For some, I may have already lost you just with the title, and I want you to know that I am prepared to elaborate and tell you why.
So, lets get started.
When I say first line of defense, I am referring to personal trainers being the first people to help you or to defend you from things such as obesity, bad posture, muscular pain, cardiovascular issues, and the list goes on.
Now I know what you are thinking, Aaron how are personal trainers the ones that are supposed to do this? I wouldn’t trust a trainer at a gym helping me with any of these issues!
This should be the starting point of the shift for personal training.
Personal trainers sole mission is to build and customize individual workout programs with a nutrition component to keep you healthy and moving well for the rest of your life! The reason that they should be the first line of defense is that after you reach a certain point with joint pain or bad posture, the personal trainer will not be able to get you back to where you need to be and you will have to go to a specialist, like a chiropractor or a physical therapist. The mission of the personal trainer is to keep you from spending that money down the line on those services or even hospital services due to strokes, heart attacks, and diseases and conditions that are preventable with diet and exercise.
While personal training requires some money up front, this is why we always preach for you to think of personal training as not a luxury, but an investment in your health! For example, when you invest into the stock market or into a 401k, you are investing into your future. A future to where you may retire and do the things that you want to do and go to the places that you want to go to. This is the same with personal training. You are making an investment in someone to help guide you and coach you to help keep you healthy for a prolonged period of time so that you may, later down the line, be able to do numerous things that include but are not limited to:
- spend time with grandkids
- prevent being in a wheelchair
- travel the world
- walk children down the aisle
- see children/grandchildren grow up
- participate in activities and recreational sports
The list goes on from there, but the main thing is that most people do not want to limit what they can and cannot do as they age and what to be as youthful as they can for as long as they can!
As an example, I have known relatives in my family that are now in their 80s with canes and who are unable to move while my late great grandmother was able to walk around and move pretty well up until she was 102! The reason this is the case is that one did not take care of themselves when they should have and the other went out all the time and got some exercise and walked when she could!
Personal trainers recognize that as we age, we start to dwindle in terms of movement speed, movement ability, cardiovascular endurance, and even just strength as a whole. This is why personal training is the first line of defense. If we can establish these healthy habits, ideals, and a healthy lifestyle early, then we are that much closer to being able to have a better quality of life for longer! This is why it is important to take the time and invest in your health early, allowing for you to do and see all of the things that you want to see! Life is too short and does not always allow for us to experience or do the things that we may want to do, but making sure that our quality of life remains high for a long period of time will allow for us to have more experiences and do more of the things that we want to do!