The Cost of Health
I don’t really like writing something like this.
My goal with this blog is to give you helpful hints to get you to the body (and health) you want in the shortest time possible with the least amount of road blocks and set backs.
But the other day one of my long standing clients verbally slapped me in my face.
When this particular client originally came to see me he was essentially crippled. He had severe back pain and not a day went by where he did not suffer. I know exactly what that feels like, so I made it my mission to get him pain free. I was his last hope of avoiding (possibly useless) surgery.
I am very happy to say that he is now 95% (if not more) pain free and has the ability to do things that he thought he would never be able to do again. If you have never helped someone achieve results like this (become pain free) you will never know the feeling that I get when my clients tell me about how much better their life is now. I literally have to hold back tears because I am so happy. I am tearing up now just thinking about it.
So last week this client told me that he would only continue training with me if I went to another gym and lowered my prices. Considerably.
This particular client drives a very nice (i.e expensive) car (as does his wife) and I am sure that he has another vehicle for crappy weather. Can you say winter in New England? He also just came back for a 2 week vacation and was leaving to go away for another 2 1/2 weeks. I also know he has a thing for electronics and I am positive he goes out to nice dinners frequently. But he can’t afford to spend money on his health and fitness.
I don’t know about you but without your health none of the other stuff really matters. How can you enjoy anything if you are in constant pain? How can your loved ones enjoy themselves knowing that you are sick or in pain? Most people don’t realize the mental and physical stress that they put on others when they are sick or in pain. I give the aforementioned client until the end of the summer before he stops working out completely. Within a year from that point his back pain will return. And by the end of 2012 his back pain will be an every day occurrence again. He will end up right back where he started. All because he would rather spend his money on other things beside his health.
I know that I am not cheap. And I realize that times are tough for some people right now.
Cheap is very rarely good and vice versa.
When Tom Brady blew out his knee did he go to the guy who specializes in knees and ask for a discount. I have serious doubts. He went to the best and probably the most expensive knee guy around. Am I the best? Not quite yet (we always think we can do better) but I plan on getting there. If I was the best, I would charge way more (and I know plenty that do) and get it. I have a degree, numerous certifications and have been training people for over a decade. A lot of my spare time is spent doing research to help my clients and you blog readers (most trainers don’t do this). I also spend a lot of my own money to better help those that want it (most trainer won’t do this). I will forget more (some of it purposely) than most people who read this, put together, will ever learn about health and fitness. All to be the best I can be to my clients (and you). If someone does just 80% of what I tell them must be done they will get and see results way faster than if they did it on their own.
Can working out be cheap? Yes. But thinking that you are doing everything right and actually be doing everything right can be 2 completely different things. I found this out first hand when I absolutely destroyed my back 15 years ago. If I had sought out professional help back then I would have probably been able to avoid the worst 18 months of my life. Your health is not a area to skimp or cut back on.
Also, exercise is not fun and/or exciting for most people.
It doesn’t have the instant gratification that everyone is always looking for. It takes time to see and get results. You have to put in the work. That’s why they are called workouts.
Is going out to dinner at a nice restaurant or to a beautiful island more enjoyable than working out. More than likely, yes.
Can working out be(come) fun? Yes. But if you have injuries to fix or watch out for or if your fitness level is non-existent, you are going to have to do some really un-fun things before the fun stuff can be thrown at you.
I can also tell you that if you don’t put some money and time towards your health now you will be putting a lot more towards it later in life to try to get back the health that didn’t seem as important to you before.
Remember your health is your responsibility and no one else’s. And it is definitely not the governments.
Do you have to train with a trainer every time you go to workout? For those that need the constant guidance and motivation, yes. For others, maybe not. But at least for your own sake, if not for those that depend on and care for you, have an experienced personal trainer (I recommend one with a degree) design a personalized program for you and show you how to correctly perform all the exercises therein. And then check back with them frequently to re-evaluate your program, monitor your progress and keep you on the right track.
Your friend and trainer,
Paul
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