When I moved to Houston, TX from Chicago, IL in September of 2017, the city had just experienced Hurricane Harvey. People were in all states of disaster, relief and revive. I came to the city as a Certified Personal Trainer looking to start building my clientele in a new area. With that said, the culture, weather, environment, and now state of disaster were all an adjustment from Chicago.
Houston Clients
Some of the clients that I now work with in areas of Houston have varied goals and facilities that we work with in order to achieve small victories on our way to a larger goal! Most of the efforts we make are training the muscles in isolation to support a stabilized structure. What does that mean? Clients with knee pain when attempting a jog or cardio machine may need a different exercise. A series of circuits that function as my baseline to modify or intensify usually include chair squats, walking lunges, and climbing the stairs at a steady pace. These are all exercises that I can add resistance bands, light or heavy weights, or increase the repetitions. Over time, clients have seen strength build in the muscles above and below the knee and are now on the way to a painless jog. Once the joints know what we expect from them, we can start training the muscles harder and more intense to see more hypertrophy, growth in size.
Personal Trainer in Houston, TX
The weather in Chicago and Texas is completely different. In Texas, from October through March, training outside on a deck, driveway, city park, and front yard was the optimal place no matter the time of day. These different kinds of places are usually the easiest places to accommodate a longer series of walking lunges, or have a sturdy basketball goal pole to attach a resistance band, have a walking trail for a cardio push, etc. I have loved utilizing some of the parks in and around the neighborhoods of Houston that are close for my clients, in addition to the Memorial Park loop and even the trail runs in Memorial Park.
Indoor Training
When I encounter a rainy day, we take the session indoors to get the most out of the hour. A goal I have for myself as a trainer when I am working in Houston homes, is to set up our training so that the clients can replicate the exercises on their own. I don’t want to make the circuits too complex so that they don’t understand the goal or muscle group, and how to properly execute the full movement. Small pieces of equipment that most all of my clients have on their own include a set of 5 pound dumbbells or weights, a heavier weight or set of weights (usually 10-20 pounds), a yoga mat or towel, a scale for the bathroom, a medium resistance band, and a timer. These all ensure me that my clients have the ability to continue training on their own when we don’t have a session booked.
I like to use a mantle or counter top as a balance grip and do some split squats with just body weight, and maybe add a lateral side raise to target the shoulders for a bonus. A tool for squats may be pulling a chair out, or using the second stair in a staircase for squats.
Passion for Fitness and Nutrition
My fitness passion has developed over time from the years I invested in dance training and performance. The overstated and classic isms of dance definitely apply in staying lean, looking the part, maintaining flexibility, and avoiding injury at all cost. From the age of thirteen, I spent countless hours in the studio, finished an undergraduate degree in performance, and then danced professionally in Chicago for three years. I networked and learned from multiple sources, and many of those mentors guided me in directions I didn’t know that I had any interest in at all. The most influential people in my experience were constantly teaching me about how to eat to properly fuel my body. The knowledge I learned included grocery shopping, meal preparations for a busy long day, and cooking for one person and it significantly impacted my performance level.
Focus on Nutrition
Something else that has been a focus of my personal training in Houston is helping my clients in their nutrition to fuel the goals we set together. Too often I see a high energy output for an hour during a training session with clients, but continuously battle a plateau with weight loss on the scale. Where are the biggest strides made? What are some unseen things that may hold you back from advancing a plateau?
Most commonly, I reference the all-too-familiar, ‘I can’t out-train a bad diet’. Obviously, every client has a different goal, a different schedule, and a different set of variables, however, my priority during a single hour of their day is uniquely different than my priority for the rest of their regular day.
One of the most common things I hear from new clients is the desire to lose weight, rarely is strength or endurance the first goal mentioned. The habits that are carried on outside of our training sessions either help or hinder the results that we see. So what tools do I share?
Almost every client I have, owns measuring cups and spoons, a food scale, and Tupperware/food containers. We consider the essential when planning a daily diet structure. I encourage either a snack or a meal every three hours, and I like to work towards at least 2L of water consumed daily. We also plan a meal each week that can be a cheat meal, or whatever they would like to have to eat and drink.
Food Categories
Lean protein sources: 99% lean turkey, chicken breast, eggs and egg whites, 96% ground beef, shrimp.
Good fat sources and portion sizes: 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, 76g (around half) of an avocado, about 45g of 2% cheese, 3 Tablespoons of Hemp Seeds, 24g Nut Butter.
Complex Carbohydrate Sources by glycemic index and load: ½ cup of rice, quinoa, potatoes, beans, corn or oats.
Fresh Food
Living in Houston has also enabled me to have a garden of my own on my patio. Even though it has not offered much fruits and vegetables yet, it has done great with fresh herbs for seasoning my meals. In addition, the produce that is fresh and available year-round in Texas in mind-blowing, and offered at a competitive price compared to Chicago from my groceries last year. The energy and efforts to shop for fruits and vegetables of all colors is one of the easiest tools for groceries and meal planning as well!
I encourage my clients to be conscious of a post workout protein source that is restorative for the work that we just finished. This may look like a breakfast of an egg and a half cup of egg whites, or it may be a scoop of whey protein blended with some frozen berries. Regular practice of nutrition that fuels the body is often something overlooked in progress towards fitness goals. The small nibbles of sweets throughout the day, nightly glass of wine or cocktail, or a simple lack of hydration with regular water can be a frustrating barrier in progress towards an exciting goal.
Accountability
Setting some regular practices of check-in and accountability also helps us work together as a team. We decide a certain day and time of the week for the scale weight to be recorded and I regularly ask my clients to food journal when they ‘fall off the wagon’.
If you have been working towards a fitness goal of your own, then applying the tools you are learning from your trainer count, and they may count for more than you think!
Contact Nashley today to schedule a free personal training session. If you are looking to lose weight, build muscle, or improve your overall quality of life, a RightFit Personal Trainer will help you set and achieve your health and fitness goals.
Houston Clients
Passion for Fitness and Nutrition
Food Categories