Training the Type-B

A while back, I wrote about training the Type-A personality (August, 2012).  I get how their minds operate and how they are motivated/unmotivated, and it is easy to anticipate their needs.

Training the Type B, however, is much more challenging to me.  Below is the definition:

Type B personality,

n a form of behavior associated with people who appear free of hostility and aggression and who lack a compulsion to meet deadlines, are not highly competitive at work or play, and have a lower risk of heart attack.

Mosby's Dental Dictionary, 2nd edition. © 2008 Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.

Because this is vastly different from the way I operate, I have had to develop strategies for motivating this personality type.  Sometimes I have to motivate them to complete a set, even though it is painful, and sometimes I have to motivate them to even show up for a workout.  Here's how I tend to do it:

1.) Find out what they perceive to be their motivation for exercise, and further, working with a trainer.

2.) Repeat these motivators back to them when they lack the compulsion to complete their task.

3.) Find out what they gravitate toward as rewards, and provide these rewards (if possible, or tell them to reward themselves) during or between workouts.

4.) Remind them that I am committed to them and their own goals, even if we may not see eye-to-eye.

Look at me Now!

I have gotten my photos back from my latest competition, and here are my favorite ones!  Hope they inspire you (if I can transform my body like this, so can you).  I placed well, and I had a fun time.  I hope to do it again in the near future.

My husband, friends and several family members were behind me all the way.  I am not trying to show off, but want to show how muscles can be developed over time.  The body, fed appropriately, can develop to be healthy and strong, even in our culture where proper nutrition is often looked at as a luxury, rather than necessity.

I have gained about 5% body fat since then because I'm still building, and I intend to enter a natural contest (no steroid or enhancing drug-use allowed within the past 5 years) in September.  I haven't ever used enhancers, but I competed against some who clearly had used.  I want to be on an even playing field, and I might do even better next time.  Either way, it's fun, and I give God the glory for making our bodies so amazing!

Credit for my Creds

On Friday, I was asked to provide nutritional information for a mini-series of webisodes for Asics.com.  I not only provided information, but I did it on camera!  It was fun being in front of the camera again -- it had been  over 15 years since I had even done any extra work.  I never thought I would be filmed again... only in L.A.!  I feel like I was given this opportunity because of my credentials, but it was also right place-right time/who I know.

It was a cool project.  I got to interact with Kinga Phillips, who does adventure hosting for networks such as Travel Channel, giving her info on how to prepare for and stay balanced during a marathon.  I hope it turns out well -- it was a blast to do, and I felt like I really gave her some helpful, interesting information.

My credentials, as I hope to have them listed on this series are as follows:

Allison D. Salibian, B.S., CPT
B.S. Molecular, Cell, Developmental Biology, UCLA
Research Scientist, Human Genetics, UCLA, VCU School of Medicine
Certified Personal Trainer
Nutrition Specialist in Weight Loss, Sports Nutrition & Body Building
NPC Figure Competitor, Master's Women's Figure Division

Bigger and Better

I was just re-reading some of my posts in this blog, trying to get back to my "roots".  I had a fun day at the gym, for the first time in months, and I wanted to check if I had gone away from my roots in the fitness industry or if I'm still the same person I was a year ago.

Yup! I'm still me.  I still wake up each morning thankful for what I have and am very much in love with my husband and kids.  I'm still thankful to God for who He is and what he's done for his creation.  I'm still a pretty decent friend (yes, I've been off the grid a bit since I started working as a trainer and have increased my personal fitness goals), and I think I'm still okay at keeping the household in check.

The major differences are that I'm working as a professional trainer, so I'm much more strict with my schedule (I have about 15 clients on any given week, some of them train 2-3 times per week), and I push myself harder at the gym than ever before.  But those are just day-to-day differences.  Emotionally and spiritually I think I'm the same: I am loving and kind to others, I teach my children to be that way, and I try to encourage positive change in others.

Physically, I am very different.  I have gained about 10 pounds of lean muscle over the last year, and I have leaned out all of the fat, except for the essential fat.  Two weeks ago, I was down to 11% body fat, which is in the high-performance female athlete category.  I actually had not a patch of cellulite for 3 days out of my adult life!  Then, I went to Las Vegas with my husband and ate like a beast and I'm now back to a more balanced 13% body fat.  That's still athlete status, but not competition-ready, which is okay with me because I'm still gaining muscle.  Yes, I do have about 3 square inches of lumpy-bumpies on the back of my thighs, but I know exactly what to do to get rid of it. Also, my eating habits are a bit worse, but I can tighten that up whenever I feel like it.

I'm excited that I am a professional fitness trainer, and that I pretty well manage my fitness, food and family, and still remain me.  Now, I just want to get better at the balancing act, so that I can continue to grow on all levels -- because, as you've heard me say before, "if you're not growing, you're not living."

Better Late than Never

Wow... time flies!  It has been over 3 months since my last post.  Since then, I have gotten a new job and have been quite successful at it.  I have been training clients and changing lives (on the fitness level, at least) for a few months now.  It has been amazing!

I have used my prior knowledge that I gained while losing my own weight and new information that I learned during my certification to help people lose weight and feel better about themselves.  I'm so grateful people have trusted me.  I think part of the reason they trust me is that I practice what I "preach".   I have been able to maintain 11-15% body fat for months and months, even during the holidays, and have continued to build muscle and train hard.

My gym manager says I'm an inspiration to my clients because usually when people train that hard, they get really tired and distracted and aren't at the top of their game with their clients.  He also applauds me for maintaining a close-knit, happy family structure.  I AM happy overall, but I admit I have had some down days.  I'm human, but I pretend to be a super hero.

I would love to post a picture of my progress, but in deference to my mom, who thinks it's scandalous to show off my physique, you'll just have to take my word for it that I have muscles in places that I never thought I could grow distinctive muscles. Now, I want them bigger, so maybe I will win a muscle contest.  We'll see.

For now, I'm happy to inspire my clients, excite my husband and make myself proud of my own strength.

One Tough Mother!

A trainee of mine has decided to run the Tough Mudder in San Diego in June.  She has asked me if I want to do it with her, her husband and some friends.  Here's a link:
http://toughmudder.com/events/california-socal-2-sat-jun-22-sun-jun-23-2013/

I hope to get my strength, agility and endurance up to be able to perform well at this.  Of course, I won't leave my client/friend in the dust (unless she says it's okay to go ahead).  If I decide to go ahead with my figure contest, then I will train for this after the contest is over.  If not, I will probably set my sights on this one.

I'll keep you posted!  I'm always looking for a challenge.

No pictures, please

I had a heart-to-heart with my mom yesterday.  She is very conservative and raised me to be that way, too.  I am very modest normally, but this contest has pushed my personal limits lately - at least in terms of my contest uniform.  In order to honor her (and also our relationship), I have decided to take the photos out of my blog.  I feel like it is making her too uncomfortable knowing that my pictures are out there in cyberspace, and it is hindering our relationship.  It's more important to me that we have a good relationship than for me to be able to fully express myself.  I know that's censorship in a way, but it's me making the call to censor myself.  I have the freedom to post whatever I choose, but I'm choosing not to post everything I want to, for the sake of something more important.

She also asked me to not compete in the figure contest, but I'm not sure I am ready to give that up just for her.  She reminded me that as a Christian I need to be modest and honor God, and that does have quite a bit of pull on my thought process.  I have a lot to consider, and I'll keep you posted. 

It's not easy to listen to authority when you're a grown adult, but I have to figure out which authority is true, and which may be a manipulation.  I know the bible is not a manipulation, and I believe every word is inspired by the Creator of the universe.  Now, I have to figure out how God (and not my mom) is instructing me to live out the teachings in my own life... and that's what I have to do every single day.  This situation is no different.

We'll see.  But if it's not this contest, I will still write about my fitness expertise and some new challenge that I will find in order to push me and help to inspire others (if possible).