Photo by ŞULE MAKAROĞLU on Unsplash
Introduction:
As a lifelong Personal Trainer in Vancouver and Fitness Business owner, I had 15 years to examine and get to know people. What prevents them from doing the thing? Why would clients revert back to old ways after we stopped training? Most people need coaching and support in lifestyle, routine, gut health, and clearing self sabotage, which there is no time to do in Personal Training. I began my Personal Development journey at age 21, and I began to notice patterns in my clients that I wanted to help them with but also wanted to give them a good solid workout. Can’t clear self limiting beliefs and have an epic workout at the same time unfortunately!
5 years ago, I stopped Personal Training and stepped into Health Coaching as I knew I could help people more than just providing them with a killer workout and being a good friend.
Personal Training and Health Coaching are magical in their own way and offer support, but let's face it, they're as different as night and day. So, incase you’re on the fence and reevaluating what you need, or let’s dive in to a professional yet feisty breakdown of the differences between Personal Training and Health Coaching!
1. One Hit Wonder Dopamine Hits:
Personal Training: Personal training is all about instant gratification, baby! Picture yourself sweating buckets and pushing your limits to reach those short-term performance goals. It's like a rollercoaster ride of adrenaline and dopamine hits, leaving you with a fleeting sense of accomplishment. Who needs long-term when you can bask in the glory of immediate results?
Health Coaching: Hold your horses, hunny! Health coaching takes a more thoughtful approach. It's not just about quick fixes and temporary highs. We're talking about sustainable changes that will rock your world in the long run. Health coaches are all about creating new habits and clearing self sabotaging blocks that even you, “miss self-aware” are not aware of. Health coaching nurtures and optimizes your inner drive to actually work for you vs. against you. It's time to level up and embrace lasting transformations!
2. Track Strength Progress:
Personal Training: So, you're all about flexing those muscles and tracking your gains? Personal training has got you covered. We're talking metrics, benchmarks, and records, my friend. Lift heavier, run faster, and beat your personal bests. It's a numbers game, and you'll have plenty of quantifiable proof that you're crushing it!
Health Coaching: Numbers are cool and all, but Health Coaching takes a panoramic view of progress. It's not just about the weights you lift or the time it takes to finish a mile. It’s about optimizing your fitness routine so your thermogenesis and fat-burning is optimized without depleting stores. Picture this: working smarter vs. harder. It's time to redefine what progress means to you!
3. Holistic Lifestyle Support:
Personal Training: Having a fitness professional next to you can be great, they'll be there to spot you, bull$h*it with you, hopefully correct form, and keep you accountable during your scheduled sessions. It's a team effort, but let's face it, the focus is on the sweat, not your entire health and wellness. Once you’re out the door, you’re back into survival loops that limit your progress.
Health Coaching: Health coaches know that the foundations to unlocking your full potential lay in optimizing your nutrition, gut health, sleep patterns, stress levels, adrenal health, menstrual cycle-syncing, and all those juicy lifestyle factors that impact your fitness progress. It's time to zoom out of the sets and reps, hunny!
4. Drained & Depleted or Optimized Energy?
Personal Training: Personal Training is centred around - exercise, sets, reps, time, and intensity. As I said in this IG Post, Health & Fitness is so much more than Workouts & Salads. The goal is to take you to your edge. Unfortunately most of us are drained and going to our edge, depletes our cellular energy which is very inefficient for metabolism, muscle gain, and overall body function.
Health Coaching: You don’t have to waste time and money going to 5 different therapies trying to figure out all your issues, and pains. Trying different programs, supplements, and alternative therapists, etc. In this season of life, you need a one-stop shop where someone can have enough foresight to NOTICE if and when something is wrong in the BIG PICTURE.
So my friends, I hope you have more clarity as to what the difference is and I hope this provided you with clarity to make a decision if you are re-evaluating what and who you get to call in to support you. I think Personal Training is great if you have the lifestyle, gut health, sleep routines, and inner saboteur under control. And if you don’t, maybe you start with a PT to get your feet wet. But if you’ve been at this for a while and feel like your needle ain’t moving, it may be time to get higher level support!
Asma Kassam, BHK, CSNA, CFST
Former Kinesiologist, Personal Trainer, Certified Sports Nutrition Advisor, Certified Fascial Stretch Therapist, turned Women’s Health & Fitness Coach & Educator
Get your FREE Stretch Guide: https://forms.aweber.com/form/93/553971593.htm
Explore the Optimal Health Membership:
akfitnessandhealth.thinkific.com/courses/optimal-health-membership
Apply to work together 1:1: https://active-kinetix-health-coaching.aweb.page/p/708edb10-c0e5-4450-9ebe-bea1dc8c2cd2
Get a high level re-evaluation on your Fitness Routine: My 2 week process to get you a new program that works better https://www.activekinetix.com/fitness-routine-program-planning/
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