Personal Training
PERSONAL TRAINING
As a certified personal trainer and fitness instructor, I offer private sessions in my home studio. Clients may also request on-site training in the privacy of their home or assisted living facility, or join one of the group classes I guest teach throughout the community. Sessions are typically 30 or 50 minutes in length.
IS THIS RIGHT FOR ME?
My studio is handicapped accessible, so I can help with a wide range of problems and burdens. Often, one might think of personal training as something only very fit persons would do, but I think my clients find me kind, encouraging and understanding to all body shapes and sizes. We start wherever they are and move forward gently, so that whatever I train them to do sticks and becomes a positive part of their lives.
Personal training with me is best when it is private. I am certified, licensed and insured to be an outside contractor who can go to a gym to provide personal training, but I know that my clients do much better reaching their goals by working with me one-on-one where no one can listen in on our conversations or watch them learn new moves that will strengthen their bodies. We often talk privately in a session about body, mind, and spirit – isolating which thought processes can be changed to make working out more like play and something to look forward to. If you are looking for a way to reduce stress over which method to use to solve your wellness issues, give personal training with me a try.
MY SPECIALTIES
Sports Yoga
A moving type of yoga that is taught on a mat. Men and women who want to excel in sports often are attracted to it. Modifications can be made to make it easier for a wider range of people. No Eastern meditation is included. The atmosphere is light-hearted, as this is a type of moving meditation. The type of yoga movements I teach increase flexibility as well as strength and balance. Stretching seems to lift you up both physically and emotionally. Strong core muscles are achieved by supporting your own weight, and being strong inside gives confidence to walk tall with good posture. My classes and training sessions facilitate deeper respiration to remove toxins and help to manage stress.
Pilates
Pilates (pronounced pih-LAH- teez) is a series of exercises performed on a mat while sitting, lying down or on your hands and knees. Pilates is designed to strengthen your abdominal and lower back muscles to align your posture. In class or during personal training, you can expect moderately paced movements that strengthen your core. Pilates encourages a more youthful appearance with better joint mobility and spinal movement.
Chair Yoga
This exercise is taught sitting in or standing by a chair (although standing is not required). The focus is flexibility, balance, and range of movement. Gentle exercises help the immune/lymph system to remove waste and toxins that build up with normal life experiences. In general, a session of chair yoga helps people feel relaxed and gives them a break from mental chatter.
Chair Fitness
Designed to increase muscle strength, range of movement and improve activities for daily living. A chair is used for seated exercises and standing support. Each exercise can be modified depending on fitness levels. Handheld weights can be added to improve coordination and strength. Many students have reported that this type of class has improved their bone density tests and has given them more energy for daily living because they have more confidence that they will not fall and hurt themselves.
WHAT TO EXPECT
I give my full attention to my client for the entire duration of their session. There are no interruptions. I join in with my clients’ exercises, so we have a sense of comradery. We are in it together, and the sense of being alone in the journey to wellness is alleviated. When we are working on a certain area that needs support or spotting, I am there for my client to feel safe. My studio also has mirrors, which enable us to see our forms from many angles to make sure we are aligned and not doing an exercise or movement that could potentially hurt or strengthen the wrong muscles, which could cause poor posture. But, we can also set up your personal training so that we do not use the mirrors if mirrors intimidate you. Your comfort is very important to me.
I have various props here such as mats, hand-held weights, resistance bands and balls, but we won’t necessarily use any of them. My style of personal training is to encourage my clients to take their practice home and make beneficial changes in their lives. Therefore, my clients do not become dependent on a gym to work out, which saves both time and money.
MY APPROACH
My mission in personal training is to help my clients see fitness as fun and a form of play. By moving together in a safe environment, my clients become stronger, more flexible and balanced, as well as “unstuck” from the routines that were not serving them. We use our brains to move our bodies and often as our bodies move, new ways of thinking arise in a natural way. Sometimes, we don’t know these secrets to wellness until we move our bodies.
As a personal trainer, I am simply the one who helps my clients get engaged in movement, which then gives them the ability to enjoy life more. It’s the “Law of Inertia” that says a body at rest remains at rest unless some force starts the body moving. Once the body is moving, it moves easier without as much effort. I am that force, although my ways are gentle and encouraging.
There’s so much more involved in the way I do personal training. To learn more, read this blog entry: What is Personal Training Like with Me?
HOW DO I GET STARTED?
I require an interview or referral from a previous contact prior to accepting new personal training clients. To inquire about the rate for personal training in your home or other facility, please email me at MaryLouise.King.WV@gmail.com.