By Pam Granata

Cindy is insuring that my shoulders are in the proper position.

We are working on strengthening my legs.

Cindy reminds me to maintain the correct posture.

The phrases: ”get fit,” ”get real,” and ”get physical” can be heard with every commercial and headline in the fitness industry. Now we add, ”get personal” to the mix.

I have been into the fitness scene for over 22 years and have always been very physical, but getting personal (hiring a personal trainer) scared me. I knew I was somewhat fit because I had run/walked three marathons, and had taught fitness classes for many years, but I have struggled with my weight and body image along the way. I did not want to get caught up in a fad diet to feel better about myself physically and emotionally. So, to add to my already busy workout schedule of walking and yoga three days a week, I decided to hire a personal trainer (or rather two personal trainers). Sounds extreme, but not compared to some of the other measures people have taken to lose weight.

I met with personal trainers Cindy and David Dentel, owners of Fitness Creators Studio, Inc., and told them of my plans to write an article about personal training. On a personal level, I needed to get real with myself. This meant taking a good, hard look at myself in the mirror. I needed to come to terms as to what I could reasonably achieve and what I wanted to achieve. I am a 51-year-old wife, mother of three, and grandmother of four. Life just flew by before I knew what hit me. My body slowed down, but I didn’t. As my body changed. I continued to eat and drink like I did in my youth and along the way gained 30 pounds. That doesn’t seem so bad when others are struggling with so much more, but for me it was an eye-opener. My mother passed away seven years ago of a heart attack at the age of 64. Upon discovering my mother, my father then suffered a heart attack. I arrived in Florida to attend my mother’s funeral and console my father in CCU. This was real, and it was all very personal.

So what is ”getting real” for me? Being the best I can be. Upon meeting with the Dentels and listening to their philosophy of fitness and health I felt we were a good match. They emphasize that improving your quality of life should be the ultimate goal. Our basic beliefs are similar, and I felt I could “get real” with them while getting back into shape.

Our sessions started with the fitness assessment, which measures my weight, body composition (body fat amount), cardiovascular endurance, strength, and flexibility. The results of these assessments helped the trainers find my current level of fitness and to create goals that were reasonable and measurable. My results were calculated and printed out for my review.

My body composition was average compared with women my age. I am 5’- 5” and weighed 169 pounds (the most I’ve weighed in years). My cardiovascular performance was above average as was my muscular strength and flexibility levels. I have never owned a scale and as Karen Preston professes in her column, ”It’s Not About the Scale,“ I wasn’t hung up on the numbers. I just wanted to increase my lean body mass so I would become more efficient at burning fat. As Dave and Cindy explained, by improving my muscular condition I can increase my metabolism which in turn makes my body a more efficient “calorie burning machine” while performing my cardio workout.

I began training with Cindy on Tuesdays and David on Fridays. They both hold degrees in Exercise Physiology and are certified members of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). They each have their own unique style of training, and that appealed to me. I felt comfortable with them right away and did not feel judged.

They were well aware of my physical limitations. Bending my knees is painful. They developed a program to strengthen my quads and that seems to have helped. What appeals to me is that they ask me to push myself without ever really asking. They have me use a perceived exertion scale. I choose a number (1 to 10, with 10 being the most difficult) to perceive how much more I can do. I do each exercise to the best of my ability and I find myself able to do more each time. I kept a food diary and shared it with Cindy. She was able to help me make better food choices. I was not eating enough daily calories for what I was asking of my body. I still had not lost any weight according to the scale but my pants were starting to feel looser. I began to plan my meals and added salads with chicken for lunch instead of a sandwich. I also had a salad every night with dinner and water instead of a glass of wine. That was tough even though I knew that alcohol meant empty calories but I didn’t want to give that up. Having changed my diet for the past two weeks I weighed in at 167 this week. I lost one pound per week, which is very realistic in fat loss.

This is the first time I have actually done something just for myself and at times I almost feel guilty or self-indulgent. I quickly get over the feeling and feel good about myself; I am being a better me.

In the next two issues I will share my progress. I hope to inspire more to get personal. If you do choose to hire a personal trainer, don’t be afraid to ask questions; then ask more questions. They must be certified, and should have a college degree in a health or fitness related field. They must keep current on research in strength training and conditioning. You want to ask how long they have been a personal trainer, what types of clients have they worked with, and can they provide a reference list of clients who have performed a similar type of exercise program. For me, it is important I do not feel like I am being judged. My goals are my goals. My accomplishments are my accomplishments. This is personal.