The Evolution of the Fitline Health Coach

Be the change you wish to see in the world – Mahatma Gandhi

Those very words have been at the forefront of an ongoing journey of education and self development for the Fitline team over the past few years. We don’t often talk about what goes on behind the scenes with our team but rather let their actions do the talking. However we feel you should all know where we are headed as a group and the commitment we have to truly be considered the best at what we do. Two years ago on our annual Fitline team retreat we decided we wanted to be the change in our industry. To disregard the status quo and the dogma associated with the ‘stereotypical’ personal trainer. For those of you that have joined gyms or had personal trainers in the past, you would be well aware that not all personal trainers are created equal. Our industry is expanding at a rapid rate and to cope with the demand of a global health and obesity epidemic new trainers and gyms are flooding the market in large numbers and of varying quality. Now I am not here to undermine all personal trainers out there, in fact I applaud anyone that makes the decision to start what is by far one of the most rewarding careers one can pursue.  Many get involved in the industry with the best intentions and carve out successful careers. The problem lies in the indoctrinated one dimensional model that most trainers are following. There is a universal acceptance of what the role of a personal trainer should be. We feel it needs to change. Such programs as the biggest loser (which has its place) also paint personal trainers as the kind of person more suited to the military. The go hard or go home mentality is outdated at best and ultimately ends in tears (great for ratings though!). Whilst the perception from the general public is typically varied from a Jane Fonda style ‘hips, buns and thighs’ trainer to Brad Pitt’s hilarious portrayal in the movie. ‘Burn after reading. The example below sums up the scenario best (I hope you all see the funny side in the picture below) Together on that day we made a decision to move in another direction. A direction that was true to our philosophy and culture. A direction that was focused on giving you the best possible client experience and thus the best possible chance to achieve results. We decided to become Health Coaches. So what is a health coach and how does that differ from a personal trainer? We firmly believe the secret to successfully transforming your lives and your bodies is much more involved than 2-3 training sessions per week. We have identified 4 key components as crucial for your success. 4 key components that we will continue to develop to truly call ourselves health coaches. They are… 1. Assessment To steal a line from World renowned health practitioner and mentor of mine Paul Chek – If you’re not assessing you’re guessing. This year we scoured the world to find what we believe to be the most advanced body composition tool on the planet that is readily available to the general population. The BodyMetrix ultra sound unit, used by elite sports teams all over the world, brings to Fitline the type of testing one would normally have to pay thousands of dollars to access in elite medical facilities. Since its introduction and in combination our existing testing measures, most of you are being assessed regularly keeping you accountable to the goals you set yourself and your Fitline coach accountable to your results. 2. Exercise Prescription Great exercise prescription sets apart the good fitness professionals from the great ones. There is an art in putting a great program together and there are 2 key aspects we consider of upmost importance when designing the best program for you. Let me elaborate…. – Your body has unique needs and must be catered for accordingly. Cookie cutter programs not taking into account your individual biomechanics can lead to injury. Earlier this year one of the Worlds best strength coaches, Mark Buckley held his FMA – Mechanics of Lifting course at our Rialto facility (see pics below). Our team were joined by trainers from all over Australia to learn the latest in orthopaedic assessment, mobilisation techniques, corrective exercise and strength development.     – To work in or to work out? Starting an exercise program is most peoples first step in regaining their health and rightly so. However exercise can be taxing on the body and must be tweaked and tailored relative to your state of mind and body on that particular day. Take for instance a stressful day that has involved a poor nights sleep, a day of drama at the office culminating in poor eating habits.

Having an overly intense ‘work out’ (energy expending) on that day can actually do more harm than good. However carefully manipulating the program to have a ‘working in’ (energy building) effect can be just the tonic to rejuvenate you for the rest of the day. If you have left our studio feeling much better than when you walked in then you will know what I mean. 3. Coaching The reality is change is hard….bloody hard in fact! If it were that easy you would not have come to us in the first place. Recently some of you will have noticed we have implemented a 21 day coaching model. We realise that no one leaves their life at the gym door. You all have stressors in your life that can lead you off the well worn path from time to time. Most of you know right from wrong but continue with self destructive behaviours. We understand the key to change is about turning intentions into habits and creating an environment for success. After all there are 168 hours in a week and we are lucky to get our hands on you for 2-3 of them! It is our job to continually motivate and inspire you to constantly make the right choices. This might be planting the subliminal seeds with some Jedi mind tricks or being completely honest and up front with you regarding areas that are holding you back. 4. Nutrition The final piece of the puzzle and the number 1 stumbling block for many of you is what goes in your mouth. In an exciting development our team have been diligently working behind the scenes to complete what we regard as the best nutritional certification in the industry. With so much noise out there within the field of nutrition and more diet books than you can poke a stick at, we chose very carefully and selected a program we know will yield the best results for you and most importantly allow you to sustain it. No gimmicks or cutting out entire food groups – that approach doesn’t work in the long run, we now realise that. With a combination of online learning and face to face tuition our team are putting themselves through what is arguably the most scientifically backed, peer reviewed nutritional program available. Complete with information folders and recipe books for you we are incredibly excited to be offering such a comprehensive service to you all. Watch this space…. This journey we have embarked be the change in our industry will be an ongoing one. We have made giant strides over the past few years and we know as a group we have a way to go. We are dealing with after all, the most complex machine in the world – the human mind and body. Finally I just wanted to share with you another thing we keep close to our chest, our company mission statement. It is simply ‘to change peoples lives’. I hope in some way we have already done that for you. For some of you it will be an ongoing process of change and self discovery. As I always like to say – health is a journey, not an event.