Of course we all get sick sometimes and while making good food and health choices increases your immunity, sometimes you just have to go to the doctors office. I want to share with you an experience I had going to the NorthShore University Health System’s Highland Park Hospital.
First, let me say that I really trust my doctor and appreciate the professionalism and care that I receive there, but I just can’t stop being a Highland Park personal trainer even when I’m sick and trying to be a patient! Fortunately, I didn’t have anything more than the flu but I was sitting in the waiting room with my GH School for Healthy Living work shirt and one of the nurses asked me if I worked at a wellness center or if I was a Highland Park personal trainer? I said yes I was a personal trainer thinking that maybe she wanted some advice about training or fitness as she was working as a nurse and probably had 50 lbs of weight to lose. I thought for sure she was focused on the health benefits of losing weight, how it would lower her risk factors, increase her energy and improve her life. She’s got a background in health, she obviously cares about her patients like I care about my clients, so I was so eager to help!
But after I said, yes I am a Highland Park personal trainer and started telling her how much I enjoyed helping clients, she stopped the conversation and looked away. I asked her if I had said something wrong, and shared with me her own experiences with another personal trainer in Highland Park and why she thought the industry of personal training was full of quacks and idiots (her words not mine). Long story short, she went to a gym, they sold her a “personal trainer” who had gotten 3 months of training and a certificate and she trusted that person enough to take the HUGE step to try. After two sessions, that person pushed her so hard that she was exhausted, depressed, and they pushed her so hard she actually injured her back. When she called to tell her trainer that she couldn’t come because of the injury, he shouted at her that she was giving up and he would never give up and she should try to be as tough as he was! I couldn’t help myself but spend the next 30 minutes apologizing for the poor treatment she received and explaining that a personal training certificate is not enough – but someone has to have a passion for what they do and a love of helping others. I tried, but I don’t think it made any sense to her. After all, a nurse gets professionally training and then they are ready to work and patients can trust they are prepared. Unfortunately, in personal training, a certification is not enough. That was a day that I was embarrassed for my industry, and even more committed to raising the bar for what it means to be a Highland Park personal trainer and everywhere!
Tags: highland park personal trainer, highland park personal trainers, personal trainer in highland park
Yes, I agree many personal trainers are headed in the right direction, but there are a few still giving a bad impression. We just have to educate the public on how to choose a great personal trainer.