I had an enquiry yesterday from a lady asking if I did 'sports' massage. It's something that I get asked quite often.

Most people don't know the differences between the various types of massage therapy (then again, why would they?!).

It's as if the word 'sports' makes the massage superior in some way. Much as the words 'sports drink' somehow makes a bottle of sticky, artificially sweetened carbonated muck more healthy than a bottle of sticky, artificially sweetened carbonated muck that says 'Cola' on it.

Sports massage is a very specific type of massage that's targeted at a particular area; if a runner has a calf muscle problem, for example. It's actually bordering on physiotherapy.

Swedish, they type that I do, is a more holistic, deep tissue, total body treatment that deals with the body as a whole rather than treating an isolated area. Obviously, specific areas can be given more attention if their is an issue, but it's still a total body treatment.

When I explained the differences to the lady, it transpired that Swedish was what she actually wanted and a session was booked.

Check out my website it you'd like to know more;

 

www.apmoore.co.uk

Potential

I love to see people develop positively and do well for themselves. It's one of the main things that got me into personal training. To see someone with an issue, be it a weight problem, a medical issue or even an emotional one, deal with it and become a stronger person as a result is wonderful. If I can be even a small part of that transformation, that's even better.

Probably the most frustrating aspect of my job is when I can see that someone has massive potential, but for whatever reason, simply doesn't achieve it.

Sometimes it can be down to the person themselves. The old saying about taking a horse to water is very true. Some people seem to be genuinely surprised that, even though they have me as a PT, they STILL have to do the hard work themselves. Sadly, simply being in my company doesn't lead to a firm butt!

Other times it may be an external factor; a demanding job, family commitments or relationship problems. From a my point of view, this can be even more frustrating because they are factors that are totally beyond my influence.

I have many and varied devious ways of pushing people harder with them not realising it; the art of distraction is a wonderful tool when used to it's full potential ;-)

External factors are different. Even if I can see that a person's real problem is that they have a d*ck-head boyfriend, there's little that I can do about it.

Have a great Friday :-)

To chew, or not to chew?

A conversation with a client yesterday raised this subject; are you a habitual gum-chewer?

We all resort to the Wrigley's occasionally to smite the demon dragon breath, but what of those who seem to perpetually chew the minty cud?

The act of chewing sends a signal to the brain to kick-start your digestive system to prepare itself to receive food. The saliva that we produce contains the initial ...enzymes that begin to break down what we eat into it's component parts.

(Btw, that's one reason why you should NEVER eat a couple of spoonfuls from anything, then put it back in the fridge. The traces of saliva on the spoon will start to digest the food while it's being stored....yummmmmmmmm)

The problem where gum is concerned is that, obviously, there is no food!! Your stomach starts to secrete acids and enzymes to digest that which it is about to gratefully receive, then it waits in vain.........

Then all of those lovely stomach acids and enzymes get a little fed up twiddling their metaphorical thumbs and and start to alleviate their boredom by attacking the walls of your stomach. Over time, this can lead to ulcers and all kinds of digestive problems.

Food for thought ;-P

Most of my clients are women.  They always have been.  It's just the nature of the business.
I always do weight training with my female clients.  It's the best way of getting rid of fat and keeping it off....full stop.

One of the first things that they say to me is that the don't want to get 'big and muscley'.  Some take quite a bit of convincing that they won't turn into Mrs Arnold Schwarzenegger overnight just because they've hit the weights for an hour.

The fact is that women simply don't have the physical and hormonal make-up to get 'big and muscley'.  Their testosterone level is simply too low.  Obviously, there are exceptions (Fatima Whitbread springs immediately to mind), but 99% of women will tone up, look better, feel better, have better posture and carry less fat if they do regular weight training.

Take a look at the link below.  She's pretty hard-core by any standards, but she's living, breathing proof that you can train hard and still look feminine.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/ZuzkaLight

Sports/Energy Drinks:

These are one on of the biggest marketing con-tricks of the last decade.

The number of people who I see in the gym with a sports energy drink whilst plodding away on a treadmill trying to lose weight is scary.  All of those calories that they are burning will be replaced immediately when they drink that sugary, flavoured muck that’s contained within the bottle of ‘Something-or-other-ade’.

In fairness, some aren’t too bad.  They contain essential electrolytes that our body needs in order to re-hydrate itself during and after exercise.

There are actually three types of ‘sports’ drink; Hypotonic, Isotonic and Hypertonic.  Unfortunately, the sports drink industry makes the most of the fact that most people, understandably, don’t know the difference between the three.

Fortunately, after reading this section, this will not include you!

Hypotonic:  Contain fluids, electrolytes and a low level of sugar.

Isotonic:  Contain fluids, electrolytes and 6 – 8% of sugar.

Hypertonic:  Contain fluids, little of no electrolytes and high levels of sugar.

Obviously, if you’re running a half-marathon or doing a weight training session, you may need a hypertonic drink in order to maintain your energy levels.  For those of us trying to lose body fat, however, the last thing that we want is to ingest nutritionally dead calories.

The best options are to drink either water or, if you must have a sports drink, a hypotonic drink followed by a milk based drink post workout.  This can be in the form of a protein shake or just plain old-fashioned fresh milk.

Milk contains electrolytes, natural sugars, protein, calcium and a huge variety of other minerals and vitamins.  The perfect post-workout drink, in fact!

The Most Frustrating Part Of My Job.

One of the most frustrating things about being a one-to-one Personal Trainer is the limited amount of time that you have to spend with your clients.

Maybe an hour a week.  Two, or three, if you're lucky.

The rest of the time, they're left to their own devices to follow whatever exercise or nutrition program that they've been given.

That's where my input ends.  The rest is up to them to honest with both me and themselves,

It becomes obvious after a while which clients are following their programs by the results that they're seeing.  As for the others, it would be great to be able to spend more time with them, maybe even on a daily basis, to make sure that they stay on the right road and to help them to stay motivated.

You see on TV programs, PT's dropping in on clients, taking them out shopping, cooking for them.  If only real-world PTing was the same.

I rather doubt that many clients would appreciate me dropping in unexpectedly, rooting through their kitchen cupboards and binning any unhealthy foods that I find.

Then again, maybe they would!!

Andy