Bring on the Birth Biddies

I have a special place in my heart for veterans. Older people. Those that came before me and, I assume, are far wiser than I.

It's why I love so many of my clients I see several times a week.

Because I work for the military, I get to train and teach veterans. They are by far the most colorful group of clients I know. It makes work fun.

Or it did until recently.

Because the problem that's become glaringly obvious between me and my older clients is the generation gap.

Or, rather, the pregnancy generation gap.

Most women who had babies more than 20 years ago were actively encouraged not to exercise during their pregnancies. They were told you could do too much and hurt yourself and the baby. They were told to rest and relax and not lift heavy objects. They'd never heard of a thing called pre-natal yoga.

It was, as we say, a different time.

Luckily, times have changed.

And now, doctors and midwives and the experts-that-be openly acknowledge that, for a low-risk, healthy women who had a history with exercise prior to their pregnancies, running, cycling, and even strength-training can be done, and can actually be quite beneficial for them and their unborn babies.

Unfortunately, no one has told my older clients that. And recently, they've been doing their best to scare me with their out-dated obstetrical beliefs, each and every morning I walk through the gym doors.

Yesterday alone, one of my 60 year olds proceeded to tell me that, at the rate I was going, I was going to go into labor so spontaneously and so fast that my husband wasn't even going to have enough time to get me to the birth center. I was going to have to give birth on the side of the road, in my car, and my husband was going to have deliver Baby Girl.

It was all I could do not to retort back, "Please God, if my labor starts that easy and goes that quick, I'll be thankful."

Then there are the older women in my cycling classes who literally yell at me to, "Take it easy!" or "Don't do that!" or "Stop it! You're hurting your baby!" all while I'm teaching.

I'm constantly grinning through my gritted teeth and laughing it off, but let me tell you, it gets annoying. Especially because I know me and Baby Girl are A-OK.. She's been cycling with me since the day I conceived, and so far, she's gotten glowing reports from the midwives.

I think she's fairing just find, thank you very much.

Then, there's the client who stopped me yesterday and told me not to jog anymore till "that baby comes out."

Keep in mind, she'd just seen me "jog" all of 10 feet in an attempt to open the door for another trainer wielding several BOSU balls. I wasn't taking off on an Ironman-long run at break-neck speeds by any means.

So, when I tried to put her fears to rest by telling her I've actually been running with my post-partum clients for my entire pregnancy and was even planning on doing a few 5Ks 30+ weeks pregnant as well, she about had a fit.

She actually forbid me to do them, in fact, citing the logic, "I'm old enough to be your mother, and since your mother isn't here, I'm just going to have to step in and mother you for her. I will not let you run anymore while you're pregnant."

Oh, if she only knew my mother, who's well aware of my exercise habits and hasn't objected once to them.

So far, I haven't made it through a session with an older client without them mentioning, in some capacity, that I'm going to "kill my baby doing that." Or that "my water is going to break right here, right now, and it's too early for that."

They refuse to listen to my objections that my baby is kicking and walloping all the time, so I'm pretty sure she's well and good and alive and that my water isn't close to breaking any time soon.

Plus, they don't see the logic in the fact that some people do crazy things like intravenous drugs while pregnant and still manage to miraculously birth perfectly normal, full-term babies.

I think me demonstrating push-ups isn't going to be the difference between a healthy and sickly newborn.

Their scare tactics have gotten so frequent that I'm even dreaming about them.

A few nights ago, I had a dream in which I was 40 weeks pregnant and teaching cycling. Intense contractions started, and one client of mine declared I was in labor.

Then, all my clients swarmed me. Before I could even say, "Really. I'm OK. I'm just having contractions. The baby isn't about to pop out just yet," they'd all lifted me over their heads - crowd-surfer-style - and carried me off to some strangers' car.

They began to drive me to the doctor - in the exact opposite direction of my midwives and their birth center.

Meanwhile, I was protesting loudly, telling them, "No! The birth center is that way! If you're taking me anywhere, you're taking me there!"

Until one of the older ladies screamed at me, "You're delusional! You don't know what you're talking about! I'm taking you to my doctor! A better doctor! He's what you need!"

***

Luckily, I've likely only got 10 or 11 weeks left till Baby Girl is here. Then, all this rigmarole can stop every time I see my older clients.

But right now, it's feeling like a long 2.5 months ahead. I know their complaints about my pregnant exercising are only going to get worse as I get bigger. And no matter what I say, nothing seems to sway them.

They're stuck back in the dark ages, where pregnant women were treated like invalids.

Meanwhile, I guess I'll just continue to boggle their minds. And, God willing, birth a healthy baby.

Perhaps she will finally convince them that all my exercise wasn't going to be our final demise.

Then again, probably not.

Because I can totally hear them already: "Well, you got lucky. But next time, you need to take it easier..."

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Happy Workout Wednesday everyone!

Workout Wednesday: How to become an instructor

A dear blogging friend, Lovely Chaos, inquired a while back about becoming a fitness instructor.

She, like many women I know, saw it as a great means of making supplemental income and staying in shape at the same time.

I couldn't agree more. To be honest, teaching fitness classes and working as a trainer have been the is the best jobs I've ever had. (And I've worked in recreation and group fitness administration full-time before, and I still say that!)

So, in case any of you budding fitness freaks out there were interested, I thought I'd give you the ins, outs and how-to tips of breaking into the industry.

1. Learn the ropes without the "pros:" Many gyms will tell you that the main requirement of their instructors is possession of a certification or a license from a leading exercise association. They're right. This is important. But unfortunately, so few associations actually teach you how to be good instructors anymore (more on this later.) The single best way to learn how to teach is to go and take as many classes as you can, paying incredibly close attention to the instructor. In addition, many gyms will put in place some sort of mentoring program, where they will match you up with a veteran instructor who can train you one-on-one and show you the ropes. University gyms and recreation departments are the best place to find these kinds of programs (which are often free of charge, as they hope they'll receive an instructor out of it.) This is the best way to learn the all-too-important nuances of teaching: understanding music, rhythm of movement, range of motion, choreography, and technique. Very few exercise associations do a good job of teaching these fundamentals these days.

2. Get CPR certified: No gym can legally hire you without this. And no association can certify you if you don't have proof of CPR certification. This is easy and quick (and cheap.) Do it as soon as you can if you want to be an instructor.

3. Now, get your certification: Once you know the basics, then look into getting licensing. Most likely, you will have to attend a weekend conference, where a master trainer will review basic fundamentals and teach you anatomy and physiology. The best places to start are AFAA or ACE. (Be warned: AFAA is a fairly simple and easy. For most people involved in the fitness world, it's a bit of a no-brainer and doesn't add that much to your game. ACE is a bit more difficult, but it's also more respected. If you ever want to be a personal trainer or a higher-level fitness instructor, ACE is a good place to start.) I'd recommend avoiding anything that's study-at-home, correspondence licensing. Most reputable associations (the certifying bodies for trainers and instructors in the United States) will require you to attend some sort of workshop and evaluation. That's a good thing. It means they have better quality control and standards.

Now, if you have a gym in the area that you specifically want to teach in, ask them what certifications they accept. Don't waste your time doing something that they don't consider quality and legally responsible. Also, if they are in desperate need of instructors (and trust me, during the summer months, all gyms are), they may sponsor you to attend a conference from a higher-level certifying agency, like Les Mills. Some associations won't even consider licensing you unless your gym "sponsors," i.e., vouches, for you.

Now, if you pass your certification, you have basic hiring abilities. You'll most likely be certified to teach aerobics, step, basic strength training, etc. Many gyms won't let you do more than that. For specialized classes, like Spinning, BOSU or Body Pump, you'll need extra training and extra certifications (which means more money and extra weekends spent at grueling fitness conferences.) It's not a quick process, but it's worth it if you love it. I've done all these certifications, and I can safely say I don't regret a one. But again, start easy and simple and basic. The basis of all group classes is the same, and you can practice those skills with an AFAA or ACE certification before moving on. It will improve your performance in the long run.

FYI: For those of you that want to teach yoga or Pilates, be warned. Yoga certifications are expensive, time-consuming and very, very different from the aforementioned process. Frankly, this deserves its own post.

In addition, those of you that want to be trainers or work in intense small groups, you'll need a personal training certification, which again requires more learning, time and money. This is also very complicated and very different, so I promise to post about it on a different Workout Wednesday.

3. Audition at a gym: Now that you have your CPR card and license or certificate in your hot little hand...you'll still have to audition at a gym with the group fitness director, for any format you want to teach. The key to this is demonstrating an ability to teach choreography, work with music, and coach safety and effectiveness while continuing to keep your energy up. They don't terribly care about your certification if you can't teach (and trust me, there's a lot of instructors out there who can't teach worth a darn but have a basic certification.) Make sure you rehearse in your skills and train to do the job. Talk while you run; lift weights to music. Don't rush into an audition automatically. Practice in front of a mirror or make your friends do it with you. Know the skills and be able to execute them perfectly before you call a gym for an audition.

And if you are offered the job...

4. Continue to grow: Don't let your certification expire. Take continuing-education classes and conferences. And pick up more knowledge and certifications. Don't box yourself in as a step instructor, for instance, your whole life. Go to a cycling conference; learn how to teach other formats. The more you can offer your gym, the more they'll respect you and offer you raises and more classes to teach. If you only teach one format, your industry expectancy is less than two years, according to the experts. So do more. It makes it more worthwhile, and it keeps the job fun and long-lasting.
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That's it for this week's Workout Wednesday! Please feel free to leave me requests and questions below, and I will be sure to include them in next week's Workout Wednesday. Happy Exercising!