Dale
Failure of the fitness industry and hope for the future.
I have been in the fitness industry for over 20 years. I wanted to help people become stronger and healthier to live a fuller life. I was taught that personal training meant educating your clients on exercise and nutrition so they could build healthy habits that would last them a lifetime. It literally meant teaching them so well they would no longer need my services.
But somewhere along the path, the fitness industry changed. It was no longer about teaching people to be healthy, it became about a quick fix to undo the years of neglect, it is about the latest fad exercise program or diet. An exercise program or diet that is supposed to make changes within days, instead working towards a lifetime of health. We stopped teaching people how to be healthy and we have failed to reduce overweight, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. There are more fitness businesses and experts than ever before, yet, by a percentage of the population there are more people that are unhealthy and unhappy with their own bodies.
The recent pandemic has shown how important our overall health is to our life expectancy. Health is not just about how you look, but how resilient your body is to the challenges of life. Fighting off disease, staying mobile and able to complete the activities we want with the people we care about, and being strong enough to pursue our dreams. Health is about so much more than the scale, the mirror, your swimsuit, or other people's opinion of how you should look.
Your health matters! Take the time now to learn, from reliable and educated sources, how to improve your health via exercise and nutrition. Start with small changes around the house and when we are all back out in the real world, take the steps you need to make lifestyle modifications that will improve your health for the rest of your life.
My hope for the future is that we all realize how important our daily habits are to our health. My hope is that we see our health as a truly perishable item that need small amounts of daily care and consideration to remain strong and vibrant. Small changes day to day add up to a big difference in your lifetime. And I hope people see that there are people in the fitness industry that believe in teaching you how to be the best and healthiest person you can be!