Imagine that you join a gym and sign up for sessions with a personal trainer. You’re overweight, inactive and a little insecure about working out in front of someone who is in tip-top shape. Would it help to know that your trainer was once in your shoes and completely understands what you’re going through?
Trainer Drew Manning thought so. He gained 70 pounds on purpose – just so he could empathize with his clients that were trying to lose weight. Yoga teacher Trina Hall did the same, gaining 40 pounds to better understand her heavier clientele. As Manning took the weight off, he learned that it wasn’t so easy to do all of the same exercises on his larger frame; and Hall confessed her self-esteem plummeted as a result. The whole process made them both learn the struggles of weight loss and just how challenging it can be.
When I first joined a gym ten years ago, I was about 40 pounds overweight with zero athletic ability. I felt a little uncomfortable working out in the gym (where I felt like everyone was in better shape than me). I managed to get over that pretty quickly and realized that I was there to get fit! Even though I got to a point where I felt comfortable running on the treadmill or riding a stationary bike, there was one thing that continued to intimidate me more than anything else: group cycling.
I could hear the classes going on while I was pounding away on a cardio machine and I’d see the people come out at the end covered in sweat. I was convinced that group cycling classes were for super fit, super thin folks only and that I had no place there. And then one day, I got the courage to take a class – and I loved it! It was definitely challenging and tough, but I made it. Taking group cycling classes not only helped me lose weight and get in shape, but it also made me realize how much I love group fitness. I loved it so much that I went on to get my Spinning certification and eventually became a personal trainer. (more…)