The Hard Part

Yesterday we talked about the easy way, or lack thereof, to ultimate health and fitness. Today we talk a bit about where to start. Truly this is the hard part.

Whatever your field.... physician, educator, engineer... we all have the tools available to us to figure out what we need to do. Google health and fitness and you will find Plan A, Plan B and Plan C that will guide you to the fittest body ever.

Why then, would you need a coach, a personal trainer, or even a fitness consultant?And if you have the knowledge of what you need to do.... why would you hire someone to help you?Are you a loser or a failure if you can not do this on your own?

Absolutely not.

Working with someone who knows what they are doing is the smartest thing you can do. The hard part... is asking someone for help. Fitness professionals (good ones) can help you figure out how to evolve into a healthy lifestyle.

A fitness professional can help you address your needs, likes, dislikes, injuries past, heart rate zones..... etc. They can help you dial yourself in to what you need to do to get fitter and stronger. They are objective people that you can rely on, bounce ideas, thoughts, and successes with. They hold you accountable. They help you stay on track.


Be careful of the ones who promise a quick fix. Or ones who have you only do one thing.

I work with all types of athletes. Of late I have filtered out my personal training clients, purely because of time. Lately I have also gravitated towards beginner triathletes because my Ironman team is full.

Recently I had to tell someone who applied for our Ironman team that I couldn't work with him. He spoke of going to Kona and even spoke in terms of "When I go to Kona". He was within an hour of a DNF at his last Ironman and reported that he would not be swimming because he hated it and the water was too cold in the morning. All of the words on earth were not changing his mind. The split comparison, etc. He wouldn't budge. Now can someone who almost DNF'd an Ironman get to Kona? Absolutley. Not swimming because the water is too cold.... enough said.

His why was just not big enough to make his how easy.

Contrast that to a new athlete I will be taking on, who doesn't consider herself to be anything of an athlete... yet. Now she has no interest in an Ironman, her goal is to get healthy and to get fit. And her motivation is sky high.

Her why is gigantic, which will make her how easy.

Now you wonder why the Kona bound guy would even want to work with a coach, in contrast to the girl who could care less about swimming but wants help making a lifestyle change. She's motivated, and just needs some guidance.

We don't all have to have aspirations to do the Ironman or even a marathon to hire a coach or personal trainer. We don't have to be elite athletes or athletes at all. I think we have to be humble enough to say.... hey I need some help.

Asking for help is the hard part.

I work with a coach too. My Coach is Trevor Syversen of TMS Multisports. He's tough on me. I think once I told him it was raining out and he told me to HTFU. That's the kind of coach I respond to.

You should have seen my OB/GYN when I was in labor. Drill sargeant she was. And I loved her. For the better part of 17 hours she directed me to push from my butt and not from my face and helped me deliver a 9.5 pound boy.

I gravitate towards a coach who pushes me. Some gravitate towards coaches who are gentle, some gravitate towards coaches who don't as alot in return.

My point is that there are all types of coaches and trainers out there. The best thing you can do for yourself if getting fit is your goal, is to work with someone qualified. Someone who matched your personality and your needs.

Once you jump that hurlde, the rest of the way gets easier every single day.