Saturday was a beautiful day and I was excited when I woke up because I was going hiking with my sexy, athletic husband Brian and my adorable dog Bailey. We set-off to do the Diez Vista hike aptly named as it boasts ten beautiful viewpoints along the way. An excellent day trip from Vancouver, you can hike the fifteen kilometer route all the way around Buntzen Lake or simply hike to the first few peaks.
It’s not an overly technical trail with only a few steep ascents and some good downhill sections. The views over Indian Arm are spectacular and it’s a trail we like to do annually.
I was having a terrific time enjoying the sunshine and the walk. We were about four kilometers from the end of our perfect day and ice cream when WHAM! I went over on my right ankle. We were walking around the lake on a gravel section of the path when it happened. Not a root or rock in sight, just smooth even trail. I remember thinking how nice a time I was having just before it happened.
I bent over in agony as the pain surged through my ankle. Tears started welling up and I was just about to lose it when two hikers walked passed and asked, “Are you okay?” To this I replied, “Yes I’m fine thanks” while choking back tears. Brian told me to sit down but I knew from experience that I had to keep moving otherwise I would never be able to get off the trail under my own steam.
I’ve sprained this ankle numerous times so this wasn’t my first experience. Brian got me a branch to help me walk and I hobbled at a snails’ pace thinking about all the distance we still had to cover. By my calculations it would be another hour to hour and a half before we reached the car. I had to get that thought out of my head if I was going to make it out.
Every step sent shooting pain through my ankle. The swelling was immediate and already my ankle was the size of a small cantaloupe. I was shocked at how quickly the swelling started. I couldn’t look at my ankle anymore because all I could think about was how I wouldn’t be able to do the grind or go to yoga. More tears welled up. I was frustrated that this happened and not even on a technical section of the trail.
Then I remembered my yoga breathing. I began to breathe slower to control my emotions. Then I focused my breath on my ankle and found myself in an almost meditative state. I didn’t feel the pain any longer and I found I could make my ankle move properly and I stopped limping. I started relying less and less on my make-shift walking stick and started walking as if the ankle was perfect.
We were soon able to pick up our normal walking pace and by the time we got back to the car my ankle felt a lot better. It was still swollen but it no longer hurt and I had more range of motion.
Then we got big, fat ice cream cones and I felt better.
When I woke up the next day my ankle was still swollen but I went to a yoga class and I was able to balance on it and do most of the regular poses with only a few modifications.
After all the sprains I’ve had in my life this one felt completely different. I normally would have been flat on my back with an ice pack and unable to walk properly for days. It would have taken weeks for the ankle to recover and gain back its range of motion. There’s no way I would have been able to weight- bear so quickly.
I read somewhere that our brains are so powerful we have the ability to heal ourselves. I don’t know if that’s true or not. After this incident I am beginning to wonder. With the help of breathing and visualization I tried to see my ankle as normal. I refused to limp and send the message to my brain that I was hurt. Whether this was the power of my mind to heal or not something made the difference.
So this got me thinking about other things that we can change about ourselves if we just try. I believe we have the power to change how we feel in a nanosecond. If you’re in a bad mood, POOF! Change your mind and be in a good mood. If you don’t think you’re a good student, KAPOW! Believe you are an incredible student. If you think you’re the worst parent on earth, ABRACADABRA! Now believe your are the best parent alive.
For all you naysayers out there who think this is just airy fairy stuff and don’t believe, then for you I say, “Whatcha’ got to lose?” I believe we are stronger then we dare to think or give ourselves credit for. We have the power within us to change so much about ourselves if only we believe.
I never would have thought that I could recover so quickly from a sprained ankle with the power to heal myself and now I have some proof that this stuff can actually work. So why not try it on yourself. Whether it’s an injury you’ve been struggling with, a personal belief you would like to change or just to be more positive. Flick the switch in your brain and up tap into to your power to heal thy self.
Well I never thought I would be writing about a mid-life crisis or what I like to affectionately refer to as “mid-life maturation”. Sounds better doesn’t it? Call me crazy but I think there’s a good opportunity for personal trainers looking to attract more clients, but more about that later.
I was curious to learn about the topic so I looked it up on Wikipedia. I wanted to find out what the actual clinical definition was. Here’s what I found.
A midlife crisis is experienced between the ages of 40 and 60. It was first identified by the psychologist Carl Jung and is a normal part of the maturing process. Most people will experience some form of emotional transition during that time of life. A transition that might cause you to take stock in where you are in life and make some needed adjustments to the way you live your life. Most seem to come through the process smoothly without making major life changes.
For some, a midlife crisis is more complicated. It can be an uncomfortable time emotionally which can lead to depression and the need for psychotherapy. Those who have a hard time with this transitional stage might experience a range of feelings such as:
- Unhappiness with life and the lifestyle that may have provided them with happiness for many years.
- Boredom with people and things that may have been of interest to them before.
- Feeling a need for adventure and change.
- Questioning the choices, they have made in their lives and the validity of decisions they made years before.
- Confusion about who they are and where they are going.
- Anger at their spouse and blame for feeling tied down.
- Unable to make decisions about where they want to go with their life.
- Doubt that they ever loved their spouse and resentment over the marriage.
- A desire for a new and passionate, intimate relationship
Hands up, how many of you can identify with some of the points above? My hand is up. It’s funny because I never gave my age much thought until this year. I love my birthday because people call you, you’re the centre of attention and there are always presents.
I turned forty last year which was no big deal and then forty one this year, piece of cake. I feel like a teenager, without the raging hormones and acne. Over the years I’ve worked hard to stay in shape. But there have been changes this year which I can’t deny are probably due to a mid-life maturation.
I notice I’m more concerned with my appearance and my health. My joints aren’t as forgiving to downhill trail running as they used to be. It takes me longer to recover from a night on the town, and I started really paying attention to my nutrition (except for those nights on the town).
I got hair extensions because I missed my long locks. Purchased a good skin care program to keep my face looking sweet and am spending more time with family and friends which seems more important to me now.
Then it hit. I’m sure I’m not the only one who is feeling the need for change. There are lots of people out there probably going through the same thing and are looking for some help especially in changing their diet, exercise and overall health. I bet they are confused about what to do, where to go and who to see.
You could be that personal trainer who specializes in people going through their mid-life maturation. I know this may sound a little out there but since most people go through the process of change at some point in their life this could be an opportunity for you to focus on this niche.
As a matter of fact you could use the information from Wikipedia as part of your marketing to attract these clients. Here’s what it may look like.
Mid-life crisis got you down?
Tired of your flabby, out-of-shape body and want to start feeling energized and sexy again?
Feel like you need a change?
Did you know that it’s common for people between the ages of 40-60 to go through a mid-life crisis?
Are you…
- Unhappy with your current lifestyle and want to shake things up?
- Bored with people and things you found interesting before?
- In need of adventure and change?
- Questioning the choices you’ve made about your health?
- Confused about what you can do to make changes?
- Feeling tired, stressed and less energetic?
- Longing for a new and improved you?
Make a Change Now
You can make a change now and turn your life around. Start feeling energized, sexy, vibrant and full of life again. Go on that trip you’ve always wanted to take or buy that bikini or pair of size 4 jeans you’ve always wanted to fit into but never could.
Take this opportunity today while you’re going through your mid-life transformation to create a new and improved version of yourself.
Take Your First Step
Your first step starts with a consultation where I show you what you need to do, how to do it and best of all we can get started right away so you can be on your way to feeling your best.
I think it would be interesting to focus on this market niche because clearly everyone reaches a point in their lives where they just need to shake things up. As long as there are no psychological issues to deal with, the right personal trainer would be an asset to anyone going through the physical changes.
As for me, well I don’t know how this maturation/transformation will all turn out. I know I feel good about myself and ready to tackle new challenges and adventures in my life. It seems like life is only getting better and the years go by. I have a great husband, loving family and supportive friends like you who keep reading my writing. Thanks for that by the way.
If you want to explore this niche a bit further and see if it may work for you as a personal trainer, feel free to drop me an email and we can strategize on how you can tap into this market.
I bet I got your attention with this title. If you’re familiar with the Katy Perry song you probably even found yourself humming the tune while reading the headline. And you’re probably wondering if I actually kissed a girl and liked it. Well to find out you’ll just have to keep reading further.
Take a look at the picture below. What do you see? Probably a bunch of people but there’s nothing overly amazing about the picture, no one really stands out. What if I told you that this was a picture of a group of personal trainers and asked you to pick one of them to train with, which one would you choose? How would you decide?
My bet is you would choose based on appearance. Why? because you don’t have any other information to support your decision so you have to make a decision based on something. You would probably look at their age or gender or decide based on looks if there’s someone you would want to train with.
So how do you as a personal trainer stand out amongst the thousands of other trainers in an industry that’s quickly become saturated? How do you set yourself apart from the crowd and get noticed? If you have a website, flyer, brochure what’s going to give a potential client the impulse to want to email you or pick up the phone to call you?
Not sure? Well that’s part of the problem isn’t it. And the answer isn’t because you’re a nice person who designs safe and effective programs that gets results. Sorry I just yawned while writing this very boring, bland and benign sentence. But sadly this is what I read on a lot of personal training websites.
Do you remember Macaulay Culkin from the movie home alone? What emotion is he demonstrating right now? Do you recognize this as shock or surprise? Then you would be right. Take a moment right now to think back to an experience you’ve had where you were surprised or shocked. Do you remember it? Can you see the event clearly in your mind? Is it something you will never forget? Does it bring up any other emotions? Do you remember a certain smell? More importantly did you share the experience with others?
Surprise and shock are very strong emotions that form strong engrams in your brain. You remember the experience forever because of the impression it makes. You also share this experience with other people allowing you to relive the surprise over and over again. With each telling of the experiences your body releases the same chemicals as when you first experienced the event.
One method you can use as a trainer to stand out in the sea of trainers is to use the element of surprise or shock. Remember you are still waiting to find out if I kissed a girl and liked it. You may have been surprised by the title and even a little shocked that I would write it. But I bet your were curious and still are and waiting to discover the truth. You’ll just have to wait a little longer to find out. Keep reading.
So what can you do to shock people to get their attention and have them start talking about you? You’ll probably have to think of something unexpected like handing out your business cards with a gift certificate to McDonalds or running a 10KM race in a sumo suit with your company logo on the back. These ideas might sound a little crazy but trust me at least you will get noticed.
Just recently I changed my signature line from
Donna Hutchinson Fitness Business Coach, Trainer, Professional Speaker On The Edge Fitness Educators Author of the How to Guide to Starting a Personal Training BusinessTo;
Donna Hutchinson Owner of Canada’s only private school for Personal Trainers. But there’s more…. Wife. Yogi. Runner. Chocolate Lover and… Fitness Business Coach, Professional Speaker Author of the “How-to Guide to Starting Your Own Personal Training Business“Which one do you find more fun and memorable? Plus you get to learn a bit of personal information about me which I think makes it more interesting. I hope by now you are getting my point which is if you want to stand out you need to be different in a way that’s memorable. Think about how you can use surprise, shock or any other strong emotion to create an experience people won’t soon forget.
Now as for me kissing a girl and liking it, sorry I never kiss and tell.
