No Thanks

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

Paleo Day 22

Recently, while enjoying an afternoon getting a mani and pedi, I ended up in the salon chair next to a fitness trainer at one of our local globo gyms.  Now I didn't know this when I was guided to the chair next to hers but I sure knew it within minutes of sitting down because everyone in the salon couldn't help but hear her.  She was quite loud and very vocal about what she did for a living.  You could tell she was proud of her work, which is great.  We all should be proud of our work.  She talked to the woman beside her of how she loved her job, how she enjoyed working with people and helping them achieve their fitness goals.  So far so good.  I'm thinking this woman and I have a lot in common.  But then came the point where we parted ways.  Her phone rang and she began to talk with a friend about workouts from the previous two days.  "I spent an hour and a half on arms the other day and three hours on legs yesterday," she said.  At that point, I almost rolled out of my salon chair!  4.5 hours on two workouts.  PLEASE!  If it really did take her 3 hours to complete a leg workout, then 1) her intensity couldn't have been squat (pun intended) or 2) she spent a lot of time talking, looking in the mirror, and doing something else besides exercising or 3) she's clueless and doesn't know how to maximize fitness training time.  I'm guessing it was probably a combination of all three but what really bothered me the most about the situation was what was probably going through the minds of everyone within earshot of this woman.  After hearing her boast of her workout duration, they were probably thinking, "If a personal trainer is sitting here saying she spends that much time working out, I guess that's what I should be doing, and boy, I don't have that kind of time.  Why bother?"  In my opinion, this woman did a huge disservice to those around her.  Fitness professionals have a responsibility to help people understand that working out doesn't have to involve excessive hours each week.  Folks, it's not necessary to spend 1.5 to 3 hours on one workout in order to get in great shape and improve your health.  There's a better way and it's called CrossFit.  The workouts are not only effective but they are extremely efficient.  Intensity and consistency are key.  In other words, work hard regularly and you'll see results.  Period.  So the next time you're tempted to spend a few hours of your day working out, don't.  Just think about me, Clay, sitting in the pedi chair at the nail salon. 

(Okay, this is Kimberly, of course.  I couldn't resist the chance to make you laugh at the thought of Clay getting a pedicure!)  

Workout of the Day

5 rounds for time:

Run 400m
25 Wall Ball Shots (20#, 14#)
10 Hand Stand Push Ups

Scale and kick derriere.

Burpees make me blue. 

QUOTE:  "The combination of hard work and smart work is efficient work." - Robert Half