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
People Need People: The Irreplaceable Value of Human Connection in Fitness
Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...
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Welcome to there is a Method to the Madness. My name is Rob Maxwell and I'm an exercise physiologist and personal trainer. I am the owner of Maxwell's Fitness Programs and I've been in business since 1994. The purpose of this 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. Before I get started today, let me thank Jonathan and Lynn Gilden of the Gilden Group Realty Pros. They are committed to providing the highest level of customer service in home sales. Why don't you give them a shout and figure out what your home is worth? 386-451-2412. Good morning, good afternoon. 886-451-2412. Good morning, good afternoon and good evening to all my MaxFitters out there.
Speaker 1:Coach Rob here talking to you about good old health and fitness. So people have asked me they say you know, do you think that AI is going to take away from the fitness industry? You know they have machines now that tell people how many reps to do, how much load. I think even the local YMCAs have some of those machines. I mean there are, you know, different programs you can get at home that do that. You know AI trainers or whatever you want to call it. I mean the short and the long answer is absolutely not. You know, I really believe that people need people and, as I spoke on, spoke about a few episodes about how you know man, you know, as in our species, use of tools is our superpower and I think AI and everything else can be a great tool actually, and can be a great tool within the fitness industry. Like, I will use it for quick research. Quick research if I'm working on a book or working on the email or working on something, then I will ask AI to break something down for me and I will check it out and see the sources and all that. So I mean that's cool and, plus, you can just look up fun stuff on AI in the fitness world and get some quick statistics. So that's good. Good, I mean, that's pretty much all I've really used it for in the fitness business and I'm sure there's going to be other uses for it in the health and fitness industry and I know that there's other uses for it in other industries. So no, I think that it's a tool and I think people need people and this podcast really isn't about AI replacing fitness or trainers or anybody else. That's not really what this is about. This is more about how much we need people.
Speaker 1:The fitness community is so, so important. I mean, the number one reason why people hire a personal trainer as I've spoken about many, many times is accountability. You know, of course there's I want to learn how to exercise properly. There's the I want to be pushed crowd. You know there's. There's all those and they're all good reasons, but the number one reason is accountability. I mean I have, I would say, the majority of my clients know how to work out. After just you know, several sessions, they probably can figure out you know how to work out or to work out or how the programming's going, what they need to do next. But they need the accountability.
Speaker 1:I mean, is AI or anything else going to do anything other than set an alarm? I mean you know, I guess some of the machines, like I said, at some of the local YMCAs and, I'm sure, at definitely more advanced places, are telling you how much weight to use based on different statistics that they know about you from the past. I mean that's great, but is that going to get you there? I mean no. I mean accountability is number one because people need people. Accountability is number one because people need people and I believe it is a huge, huge aid to getting in better shape is having a community of people to support you, and that's in my new book I'm writing. I'm writing all about that, and support is huge. Statistics have shown that people that feel supported are far more likely to reach a goal. And as much as our AI friend, whether you want to call it, you know I'm skeptical and not skeptical.
Speaker 1:I'm tentative about saying the name right now because in my my phone will then go yes, what is your question, robert? So you can imagine the name I was going to say. I mean yes, what is your question, robert? So you can imagine the name. I was going to say I mean they're not going to be our true friends, right? Different gyms I went to, but my very first gym I ever went to and, you know, made a community in as far as that goes and you know, I can still picture the guy today, and it's been probably 40 years I still can picture the guy that sat behind the desk as I walked in.
Speaker 1:His name was Scott, that's all I know, and I know he had big glasses and he helped out and he was there for a long time. So I still remember that and I could walk in and he'd be sitting there. If he wasn't there, he'd be cleaning something in the back or getting something out of the back or whatever you know and I'd see him, we'd have index cards or whatever the check-in process was, and we'd do that, we'd sit there and we'd talk a little bit about football we both liked the NFL, we'd talk a little bit about football and, you know, then I'd start my warm-up and I'd get on my way and I'd start working out, you know, and then some of my friends, or you know, friends I haven't met yet, would come in, you know, and they became friends. I mean, I have so many friends to this day from that community in my old hometown in New Smyrna, at the old gym on Canal Street, so many friends to this day that I still speak to and I'm 59 years old and this is like I said, over 40 years ago. I was probably 18, maybe 17 when I started going there and you have that community. So I knew to working out, I was fine on my way.
Speaker 1:No-transcript, I wouldn't recommend it for people with, you know, special populations, but, you know, for young, strong kids it worked out just fine. And you know, we'd support each other, we'd spot each other, we'd talk to each other, we'd banter with each other. We'd banter with each other. We'd become friends outside of the gym, go out to eat. You know, we'd pick healthier places that we thought were healthy at the time. We'd go see movies. I mean, these are all great memories that happened at the gym.
Speaker 1:And you know, no, I don't believe there's any technology that can replace that. There is just no freaking way. I mean, people need people and, a matter of fact, I would say that can do via their computer or different kind of programs that they can get. I actually think it's kind of a detriment. I mean, look at the mental health crisis that we now have right now. Have, right, I mean, you can tune into anything wherever you get your news, your news feeds, tv they're talking about that. There's an uptick in mental health issues, whether it be depression, anxiety God forbid suicides, right, but there is an uptick and ever since COVID there's been an even greater uptick with this. As a matter of fact, covid is really kind of thought of as the culprit of all this, not the disease itself, the illness itself, but what we did to try to control it, which was a lot of isolation, a lot of hybrid working from home or a lot of flat out working from home. I'm not going to get into the politics of that. I'm not going to get into what's best in the workplace. I've heard different opinions on that from business people that I listen to in podcasting, but I've heard pros and cons. But from my perspective, for mental health, I do not think it's a pro. I think people going to work and seeing other employees and seeing their coworkers and you know even their bosses and seeing clients I just think people need it and you know there's been a lot of research on that lately.
Speaker 1:There's loose ties and close ties and I believe I've spoken about that in a prior podcast. But what that means is we have our close ties, like our family members and our really close friends that we can talk, to, be vulnerable with and be 100% authentic with. We have those people. Those are close ties and they're vital. We don't need very many and most of with we have those people. Those are close ties and they're vital. We don't need very many and most of us don't have very many.
Speaker 1:And then we have our loose ties and you know it was around the COVID time, and now that researchers, sociologists and psychologists have determined that loose ties are a lot more important than we thought. And loose ties are, the guy I mentioned earlier At the gym that worked there when I was a kid, scott Big glasses Don't remember his last name. That shows you that was a loose tie. No idea, probably never knew his last name at the time and I don't know if he had another job. I really don't know his story, but that was a loose tie and it was important in my life. It was important in his life Because research has shown that those kind of like real, innocent conversations are good for us.
Speaker 1:They're a distraction, they're a stress relief, they remove anxiety, you know, they get us out of ourselves. And so studies have found that loose ties are really beneficial. And sociologists didn't start talking about it until now and about the COVID time, because that is what people have been lacking. You know they haven't had those loose ties. You know as much.
Speaker 1:You know people weren't going to the grocery stores as much and my daughter might argue with me and say, well, I wish they wouldn't at all, because she works there and she sees sometimes some of the worst of humanity I wouldn't say maybe the worst of humanity but she sees some people that she wished she did on a daily basis for sure. You know some people that she wished she did on a daily basis for sure and you know that is something else that's come out of this mental health crisis is people have forgotten how to be decent to other people because I guess they're in more pain or whatever, but they're taking it out on other people and that is never OK and that of course is not healthy and that of course is not healthy. But she will tell me you know where she works. They modified how many people could shop, but they still stayed open. And I can remember she would tell me you know different customers that just she got to know and talk to. You know, and those are loose ties. So for her and you know she was real young then, gosh, she was finishing up high school, I guess when COVID started she got the benefits of some of the loose ties of people that would come in the store. So she had that little casual conversation that helps a lot more than people realize Now. She was one of those that had to finish her senior year at home. She was one of those that had to finish her senior year at home, which absolutely sucks, and the kids paid a price for that and it's really sad that that happened, that they didn't get to go to school and finish out their school.
Speaker 1:So all this is related to fitness, because the same thing has happened in the gym industry. I mean, yeah, there's places you can go now, I mean, most gyms is a keypad to get in and use the facility as you wish. Even the YMCA has that. With different memberships. You can go in, scan your card or scan your phones, your QR code, whatever, and go in and work out when you want to.
Speaker 1:And a lot of people say, well, I like to go. Nobody's there, you know. But you know why aren't more people going to the gyms? Then, if it's more convenient, it's because people actually do want to see people. People actually do want to see people. I mean, it sounds cool at first and there's no doubt that at times it's a benefit, like for me being a personal trainer working in a gym all day long.
Speaker 1:You know, sometimes I definitely like to de-stress and isolate when I work out. I like to put in my headphones and work out. If there's somebody else there. I don't work out at my gym. I won't work out when people are there. I don't like to. And if I'm somewhere else, and especially somewhere else where I might be known a little bit, know what I do. I don't like that. So I do tend to. I personally would like the privacy because I am in a gym talking to people all day right, but I don't like privacy in general. The last thing I want to do is go home and be by myself and not be able to deload myself. Last thing I want to do is not have friends to talk to. So you know that. Know that when you have your 30 minutes to an hour or whatever it is a day, you want to come in and work out.
Speaker 1:You know, and I know, like at my gym. You know I have a private gym. For those that don't know, it's a personal training studio. It's one-on-one, one trainer, one client. You know, and we'll have other people in there. Sometimes, like we'll have one trainer with somebody else, me with somebody else, whatever. But you know it's so funny People you would think people be like no man. I mean there are some people that are like that. Thankfully we don't really have clients like that, but there's been some in the past that have been no, I want total privacy. You know, I don't want anybody else there. That's the benefit to this.
Speaker 1:You know, I don't really hear that. As a matter of fact, whenever my schedule's gotten a little twisted and it's been a little twisted for me this week I mean, you're listening to this next week, but for me this week, I've been upside down. I've had to cover a lot and I've told clients. I said hey, and I've told clients. I said hey, you know, you can come at this normal time, but it's going to be you and so-and-so, and you guys are going to have to share this time because I'm, you know, I'm full and they're like oh, I like when somebody else is there, I mean it's I've, I've had that I've never really had. Oh no, I don't want that. I want all of your attention.
Speaker 1:And nope, I mean again, that happens sometimes, but most of the time people want to see other people at the gym and even if that means sharing a personal training session, I don't care, I'm going to get the same workout. I mean, you're still going to tell me what to do and watch me. I mean, who cares? I mean they like interaction, people. I watch people in there and their whole demeanor changes when other people show up Like they like it and we like it. You know hate to break it to you. I mean I'm pretty much an introvert, but we're social creatures. I mean we will gravitate towards other people and there's no technology in the world that's going to get us to work out like our workout partners are. I mean that's just not going to happen. We can utilize these tools, but no, we need people.
Speaker 1:And when I talk about in my book, like the values of personal training, I mean it all comes down to that relationship, you know. It comes down to the accountability, it comes down to the encouragement, it comes down to tough love, right, I mean it comes down to pushing Right those four things. I mean, does it get any more important than that? I mean you can throw education in there, but AI can probably do education. I mean you know there's different programs. You can program into your computer and tell you a fitness program based on your goals and you can probably get real close to what you need to do. But it ain't going to meet you there and if it does, you're probably going to be disappointed, right, I mean you're going to get the encouragement if you set it to encourage you.
Speaker 1:I mean you know, like Facebook prompt, right, what's on your mind today? It's like, oh yeah, that's a question to ask everybody, like anybody really cares what's on your mind today. But you might get those prompts, like you did your workout today. There you go. I mean I know MyFitnessPal does that After I log for a week or something like that, or 10 days, it always says congratulations, keeping up, you're crushing it. And it's not like I go, oh man, thanks my fitness pal. I mean, oh, my goodness, thank you. Right, I mean you know it's a prompt. It can't encourage you, you know. But what about when you've really been watching what you eat and eating better and doing your exercises and all of a sudden you've dropped four pounds? And you come home and your partner says, wow, you really look good. Okay, we all know what that feels like. We just got that big old burst of dopamine right. We just got a big smile, we just felt encouraged because we know it's a real human with real humans, real humans, real humans with real humans. It's a human with real feelings, telling us their real feelings and that's pretty cool.
Speaker 1:You can have your ai or your program push you at the gym, right, come on, do more, do more. I mean I would imagine you can prompt it to do that and you're going to be like you know what, shut the hell up, right. And you might tell me that at times, right, I don't mind it. And somebody tell me that today, and then they, you know, and then they did it and that's great, I like that, right. So they can't push you. We need people to push us. We need people that care about us, care about our fitness, care about our progress. Don't worry about stuff like that. Anyway, I try not to worry about things I can't control, but even when I just speak about this very objectively, it's like no man. I mean, fitness is always going to be about your relationship with you and your goals, and then the aid is always going to come from support and help.
Speaker 1:I mean, I have clients all over the place. I have clients that do remote workouts, that live in different states, and one of them has access to three different gyms at his work. Three different gyms because he works for a huge company out there in California. Three gyms, but we call because he needs for a huge company out there in California Three gems. But we call because he needs the accountability. He wants the accountability and he's smart too. He wants the push because, believe it or not, on a FaceTime I can push. Right, I'd be like no, no, no, come on, push, push, push whatever. Or add this weight, add that weight. He needs the encouragement. We all need the encouragement to keep going.
Speaker 1:Needs the tough love, right? Sometimes you know the robot can tell us, you know, oh, you failed on your goal today and if you don't do what you're supposed to do, I'm not going to be happy. I guess maybe it would say that, whatever it would say we wouldn't listen, right? We need that real tough love of somebody saying look, I know you want to do this, I know you want to run that 5k on your birthday because you've never done it before. And I got to be honest with you when you started this program. You were all in and I've noticed now you've missed two out of your last three runs. This isn't going to cut it and if you're going to continue to do this, you're not going to reach your goal. That's tough love. That's telling somebody the facts, telling them you care and telling them what they're not doing right, that is tough love. I'm sorry, but there's not a program in the world you can program to do that that you're going to listen to.
Speaker 1:So now we need people. People aren't going anywhere. You know. We're going to need each other to support each other. I need it too. I need support. I love support. You know, I have certain people when I'll do a 5k or something like that that are very supportive, supportive, and when I see them on, you know either they're running along or, you know, crossing paths. I mean they're very supportive and it always gives me a little pick me up, right, I mean it's a good thing, we all need it and that's going to come from our good interactions. All right, so it. You know.
Speaker 1:My advice to you is if you have been doing a lot of stuff at home by yourself, you, you know, yes, that's better than nothing, you know. So if you've, you know a lot of people were doing Peloton, right, everybody jumped on the Peloton revolution and during COVID man, it just went crazy, right? Everybody bought a Peloton and now everybody's selling their Peloton for like half their worth. But you know, that is what it is and I could have told you that was going to happen, but maybe you're one of those people still. I mean that's great. I mean I think there is time for isolation and exercise.
Speaker 1:But I strongly encourage you that, if you're going to stick with this, get some accountability partners. Get in a group, join a run club running group. Get in a gym with people that are friendly. I mean really honestly, in most gyms people are friendly. I mean I see these videos sometimes where people aren't, but I truly believe that's the anomaly. I mean I really think people are friendly. In most gyms there's always going to be friendly people. Everywhere you go, there's going to be encouraging people everywhere you go. There's going to be encouraging people wherever you go, you know. So join a gym.
Speaker 1:If you're doing a lot of stuff at home and you're finding that you know you're just not hitting the motivation like you want, well, you know, remember these words. You know people need people. Maybe it's time to get out of the house and get with our fellow humans and you know what, be the encourager too. If you think you're not at that point, that's not true. I mean you working out, even if you think you haven't hit your goals yet. I mean none of us have hit all of our goals. Be encouraging to other people too, because there's a lot of fitness groups out there that are just beaming with encouragement, and I see it all the time online. It's one of the positive things online, so give it a try. Get out of the old basement and start getting out there and just remember people need people. Don't worry about Mr Robot replacing us. All right, we can use them as tools and at least in the fitness world, we're going to need each other. All right, be max fit and be max well.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to today's show. I ask you to please follow this show on wherever you get your podcasts and also please hit automatic downloads. It really helps me and it helps the show. Now I want to thank Overhead Door of Daytona Beach, the premier garage door company in Volusia County with the best product with the best service. I can vouch for Jeff and Zach Hawk, the owners. They are great people. If you need any help with your garage doors, give them a shout 386-222-3165.
