The fitness industry is full of misleading information. Some of that information could be keeping you from achieving your goals. Focal Point Training wants to share with you three of the biggest fitness fallacies that most people don’t realize are NOT true.
Myth #1: If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.
The idea that a challenge is the only way to make progress is one of the most illogical ideas that has come out of fitness marketing. The fitness industry plays to our emotions and insecurities. Fitness franchises often market challenging workouts disguised as fun, exciting and fresh. We tend to believe that this the best way to get in shape. However, these challenges often put individuals at risk. Difficult workouts can leave us feeling exhausted or in pain. Putting yourself through these challenges can wear you down and cause you to be stressed, discouraged, or even sick or injured.
Getting in shape and losing weight does not have to include high intensity workouts and it certainly doesn’t need to be hard work if you don’t want it to be. Little bits of effort sustained over a long period of time really add up in the long term. A more sustainable approach to exercise allows us to achieve our goals and creating lasting results. Pushing yourself to the max all the time is very difficult to sustain, despite what the fitness industry might advertise.
Myth #2: A personal trainer will make all the difference!
Personal trainers are professionals that are educated to help you achieve your goals. However, just because someone is a personal trainer, they are not the most qualified person to understand your experiences and lifestyle. That person is YOU. Personal trainers can misjudge your situation and make recommendations that aren’t actually best for you. While your trainer may have the best intentions, his or her workouts may be structured around their own experiences or the latest and greatest scientific data. Their approach may have worked for them but there are no guarantees that it will work for you.
With that being said, trainers can be a useful tool. If you do decide to hire a personal trainer, consider the following:
- DON’T commit to a huge package right away! You should try a few sessions to get to know your trainer before committing to an expensive personal training package.
- DO try out multiple different personal trainers at different gyms. You don’t have to see multiple trainers at once but if you can pick up a couple good tips from different individuals over time, you can build a more functional workout routine that’s completely unique to YOU.
- DO question your trainer and provide truthful feedback. Too often people will do anything the trainer says without considering their own needs and abilities. A good personal trainer won’t take over the session and should collaborate with you during each work out.
Myth #3: The gym is a judgmental place
We all tend to feel the gym is a hostile, judgmental environment. Gyms like Planet Fitness have built their business model around this idea. However, this is another huge myth perpetuated by the fitness industry! When people go to the gym, they’re usually very internally focused and pay very little attention to what other people are doing. And if you’re worried about the hyper-fit people watching and passing judgement, it’s a near certainty that these people are more focused on themselves more than anything else.
We should not allow insecurities or the fears of being measured by others keep us out of the gym. Whether you’re super fit or just beginning, many people feel vulnerable at the gym. But if we can realize that most people are either looking at their phones, looking at themselves or worried about their own insecurities then the gym becomes a much less scary place. Once we feel more comfortable at the gym, we can begin to develop a sense of confidence in our workout routines that will keep you going back without thinking twice.
Focal Point Training is dedicated to helping the individual better understand their health and happiness. Today’s hyper-conscious society and the vast amount of information available to the public has begun to work against us. Our goal is to help people develop sustainable habits that have stood the test of time rather than offer another trendy fitness fad that won’t last. We offer three introductory lessons that can get you pointed in a more sustainable, practical direction towards achieving your goals.
