There Is A Method to the Madness
This is a podcast where I will be discussing all aspects of physical fitness. I am an exercise physiologist and personal trainer and owner of Maxwell's Fitness Programs for the last 25 years. My passion is health and fitness and I am excited to share my views, some stories, interviews and much more with you.
There Is A Method to the Madness
The Greatest Tool That Can Improve Your Health and Fitness
Welcome to there is a Method to the Madness. My name is Rob Maxwell, I'm an exercise physiologist and personal trainer. I'm the owner of Maxwell's Fitness Programs and I've been in business since 1994. The purpose of the podcast is to get to the real deal of what really works and, most importantly, why things work. Hence the name. There is a method to the madness.
Speaker 1:Today, I'm going to talk about one huge tool that will help you greatly. Before I get to that, let me thank Jonathan and Lynn Gildan of the Gildan Group Realty Pros. They are committed to providing the highest level of customer service in home sales and they have the reviews and the sales to back that up. So why don't you give them a shout at 386-451-2412 and try to find out what your house is worth? All right, so what is a huge tool that will help you that is often underutilized and that tool is asking for help. I had a conversation with the client the other day before I presented to the Rotary Club of Daytona Beach, and let me just say they are such a great group Like I really like say they are such a great group, like I really like speaking to them. There are always questions afterwards and that is cool to me because it you know, it means people listened, it means they care. There's always really good questions.
Speaker 1:I like going back. I've been there a few times as I sat at the table, um, a uh, a client and a person who asked me to come speak or set it up. We're discussing different things and there's actually a couple of people at the table. We're talking about this subject and it is, you know, so often people don't ask for help, like they think that it's maybe I don't know, like that's what I want to discuss in this podcast, but you know, maybe they think that they it's help is too expensive when it comes to physical fitness. Maybe they think that you know they know better. I mean, I don't know. I've got my theories and I want to discuss them here a little bit and then what we can do about it. But first I want to really just give you some of the facts on asking for help, and the facts are no matter what the subject is, it is one of the best things you can ever do, and when people stay stuck, it's usually because they're not asking for help or, at the very least, they're not asking for the appropriate help. So I like to look at different things within the personal training world and I look at all the different statistics on. You know not only the physical things, but also you know the financial and business side of things and every poll that's ever been taken by major personal training affiliates like American College of Sports Medicine or different things like that, different organizations like that.
Speaker 1:Whenever they ask people what is the number one reason why they hired a personal trainer, the answer always comes back to accountability. Like that is number one. They need somebody to hold them accountable to. Number one, getting there. Number two, staying on their plan. Number three, doing their exercises correctly. And number four, pushing them to be their best.
Speaker 1:Now I think it's changed some, although I could be wrong. Maybe I'm just not paying attention to these things as much or around different people that talk about them as much, but it used to be thought of that you hire a personal trainer because you need to be pushed Like. You need somebody to really get behind you and make you squeeze out those two or three more reps. Now there's a semblance of truth to that. I mean there's no question, and in psychology we've known that forever. Just having somebody standing there, we typically do more If you're in a 5k with 500 people running to be your best, or you're in a 5k by yourself, 99 out of 100 people are going to run better with people in the 5k. So just having somebody there alone pushes you. And then somebody who you trust, who you know is going to push you in a way where you don't get hurt, you're obviously going to do a little more. So that is true. That's the fourth point I made, and that is true that some people do hire a trainer or at least that's a big perk to get a little more out of them. But the number one reason is for accountability. Those people have picked up that real heavy, heavy weight. It's not as heavy as it used to be but the telephone or whatever send a text, email, whatever we do nowadays and they ask for help.
Speaker 1:Now, one stereotype I want to get rid of and I can just give you my 30 years, 30 odd years of experience on this of who asked for help. It's not the. I mean it can be that person that is just totally at the very worst that they could be, and you know they're just, they can't do anything and they're not motivatable, and you know all that I mean you know there are people I guess like that. I mean I'm saying I guess, cause that's just not the typical clientele. I mean I think it's a stereotype that you need to be really weak to ask for help. Number one that's not true. And number two, I heard a quote the other day that I actually love and it is not. Asking for help is actually selfish. It is like if you can ask for help and get better, everybody around you gets better.
Speaker 1:So typically the people that call us get a hold of my facility to help them. You know they're not people with zero motivation. They're people with lots of motivation and that's why they picked up the phone, because they understand well, this is going to get me better. This isn't my arena. They're motivated to be self-starters or whatever in other ways. They're business people, they're physicians, they're lawyers people, their physicians, their lawyers, their professional athletes, whatever. And yes, professional athletes aren't always super motivated to do what they need to do outside of their sport. I don't even know if motivated is the right word. They are motivated, they need help, they need that accountability partner.
Speaker 1:So they're not these weak-willed people that call. They're people that are actually number one. Have this self-esteem, because it does take a high enough level of self-esteem to ask for help. And number two, there has to be a big enough deflation of ego to ask for help. I don't want to get ahead of myself and get into like why people don't, but that is a big reason that people that you know have the big egos and say, oh, I know how to do this. I should be doing this. And you know, as I've talked about before maybe you haven't heard you know other people that talk about different things in psychology. Like ego isn't a good thing, like ego isn't confidence. Ego is the opposite of confidence. Ego is you don't feel very secure and so you're trying to make others around you believe that you are. That's usually what a big ego means and that does get in the way absolutely of asking for help. So the statistics bear out that the people that typically call a trainer need accountability. And I'm telling you from experience and the experience of what I've read and talked to with other people. Again, these are not weak-willed people, these are people that want to get better. These are selfless people, not selfish people, selfless people who understand this is going to help me. As I said, I have people that had been professional athletes that say you know? The bottom line is I know this is good for me and I'm not going to do it consistently enough unless you are here waiting for me. So that is not being weak willed, that is being smart.
Speaker 1:I have many physicians who understand a lot about the body and, yes, just because they're physicians, it doesn't mean that they're experts in health and fitness. I get all that They'd have to go out of their way to study that a little bit. Some do, some don't, but they do understand health and they do understand their body, understand health and they do understand their body. They know enough about the body to probably pull off a pretty decent workout on their own, but they understand that they want help. Somebody who is going to meet them. Be there, help them, be their best, encourage them to be their best, tell them when they're doing things wrong, push them a little bit.
Speaker 1:You know, I always say with my trainers and when I talk to people, I meet people where they are. When it comes to pushing them, like, some people don't want to be pushed, they just some people are afraid of it. They think that you're going to hurt them. I've realized that you can't really change that in people. So you meet them where they are because the fact that they're doing it and when you try to push them a little bit, you see how they respond. If they get a little fearful, we trainers can talk to them about you know the safety of going up in a smart way, or we can go. You know what this is, how they are and the fact that they're doing this is a good thing. I always say we call this resistance training for a reason, meaning if you are exercising and using resistance, you are getting some benefits. You know, if you're holding three pound weights and moving your arms to the side in the form of a side raise, you are getting some benefits. You are moving your limbs against resistance. Now, do I believe in doing our best? Yes, but the point is, is we meet people or I meet people where they are when it comes to pushing them? So sure, as trainers, we love to get those people that love to be pushed, but we also understand that that's maybe 25% and then the rest you got to meet them where they are and help them to be their best. And being their best is showing up, meeting them, keeping them safe, and that is a win.
Speaker 1:So it's not the weak willed person who is 200 pounds overweight that you know people on social media without any real pictures but just have these, you know fake profiles make fun of. You know, call them weak-willed and lazy and you know, I don't know. You know mean people can be when they don't have to face the consequences themselves. No, it's not. That those people is actually a very, very sad condition when they get to that kind of level and they need medical intervention when they get to that kind of level and they're probably need psychiatric intervention when they get to that kind of level and they're probably need psychiatric intervention when they get to that level because they're clinically depressed, nobody to make fun of. In that regard, that's really a terrible thing because I'm sure people making fun of them have their own warts that they don't want to be exposed. But the point here is that that's not the group that calls personal trainers. They don't have the self-esteem, typically the means or the desire Usually they're so clinically depressed to even pick up the phone and ask for help. Now sometimes I've seen situations where they've had medical interventions and have lost some weight and now they're ready to work on other aspects of their fitness. Yes, I've seen that.
Speaker 1:But as trainers we typically do not get that stereotype. What we do get, as I said, is the people that are mostly highly successful in areas of their life. I mean, look, personal training, I think, is a value, and no, I'm not just saying that because I do it. If it helps you get better, why be penny wise and a pound foolish to not spend the money? You know I've had clients through the years that very respectfully, you know, after I don't know a couple months, say you know, I believe I can do this on my own. I want to try to save a little money and go to the YMCA or LA Fitness or whatever. Try to save a little bit of money and go to the YMCA or LA Fitness or whatever.
Speaker 1:And you know, I think people that know me know like I never like really solicit business. You know I don't advertise much. I mean we're full and I never battle that. I just look at them and I say, okay, hey, you know where I'm at if you meet me. And every time that's happened when I run into people, they literally say to me I haven't done it since our last conversation. And I really do think their intentions were. They wanted to try to do it on their own, but sadly they think it's weakness in going. And I'm like it's. It's not weakness, like where is that coming from? You know, there are many things in my life that I need help with. I've told this story before. I will tell it again.
Speaker 1:When I was doing a lot of triathlons triathlons they you have to swim. Not a great swimmer Did not grow up doing lap swimming. You know, I did ocean swimming and things like that when I surfed and things. But you know, I learned how to swim laps as an adult after I got into triathlons. I needed coaching, I needed help. I needed, you know, I wanted to learn how to do a flip turn. I wanted to, you know, do these. I wanted to make sure my stroke was good. I wanted to make sure I was doing the workouts that were best for me. I hired a coach. I got help.
Speaker 1:You know, and here I am, have this physiology background, a trainer. You know I tell people to swim. That doesn't mean I know how to swim and that doesn't mean I know how to swim, right. I mean I needed a swim coach, right, I mean I'd pay them. I'm like, easily, that's no problem.
Speaker 1:Now I pay a piano teacher because I don't know how to play a piano and you know, we meet once a week remotely and I love it. You know I'm I don't consider myself any good or anything, but it's so fun to be able to learn little songs and, like I said, we meet once a week and then she gives me homework and she texts it to me. These are like I have three songs I have to work on this week. I don't, I wouldn't be doing that if it wasn't for her, I probably would fade away. I would just be like, eh, you know, I don't know, I haven't learned any more songs in a bitch. There's nobody here to direct me. I would probably quit and that would not be a good thing because it's good for my mental state, it's good for my spiritual state, you know. So that wouldn't be smart.
Speaker 1:So you know, yeah, I mean people that have money typically can afford personal trainers. I mean we have some of you know clients, of course, with a ton of money. We have some of some money, we have some that are on lower income budgets, but they just understand that it is so important for them. So you know, and I'm and I'm just talking personal training. It could be anything that helps you get help, you know, whether it be joining a group that's going to hold you accountable or whatever, but asking for help is so well worth it. And again, why be penny wise and a pound foolish? I'll close this out here with a little bit of a story and then I'll just list the quick reasons why they get in the way, although I already think I really covered it Excuse me there when I was a professor in sports medicine, one of my students came in the very first day and I like to get to know people and I asked them, you know, in front of the class I said so what motivates you to get into this program?
Speaker 1:And he was a military vet. He got out of one of the wars I couldn't remember if it was Iraq or Afghanistan and he said you know, I just recently had a son and I want to be a fit parent for him. I want to, like, make sure that, as he's getting older, I'm getting older and capable, because I'm a little bit older, you know, coming out of the military. I want to make sure that I can do the things with him that he needs and he can see a strong, fit parent growing up. I mean, I don't know if I'll ever forget that story. I hope I don't, because you talk about selfless. And then he went on to say how that he felt like learning how to do it for other people will be the best motivator for him to make it a job now for himself. And that's why he chose the program. Like that's selfless, that's like asking for help is selfless, like he's doing it so he is a better impact on the people around him. So you know, think about that.
Speaker 1:Asking for help isn't selfish, of course, it's not needy, it's smart and it's effective. So why people don't? I mean, again, I think the ego gets in the way. I mean, you know, we think we should do it on our own. I mean that's ego, you know, and I hate to say it, I've said it before, but that's more of a guy thing than a gal thing. But I think that's one of the reasons and along with that, you know, maybe money, financial reasons.
Speaker 1:But again, I'm talking personal training. You know there are other ways to ask for help, but I still argue, even as a personal trainer, I really do believe most people can budget it some way. I really do believe most people can budget it some way. I mean, when you think about the money spent at Starbucks or the money spent at convenience stores and the money, you know, dropped on subscriptions or whatever it's like, if you really looked at where that money's going and go, oh man, you know, I do have, you know, maybe 35 bucks a week to spend on a half hour at least. That gives me some guidance, like whatever. I mean, I think it can be done.
Speaker 1:Most importantly, if it really really helps, then it's not a luxury. I hate when I hear luxury item because, again, I don't know. I mean, yeah, we've had, or I've had, some super wealthy clients. I've had some wealthy clients. I've had some, again, you know, lower budget clients. I mean, yeah, I mean, but I don't know that it's that. I really just think it's priority, you know, do you know it helps?
Speaker 1:And if you know it helps, you'll find a way to ask for help for your health and fitness and it's one of the best ways to do it. I mean, it just works. You know, wouldn't you spend the money on something you know that works? So, whatever the area is, I encourage you to ask for help. I mean, I'm a health and fitness expert, so that's the area I went in.
Speaker 1:But you know, if you need help with any form of substance abuse, whether it be alcohol or pills or other drugs, ask for help. Nobody is going to make fun of you. It is not selfish. It is selfless to ask for help. If you're having some medical issues that you don't really quite understand, like you're not breathing as well or you're having pain in places that cause you a little concern, ask for help. Like one of the best tools you could ever do is ask for help and then finally, like if you're lonely, if you're depressed, ask for help. There are professionals out there that can help you and I promise you you're not alone doing it All. Right Now, if you need any help with your garage door, give overhead door of Daytona Beach a shout. They have the best service, they have the best products. So give them a call at three, eight, six, two, two, two, thirty one, sixty five.
