Seven Questions Your Fitness Trainer Needs the Answers To

Choosing the right professional fitness trainer is an important step in your wellness programme, but how do you know which one is right for you? As a general rule, the best trainers will – on the first meeting – sit you down and ask you lots of questions so that they can determine exactly what you need to enhance your wellbeing. Before you even touch a weight, your trainer should be able to devise the exercise programme that suits your needs best—and one that will give you the best results. To do that, he or she has to ask you the following questions:

 

1. Have you ever had health problems? There is a broad list of health problems that will affect your exercise programme, so never leave anything out, no matter how small a health concern it may seem. The main players include:

• Cardiovascular problems – Heart attacks, cardiac surgery, chest pains, high blood pressure (over 140/90), high blood cholesterol (more than 200 mg/dl), heart murmurs, arrhythmia, vascular diseases, phlebitis, stroke, and high blood fat levels.


• Breathing problems – Smoking problems, fainting, shortness of breath, bronchitis, asthma, and emphysema.


• Joint and bone problems – Ankle swelling, rheumatic fever, arthritis, and orthopaedic problems.


• Miscellaneous problems – Emotional disorders, recent illnesses or hospitalisations, drug allergies, etc.

 

2. Do you have diabetes? This one deserves a special question all of its own as diabetes is a major health risk factor. Many professional trainers are not qualified to train you if you have such a risk factor, so make sure your trainer is adequately prepared to take you on.

 

3. What is your waist size? As with diabetes and other major health risk factors, many trainers aren’t certified to train obese people. You’re considered to be obese if you’re a man with a girth of 40 inches or greater or a woman with a girth of 35 inches or greater, so make sure you measure yourself before your interview, and choose a trainer who is properly trained to help you lose weight.

 

4. What is your resting heart rate? If you have an abnormal resting heart rate, this is another major risk factor that many trainers aren’t qualified to deal with. Make sure your trainer is certified to train you.

 

5. What are your goals? This is perhaps the most important question your trainer can ask you, as your goals provide a direction for your training programme. With your answer to this question, your trainer will be able to create a diet and exercise regime specifically for you and what you want out of it. In order to do a good job of this, your trainer will need to take into account both your long-term and short-term goals, so come to your interview prepared to answer this question as fully as possible.

 

6. What are your eating habits? If one of your fitness focuses is on your weight – whether you want to bulk up, slim down or maintain the healthy weight you’re at – your trainer will ask about your current eating habits to see how they can be adjusted to help you achieve your weight goals. Go to your interview knowing the number of calories you consume, the types of foods you eat, the timing and size of your meals, your number of meals per day and any supplements you’re taking.

 

7. Have you done resistance exercise before? In order to create a programme that delivers optimum results, trainers will want to know about your resistance exercise past. This means telling your trainer the type of routines you have done, what time of the day you are usually train, how long you work out for, how you target your various muscles, and what kind of exercise you prefer.

Categories: eating habits, Fitness Trainer, health problems, Heart Rate, high blood, Interview, major health, prepare, resistance exercise, risk factor, trainers aren

Proving Your CV Claims: How Exactly Are You a Team Player?

“Team Player” is one of those buzzwords you put on your CV, but what exactly does it mean? Is your potential boss just looking for someone who gets on with everyone, or is he or she after something more? These days, anyone with any sense would describe themselves as a team player to get the job, so your corporate wellness depends on you setting yourself apart for the pack, and demonstrating exactly how you fit the bill. We’ve set out a few of the qualities you need to be a team player, all you need is a few examples of how they apply to you and that job is practically yours – don’t say we never take care of your wellbeing!

 

1. You demonstrate reliability: Your boss can count on your to get the work done and do your fair share to work hard and meet deadlines and commitments. Your boss can give you an assignment safe in the knowledge that you will follow through, and do it well. You don’t just shine in odd moments and do the bare minimum at others; you deliver a good performance always.

 

2. You communicate constructively: You don’t shy away from making a point, but you do ensure that you make it in the best way possible; positively, confidently and respectfully. Your team can rely on you to give good feedback and ideas in a clear, direct and honest way that will only help, and not hurt, the work or your colleagues.

 

3. You’re an active listener: As well as being everyone’s go-to guy for constructive feedback, you also know how to absorb, understand, and consider ideas and points of view from other people without debating and arguing every point. You don’t just dish out criticism; you can also take it without jumping into defensive mode. Most of all, you know how important it is to listen first and speak second.

 

4. You’re an active participant: You don’t just turn up for meetings and sit on the sidelines; you’re an active player in this game and make things happen. You prepare for meetings, listen closely and speak up in discussions. You take the initiative on projects and volunteer for assignments, and basically do anything you can to help the team achieve success.

 

5. You share openly and willingly: Communication isn’t only key in the board room, you also feel comfortable chatting to co-workers in an informal setting. You’re willing to share information, knowledge, and experience to keep other team members in the loop, regardless of whether you’re in an organised discussion or you’re just walking past their desk.

 

6. You cooperate with others: Being in a team doesn’t mean you’re a group of individuals who all do a separate job; you often have to work together to get things done. Despite differences you may have with other members of your team concerning style and perspective, you can figure out ways to solve problems and act as a unit. In fact, you even offer to help out when a colleague is in need.

 

7. You’re flexible: With so many people and perspectives in one team change is inevitable. You know how to roll with the punches and adapt to an ever-changing workplace. If your boss takes things in a new direction or a colleague decides to try something different, you don’t complain or stress out about it; you consider the thought process behind the decision and move forward with it. Even though you have your own opinions, and will explain them well, you’re open to what others have to offer and will compromise when the team needs you to.

Categories: boss, CV Proof, Interview, nbsp, player, team, Team Player, work

Want to Be a Fitness Instructor? How To Nail That Interview

These days, great jobs are becoming few and far between and so nailing the interview is more important than ever. However, even though job market wellness has taken a huge hit in the recession, the fitness and wellbeing industry is still going strong. While this means that becoming a fitness instructor may be a wise move, the competition is going to be fierce and so you need to get your interview skills in tip-top shape.

Firstly, make sure you’re completely prepared. This means researching the company or organisation to which you have applied, and finding out every detail about the position for which you are being interviewed. This means that you can talk about the organisation and explain why you would like to work for this company in particular – which interviewers love – and you can tailor your answers to fit the job description, so they know you’re the perfect candidate.

An important thing is to look and feel the part. You need to ensure you’re well-dressed and smart for your interview – that goes without saying – but you also have to understand your own skills and abilities. In your interview, you will need to talk clearly about yourself, and be confident and unafraid to speak up about what you can do best. Think of yourself as a product, and the interviewer as a potential customer. You need to sell yourself and your unbeatable skills!

However, it’s not all about the questions you answer, but the questions you ask that will get you the job. The interview is an opportunity for you to find out anything else you may need to know about the position and make sure it is definitely for you. There’s no point getting the job if you end up wanting to quit by the end of your first day. Plus, your potential employer will be impressed if you ask questions, as it will show that you are interested in and engaged with their company.

When you go to your interview, make sure you bring exactly what they ask you to, and always take an extra copy of your CV. Even if they don’t ask for one, you can revise right up until the moment you get called in. However, these days your potential employer won’t only look at the information you hand them; they’ll also check you out on social media sites. Your Facebook is the window to your soul, so be careful with what you post, or remove your last name from your page so you’re not so easy to find. Alternately, you can use social media to your advantage by posting or tweeting about things related to fitness, as this will show your interest and expertise.

Categories: fitness instructor, Interview, preparation

You’re Hired: How to Sail Through an Interview

No interview is ever easy, but if you implement certain tricks of the trade, you can increase your chances of getting an offer and making yourself seem like the best person for the job. So what makes the difference between “you’re hired” and “have a nice day”?

Firstly, be positive. Getting down about yourself, or giving off a negative vibe, is hardly attractive to a prospective employer. You need to be upbeat and optimistic about your career outlook. The best way to do this is to be enthusiastic about the position. If you can pull this off, the interviewer will be reassured that you’re interested in the job and will be ready and happy to contribute to their team effort. Remember to smile and be approachable and likeable. The employer will want to know you’re going to get on with the current staff, so don’t play hard to get!

The best companies will have firm goals in place, and be working towards them. As a job seeker, you should be no different. It’s more than likely that an interviewer will ask you where you see yourself in X amount of years time, so think about it before you go in. Write down your goals for the next year, three years and five years. Try to be as specific as possible and map out exactly what you’re going to do to achieve those goals. Let your prospective employer see how focused and tenacious you are.

Next, make sure you always talk in terms of what the other person wants. Obviously, you’re applying for this job because there’s a lot you will get out of it, but the employer knows what they’re offering. It’s what you can do for the company, so take some time and consider what benefits and skills you bring to the table. Have a good look at the job description and come up with a list of concerns and needs that the employer will have. Then, try to think of specific examples you can use to address those needs and concerns. Basically, you have to give them what they want on a silver platter.

You’re Hired: How to Sail Through an Interview

Categories: Goals, Interview, Positivity