The Value of an Internship

When I was 9 years old I tried an art class with my younger sister because I thought I could excel at it. (My main drive was to prove I was the best at it). However, 15 minutes into the class I had walked out and sat in the car with my mom. I was not artistically gifted nor did I posses the patience or focus for the class.

PUT IN THE WORK!
As you are looking at possible jobs or careers it is very important to experience how you perform in the field. I am not just talking about the fitness and performance realm, but in any industry. Is it too physically demanding, is it too intellectually demanding, do you have to multi-task or can you put all your focus on one project at a time? These are much more important questions to consider rather than the payment you will receive or the benefits you may get. Trust me there is nothing worse than working a job that you absolutely hate no matter what you are getting paid.

An internship is my simple solution to discovering if "said" job is a good place for you. Researching skill requirements and the demands of the job is great, but the benefits of actively working in that area outweigh the latter. An internship provides you with 3 valuable results.

First, you receive the understanding of what the job actually is. Before I started my internship at Prevail Conditioning (where I currently work now), I thought I could train people purely based off my motivational skills without any rhyme or reason to my training. If you are doing this now, your clients will soon realize they are not getting the results they want! Thankfully I have a great mentor, Chris Ecklund, who took the time to teach Prevails' training philosophy, movement education, and his experience in the field thus far. It was invaluable for me to learn the reasons they train their clients the way they do, as well as gain experience working in their atmosphere.

Second, you are able to self-evaluate how you do in the job. In high school I job shadowed my friend's mom for a semester, who worked in commercial real estate. I was really excited and thought I could see myself working in real estate when I was older. However, by the end of the semester I realized a desk job was not for me. I did not do well the days I went to work with her because of how much sitting and computer reading I was doing. In comparison to my internship with Prevail, I always enjoyed the theory sessions, any training I was observing and the interaction with clients.

Third, internships can lead to jobs! It is not just about figuring out how you do, but in many ways it is like a try-out. You show up each day proving yourself to the company that you are hardworking, dedicated, teachable, etc... Even if you are not offered a job at the company you intern at, the recommendation you receive from them could give you an advantage at the next place you apply. Or better yet, they might set you up with another company they know is looking for employees. You have to always be on your game and live the way you want others to perceive you. For me, this is with an honest heart, a hard working mentality, and serving others before myself.

SUMMARY

Do not underestimate the value of an internship. You will get first hand experience of what working in a certain field is like. Also, you will get raw feedback showing how you succeed and fail in "said" industry. Are the failures something you can work on to make yourself better for the job or is the job not what you expected it to be? Lastly, working an internships gets your foot in the door. Especially in a struggling economy, where it can be tough to get any job, a foot in the door is one of the biggest advantages a person can get. Art was not my thing, but thankfully I found an internship run by a person who was passionate about teaching others who were willing to work. Now I have the privilege to work  with Chris (and others who share his desire to teach and continue to learn) each day.

Keeping the Weight Off!

A close friend of mine recently moved across the country to the East Coast and told me she had been getting in better shape and lost a good amount of weight. Even more important she is keeping the weight off! There is just 1 problem, and I know you are thinking how could there be a problem? She does not know what it is specifically she is doing to maintain her new weight.

Many people who have endured a long weight loss journey or just shed a few pounds will tell you that keeping the weight off is tougher than losing the weight. So true! And here is the reason. A person will work so hard changing their nutrition plan, organizing their schedule for more training time, managing the normal stresses of life and it all adds up to this goal weight. However, the goal goes much beyond losing the weight. The true goal is to adopt this new lifestyle that you have been training yourself for, which is really a life long journey.

Not knowing what her new lifestyle is like or the old habits that have become new ones, here is my attempt to answer why she is doing so great at maintaing her new weight.

1) Nutrition. I believe nutrition accounts for the majority of one's weight loss plan. Simply understanding if the food you are eating is a carbohydrate, protein or fat. How much of each food group are you eating? Precision Nutrition wrote a great article about calorie control and how to make it easier. (http://www.precisionnutrition.com/calorie-control-guide). If you have trouble measuring your food, check this out.

2) Of course you need to be exercising, that is a must. However, there are plenty of times we are exercising without knowing it. With gas prices sky rocketing, people have been commuting to work through trains, bicycles or walking. All of which require energy expenditure even if it is at a lower intensity. (If you have ever been on a train you know there is a lot of walking that takes place between your destination and the train stop). Do not rely on walking alone to burn your calories, but take note of the healthy ways you are getting around your town.

3) Sleep is a no brainer for me because your body has to recover. People tell me that as you get older you won't have time to sleep as much and I understand that. But I am talking more about sleep quality  vs. sleep quantity. I believe if you are getting quality sleep each night and being able to reach those deeper levels of sleep that it helps in the recovery process for your body.

CONCLUSION
I am very proud for my friend and her fitness accomplishment. If you are in the same position or are working on getting to your goal weight assess these 3 things in your life. What do you feed your body? Where is your exercise coming from? And are you getting quality sleep each night? Be confident that if you are eating healthy and exercising safely then you are doing most things right. As always seeking help from a certified trainer or a registered dietician is a smart choice. I am happy to answer any questions or comments you may have.

The Road to a Stronger Chest!

Push ups will forever be in my training regimens. It is one of those exercises that can easily be overlooked for how beneficial it is to your training program. A push up demands total body control and stability along with strength and endurance.

What do we look for in a push up?
Neutral spine and a straight body line from head to toes (of course this is done with glute activation, engaged core and many little features learned from training). There may be more cues, but these are the fundamentals I look for.

Now for some people successfully performing 1 push up is an accomplishment, but for those of you who can rep out 50+, I think it is time to step it up a little. Just like any other exercise one option to increase the intensity is by adding resistance. Band resistance push ups are great option to stay in a horizontal plan rather than elevating your feet to more of an overhead movement (another great option for a different goal).

The following video is an example using a 2 inch band. The band is wrapped from both of my hands across my upper back.

I like using a band because it is easy to use when I am training solo and there are many different thicknesses. I have used metal and olympic plates in the past, but it is more challenging to keep them on your back.

If you have tried these I would love to hear your feedback and the results you have found from them.