personal training Archives - Kelly Athletics

Posted on March 7, 2023March 13, 2023 by Kelly Gibson

The Journey to Overall Wellness, a Plant-Based Diet

A clean home is essential for optimal health! Vacuuming daily helps to remove dirt, dust and other allergens that can trigger asthma or allergies. Using nontoxic cleaners ensures a safe and healthy environment when cleaning countertops and floors. Paying close attention to the air filters in your home can also reduce pollutants in the air – leading to improved air quality indoors. This is especially important if you or a family member suffers from respiratory problems. Keeping up with these types of tasks can give you peace of mind so you can enjoy a clean home, free from potential hazards.

Meditation is one of the best ways to achieve optimal health and well-being. It has scientifically proven benefits such as improving concentration, reducing stress levels, and enhancing physical and mental well-being. Meditation helps build resilience against fatigue and anxiety, which can help improve overall physical health. In addition to providing restful sleep, it boosts our immunity by helping to regulate hormones. Regular meditation also allows us to experience a sense of inner calmness and awareness that can lead to improved self-esteem and emotional balance.

Posted on July 20, 2017August 4, 2022 by Kelly Gibson

5 Easy Ways to Be Accountable Like Never Before

5 Easy Ways to Be Accountable to Your Workouts

Like Never Before

5-easy-ways-to-be-accountable-accountability-stay — *5 EASY ways to be accountable. Little effort to plan, Lots of results! #accountable #beaccountable #accountability #stayaccountable*

You may have been hitting the gym day in and day out for a few months, but then all of a sudden something came up and you stopped going. It's not for a lack of motivation, but life keeps getting in the way and you're not satisfied with the way you look. Even if you feel like you are eating healthy, but you're not tracking your food into myfitnesspal. You might think about doing a workout and might even have a workout plan ready to go, but you don’t have time to workout. Sometimes you want to, and you're motivated internally, but externally you can't seem to make it happen. The result? Your jeans are getting snug. The reality is that without having easy ways to be accountable, it's hard to get around to your workouts.

Before you find yourself in the fitting room trying on a bigger pant size, make a commitment. To get the results you are so desperate to find, you have to work on both your nutrition and exercise. It's a hard reality to face, but even a little bit of gradual change per week can make huge changes in your body fat. You could be exercising to your best ability, but eating back your calories. Or you could be eating a totally healthy diet, but your metabolism isn’t working hard enough to burn fat because you are sedentary.

If you're not doing your workouts consistently, or eating within your calorie budget, you are sacrificing your metabolism. To put it in perspective, your resting metabolic rate (RMR) accounts for 70% of your total energy expenditure (TEE) for the day. The thermic effect of food (TEF) accounts for 6-10% of your TEE - this is the energy you use to process & digest food. The other 20% of your TEE depends on your physical activity level. Roughtly 20% of your weight is dependent on exercise and 70% of your weight is dependent on your diet, leaving about 10% depending somewhat on genetics, medication, age, and/or other factors.

Losing weight is NOT easy. Staying fit is NOT easy. But staying accountable to your workouts is NOT easy either. You'll constantly be disappointed in your health if you don't act now. It is important for my Personal Training clients to eat properly during an exercise program. And I stress to my Nutrition clients that they need to stay on top of their workouts. It is a two-way street and you can't accomplish much unless you focus on both. So you're probably not sure what you need to do to be accountable to your workouts and diet. That's why I put together these lists.

Top 3 Ways to Fail at Being Accountable

Rely on a Friend to Be Your Diet & Workout Buddy. You might think having a new workout partner is the next best thing to date night. Chances are, your friend is on her own journey and doesn't have the expertise to be anymore accountable than you are. In fact, I find that when people are self-reliant they are more likely to succeed than the ones who rely on a friend to show up to the workouts with them. When your friend fails, you fail. Do not fall dependent upon someone else to keep you accountable to your weight loss plan. (Read on for a better solution.)
Prioritize your Work and Social Life over your Fitness. It sure is easy to say YES when someone invites you to a dinner date. It's almost impossible to say NO when your boss requests a lunch meeting at the least healthy chain restaurant in town. Remember - no matter what happens in the world around you, your health is #1. If you want to go out to dinner, plan ahead on what to order before your appetite chooses for you. If you have a mandatory lunch, bring your own food or eat an early lunch only leaving room for the side salad at your meeting. A work meeting is about work and food is secondary.
Overbook yourself with Extracurricular Activities. Whether its for your kids, school, or for fun it doesn't take much to have too much on your plate. Three hours of extra activities per week could mean three less hours of exercise if you put them first. Not to mention all the driving time it takes to commit to other activities, you might even forget to pack a meal and stop for fast food on an empty tummy.

accountability-to-your-workouts-personaltrainer-online-fitness — *Accountability is the Glue that sticks your goal to your mind. #mindful #accountable*

5 Easy Ways to Be Accountable to Your Workouts and Diet

Join a Group: Is working out and dieting alone not something you are comfortable with? Find a social group that isn't going to bail on you. A good example would be Weight Watchers or a group fitness class at a popular gym. By choosing one of these well-known environments with larger groups, chances are slim that the entire class will bail. Even if your instructor for the day calls in sick, there's a good chance someone can fill in for her. With this type of no-excuse policy, you can stay accountable to your diet and exercise plan no matter what!
Hire a Coach: Many people think hiring a Personal Trainer is the answer to being accountable. In many cases this is true, but if your Personal Trainer is not a Certified Coach in Nutrition or Wellness, they might have no formal education in coaching. It's tough to be accountable to your workouts when showing up is a recurring issue.
Schedule it in: Having a generic plan in mind like "I'm going to work out 5 times this week" is not a clear enough plan to stay accountable. Be very specific and intentional about scheduling in your workouts and meal prep. Schedule things at the same time each day and every week to keep it consistent and develop a habit. Example: Workouts - Daily at 7:15-7:45pm, Morning Meal Prep - Tues Thurs 6-6:20am.
Set multiple reminders: Reminders, reminders, reminders. Set your reminders EVERY single day, MANY times a day, in MANY ways. For some people, post-its do the trick. For others, alarms. In some instances, an email or web browser pop-up would help you remember things better. This isn't to say that we only skip our workouts because we "forget". However, having a constant reminder certainly helps keep us on track. You can make the workouts, meal prep, grocery shopping, and food tracking much more of a priority with a daily reminder.
Put a reward system in place: Chances are, if you're on a new diet or exercise plan, you don't have intrinsic motivation to stick to the plan (i.e. enjoying how it feels to be healthy). Most people seek external rewards for doing the things they don't particularly enjoy but feel like they have to do anyway. Extrinsic motivation for going to your day-to-day job would be earning money. If you didn't earn money and didn't like your job, you probably would stop going. A similar concept applies for eating healthy and exercising. You may need to reward yourself with something immediately after finishing your workout or eating a healthy meal to feel good about it. An extrinsic reward for healthy habits would be putting money in a jar for a vacation, going to a spa, going to a music concert, or simply relaxing in front of the TV.

Posted on April 5, 2016October 11, 2017 by Kelly Gibson

Is Personal Training the Best Job?

Let me Start by telling you How I Ended up in a Personal Training Career

When I was a little girl, I would spend much of my time outdoors, from sledding down the hills in our backyard in the winter to running through the sprinklers in the summer. I grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania and my favorite childhood memories include playing summer youth softball and achieving the all-star ranking. I dreamed of becoming a professional athlete and I continued my joys of playing softball from childhood to high school to college. I enjoyed basketball, cross country running, snowboarding, skating, and more. There is no doubt that playing sports had a positive effect on my social, mental, and physical health. But, becoming a pro was more of a dream than a reality.

athlete-play-softball-skate — *I was an athlete in high school. I even loved skateboarding!*

So, could I transfer this love for fitness to a career in Personal Training?

Well, in high school I thought it would be a cool job, but to be honest, I didn't even consider Personal Training when I was in college. I was so out of shape, and I never thought I could start a career as a chubby trainer! My college degree was in Biological Engineering because I dreamed of designing treatments or cures for medical diseases. I always had a passion to help people, and to make the world a better place for all people. In 2010, I graduated from Penn State University and moved to Arizona to enjoy the beautiful sunny weather and big city life. I met my husband shortly after living here and we eventually moved into a house together. When I was pregnant with my son, I started to take my own health very seriously. I spent much of my time learning about nutrition. Little did I know, diet and exercise are the leading cause of most chronic diseases in the United States! After doing some research, my eyes were opened to the harsh realities of how genetically modified foods and pharmaceutical drugs can negatively impact human health. I quickly transitioned to a plant-based (vegan) diet and signed up for the NASM Personal Trainer Certification in hopes of losing weight in a healthy way.

kelly-gibson-2010-penn-state-university-alumni — *Kelly Gibson, 2010 Penn State Graduate*

I started to consider making Personal Training my next job, but I still had my doubts that I'd ever get fit enough.

Once my son Vincent was born, it became a priority for me to stick to a workout program to get rid of my excess baby weight. I lost weight very quickly with my newfound knowledge of diet & nutrition, and that led me to believe I really could become a Personal Trainer & Nutrition Coach! I wanted to teach others how to do what I did. Had I known the things I know now (back in college), I would have been in the fitness industry years ago. I was so excited about starting a new career because I sincerely wanted to help other people look and feel their best.

The Weight Loss Story that Made it all Happen

I had gained over 50 pounds during my pregnancy. By that point, I was ready to commit to my health and get the body I always wanted. I transitioned to eating a plant based diet for weight loss after I spent several months studying nutrition on my own. It became apparent that the most successful weight loss diets require eating less meat, less dairy products, and less cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol is only present in animal-based foods, and I wasn't interested in having any foods in my diet that could hold me back from my goal. Everything I read would suggest we increase whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. I wanted to focus on eating the highest quality foods for weight loss, and avoid the lower quality foods for weight gain. At this point, it was pretty clear to me what I needed to do to get fit and healthy - go vegan!

50-lbs-pregnancy-weight-loss — *I gained 50 pounds during my pregnancy and had alot of work ahead of me to lose the weight!*

So, that's what I did. Like many of you, I got tired of the misinformation shared on the internet, the calorie restriction diets, and getting nutrition advice from bloggers and sales reps (especially those who have no credentials to make health claims.) Health was also very important to me, as I wanted to stay healthy for my newborn son and didn't want to rely on supplements or diet pills. I learned about plant-based diets from a variety of reputable websites such as www.pcrm.org, www.nutritionfacts.org, and from several nutrition books and videos. I watched "Forks over Knives" and "Food Inc", as well as video footage of how animals are raised for food. I watched several videos to learn how food is made in factories including the processing of meat, cheese, butter, and poultry. After becoming educated, it was easy to transition to veganism as my new lifestyle of health, compassion, and fitness. A whole foods plant-based diet helped me lose weight and feel great! I've never felt better.

before-after-pic-pregnancy- — *From uncontrollable pregnancy weight to bikini body!*

Starting in January 2012, I spent most of my free time learning new vegan recipes, reading food labels to find vegan products, and learning about fitness and nutrition. During this transition I lost 75 pounds in 10 months. So, I took the plunge! I opened a Fitness & Nutrition business in September 2012 and called it Kelly Athletics, because I like to take a fun athletic approach to fitness. I was finally able to help other women and moms lose weight too! Did I mention Personal Training is the best job ever?! I had so much fun working with other moms and women who had the same struggles that I did. They were inspired by my story, motivated by the outcome, and driven to succeed too.

The twist to the story... Personal Trainers can earn just as much as Engineers! (Curious what we charge? Go here.)

I don't feel like I wasted my engineering degree. In fact, the work ethic and skills I developed in college have led me to where I am today. I don't let anything stop me from achieving my goals, and that is what I thank engineering school for. After a year of maintaining my weight loss, I experienced an amazing reward for the hard work I have put into my health & fitness journey. I became the featured cover model & weight loss story in Woman's World magazine! Go here to see the January 2014 weekly issue that I was the cover for. I am so thrilled that I had the chance to share my story with millions of readers! Since staying active after college can be tough on us, I decided to focus my work on young women and moms who need help getting fit. It is my passion to incorporate fun training into my exercise programs to make working out more athletic in nature and enjoyable for my clients! There's nothing like feeling young when you're getting old! I still feel excited to help more people as a Gluten Free Vegan Trainer, and not only will I keep doing it, I live for it! Yes, Personal Training IS the best job!

Written by Kelly Gibson | Gluten Free Vegan Trainer | Online Personal Training | Online Personal Trainer

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Tag: personal training

The Journey to Overall Wellness, a Plant-Based Diet

The Journey to Overall Wellness Starts with Self-Improvement

Adopt a Plant-Based Diet

Consistent Exercise

Learning to Keep a Healthier Home

Meditation

Embracing Self-Acceptance

Practicing Gratitude

Assessing Your Career Goals

Achieve Your Full Potential

Join my free Health Esteem Challenge to get fit with me on a plant-based diet here.

5 Easy Ways to Be Accountable to Your Workouts

Like Never Before

Is Personal Training the Best Job?

Find out if Personal Training is the Best Job

Let me Start by telling you How I Ended up in a Personal Training Career