It’s not uncommon for clients to start training with us wanting to be slimmer. Wanting to lose excess body fat is a popular outcome of the good personal trainer in Ascot service that we provide. However, body size shouldn’t be the only goal of fitness training. As a population we are living longer than previous generations. An important factor for quality of life as we age is our ability to maintain our independence. As a good personal trainer in Ascot we can positively influence the physical independence of clients through resistance training. Making, and keeping our clients strong. How strong? Strong enough to tackle activities of daily living – whatever they may be.
I want to fit into my Size 10 jeans
It’s important to feel good about ourselves. How we look and the clothes that we wear can be a big part of that. So statements such as “I want to fit into my Size 10 jeans again” are not uncommon. It’s also not a bad goal because fitting into your nice clothes can be powerful motivation for some healthy weight and fat loss. So in short we are not saying wanting to be slimmer is a bad thing – quite the opposite! Focusing on body size and shape is a far healthier approach to fat loss than obsessing over the weighing scales.
What about being strong?
Being skinny isn’t enough. And here’s why. We are living longer and we are living increasingly independently. Families and friends are spread the world over. We no longer live in tribes and for many of us, this means that we need to maintain our physical independence as we age into our 70’s and beyond. A major threat to this is a loss of physical strength. Any activity of daily living, such as getting out of chair or walking across the street requires a certain level fo muscle strength and coordination. If we lose that strength then we risk not being able to move about and act without help and support. Having strong muscles also helps take strain off of tendons and ligaments, therefore helping to prevent overuse niggles and injuries.
Staying strong and being independent
It’s never too late to develop your strength. The body is able to adapt to pressure that it’s placed under. Think of physical therapy situations or occupational therapy where people return from injury. People of all ages can improve their physical performance. However, the stronger we enter our later years the more potential we have to be strong throughout them. As a good personal trainer in Ascot we include basic functional strength exercises into the routines of all of our clients.