that are not healthy choices? Are you eating a healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables? Are you choosing whole grains over processed foods? Are you exercising regularly?

Right about now, you are probably thinking that you know all those things are healthy. Well, then why aren’t we all doing them? We use many excuses. We are too busy, too overcommitted, too tired, no time to cook healthy meals, etc. I challenge these excuses as follows:

Too Busy.
Do you work FULL TIME? If not, there is nobody controlling most of your day, except you. Keep a diary for a couple of days. You will probably be able to find several pockets of time in your day once you do this. If you work, this is a bit harder. You have someone controlling blocks of your time. Review your day. Could you get up earlier, perhaps even a little earlier? Do you have any “flex time” where you could sneak in a bit of cardio? Do you have a favorite TV program that you watch? Do you watch the evening news? Could you watch the news or that program from the cardio area at the gym instead?

Too over-committed.
We all commit to things we do not want to do. Review these things and see if there are things that you do not need to do as well. This is also something you should do with your kid’s schedule. Today, there are more obese kids than there have ever been. Yet, kids are also more over-committed than ever. Are there activities that they do not enjoy? Maybe they could drop those in favor of some outdoor play?

Too tired
When was the last time you saw your doctor? He can rule out any medical reason for being tired. If he has, then look at the other steps first. The body is an amazing machine. If you feed it the right fuel and exercise, you usually have abundant energy.

No time to Cook Healthy Meals
Please! This is not really an excuse. There are so many options here. Try cooking on the weekend and freezing. Try buying precut vegetables and prewashed bags of salad. Pick up a cooked, roasted chicken. Chop up veggies on the weekend and put in a Ziploc bag. They can be thrown in to a stir-fry with precooked chicken, precooked fish (or the leftovers from the roasted chicken above).

As we approach the holiday season, we rely more and more on these excuses as demands on our time get greater and greater. . I want you to be healthy and live a long life. Please find a way to be honest with yourself about your behavior. Once you do that, you can make a plan to keep these excuses at bay.

Tags: Douglasville, Fitness, Personal Training by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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Many people only think of hydration when it is very hot. Dehydration is an issue for ALL members of your family. It is also an issue for many people ALL YEAR LONG. Not drinking enough fluids can lead to chronic dehydration. Many people who are dehydrated eat instead of drink because they do not recognize when they are thirsty. This can lead to overeating.

Many children participating in sports do not receive ANY fluids. They should be encouraged to drink before, during and after exercise. Thirst is not a good indicator for many children, so you should stress that they have fluids. Dizziness from dehydration is a serious symptom. You should seek medical attention if you are dehydrated to this point.

Dehydration can also be a symptom of diabetes so discuss any symptoms of dehydration with your doctor. He can determine if you need further testing. He can also give you information on preventing it again in the future.

For athletes, performance and power are lost when you are dehydrated. This is common sense. Your body is going to put its energy into protecting its vital systems. Marathon runners condition themselves on their fluid requirements because they know their performance is affected.

Tags: Douglasville, Fitness, Personal Training by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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With the holidays approaching, many people will be heading out of town. And many more will be forgoing their workout. The holidays are a challenging time to keep your workout in your schedule. Adding travel to the mix only compounds that difficulty. But, it does not make it impossible.
There are many things you can do. If you are staying at a hotel, call ahead and see what facilities they offer. Is there are gym? How well equipped is it? Is there a pool? Swimming can be a great change of pace from your regular workout.

If there aren’t any facilities, bring along your “emergency workout kit”. This fits in any size suitcase so if you don’t think you have room, consider dropping some of your other items (you don’t need 10 shirts if you are only going away for 5 days.) People who travel regularly are very masterful at cutting down on what they bring. Take a lesson from them. If you always come back from vacation with lots of clean clothes, you are packing too much. Drop some of that weight in favor of things you will use, like workout clothes and your “emergency workout kit”.

Here is what I mean by the “emergency workout kit”. It consists of:
- a yoga mat
- one or two exercise bands
- your workout shoes
With those items, you can perform a very basic routine in any hotel room. (Japanese and European rooms can present a challenge but it is still possible)

The exercises are simple. You can do squats with a press (using your band.) You can do push-ups, walking lunges, tricep dips and all kinds of ab work. Use your imagination, you may just ENJOY IT!

Tags: Douglasville, Fitness, Personal Training by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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Personal training should be JUST THAT — personal. If your trainer is not giving you a unique workout for you – then what exactly are they doing for you.

A great personal training routine starts with an analysis of YOU. What are your goals, your medical conditions, your specific weaknesses and strengths.

There is nothing that bothers me more in the gym than someone paying for personal training and not getting professional training. As a consumer, you should demand the following from your personal trainer:

1 – A unique workout to you — If they don’t make one and keep notes on you – they are shortchanging you

2 – A copy of your workout if you want — You should be able to get a written copy so if you need to or decide to “fly solo” for a while, you can.

3 – An analysis of your strengths, weaknesses and goals and a benchmark. This will usually be your weight, but also measurements (if you are comfortable with that), fat analysis and posture and movement analysis. This should also be a medical history. If you have high blood pressure or other chronic condition — IT IS CRITICAL you disclose that. A trainer that does not have you fill out a medical form is not professional. Here is why:

- A person with high blood pressure needs to have their workout adapted. They have a lower maximum heart rate which requires a different measurement than cardio machines provide. They also need to not do isometric exercises.

So really — there are so many great trainers out there and a lot of really “fly by night” ones so use these as guidelines to get the most personal training, results and safety for your money.

Tags: Douglasville, Fitness, Personal Training by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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