Aloha Doug:
I have been working out fairly consistently for my entire life. Sometimes I had access to the poshest of health clubs. Other times, I did push-ups and sit-ups at home. Now, living in Kaua‘i, do you have any suggestions on where I should train? Should I look for a place that has a certain kind of equipment, or should I buy something specific for my home? Thanks for your help!
While I could make this very brief by suggesting that you choose to work out in the privacy of your own home, with me by your side, that’s not my style, in person or in pen. The island of Kaua‘i offers a multitude of options and locations for exercise and healthy living.
If you have convenient access to workout facilities and fitness programs, please, by all means, support your local community and businesses.
With that being said, let me start by first saying this: working in working out should be high priority for everybody, and every body — everywhere! If you know the best way to exercise, then you can truly transform your body and your life regardless of your healthy avocation location.
Anybody, and any body, can achieve great results, anytime and anywhere. And, this means you, right now, and right where you are. It’s all about what you know, and not necessarily a matter of where you go.
Seriously, once you learn the best way to exercise, you can then work out to your heart’s content anywhere — at your hometown fitness center, home gym, health club, carport, YMCA, school, friend’s house, garage, or even in your own backyard. It really doesn’t matter. Here in Kaua‘i, sometimes I’ll use only boulders, branches, and beachside benches. Other times, I’ll train at parks, playgrounds, and picnic pavilions.
While there are countless answers for “where” to do an exercise, I believe that the more important question is: Where were you taught to do that exercise? Where you get your training is always more important than where you train.
Even as the former owner of one of the largest personal fitness centers on Connecticut’s Gold Coast, I have never cared about where people exercise, even if it wasn’t at my own facility. My motto has always been “training you to train yourself,” and it really didn’t bother me if people trained at facilities other than mine. My primary focus has always been on teaching the smartest, simplest, speediest, and safest scientific solutions to strength, stamina, stretching, and sustenance. The question of location has always been one of my least important concerns.
It just doesn’t matter!
People are more important than places. In all actuality, anywhere that helps you transform your physique and psyche is probably the perfect place for you. Nevertheless, keep in mind that your workout routine doesn’t mean squat if the trainers doing the training are all body and no brain, which is sometimes par for the course.
Many years ago, when I first started my business, I didn’t have a facility. I didn’t have any equipment. For that matter, I didn’t have any clients. I formed the madness of my methods training one body at a time, starting with my own. (Please go to my website to watch my personal story of struggle and success.) Starting out with no facility, no equipment, and no clients, I basically went door-to-door searching for people who were willing to trust my recently acquired acumen and training techniques. Thankfully, I found them.
Many of my clients had home gyms with machines, treadmills, dumbbells, and bikes. However, most had absolutely nothing. While being forced to be creative, I always knew that, as long as the major tenets of fitness were included in each and every training session, it didn’t matter where they did what they did. Regardless of where my clients were and what they had, they could always exercise, and exercise effectively.
First and foremost, anybody and everybody can transform their training technique, anywhere and everywhere. The setting is secondary, and anywhere that works for you works for me.
Online, I am still working hard to contribute to the whole wide world of workouts through my Super 7-Week Shape-Up System. In person, I am working hard to help the island of Kaua‘i, one body and life at a time. Of course, I do also realize that, as hard as I try, I’ll never be all things to all people.
So, as you seek your own perfect “fit” for either a health coach or a health club, take your time and do your homework. There are definitely some incredibly well-qualified trainers out there but, unfortunately, sometimes you’re actually much better off just going it alone.
For those of you who are flying solo and have specific questions about the best way to exercise and eat, I am always here to help. You can direct any and all of your personal personal training questions to me via this column, In Health & With Hope. I would be honored to answer your question next time. Until then — In Health & With Hope.
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Doug Jones earned his Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology from the University of Maryland and has served professionals and personalities as a concierge fitness trainer for decades. As a resident of Kaua‘i and Connecticut, he has helped millions of people learn the secrets of fitness and fat loss, both online and in person. To submit your questions, or for more information, please visit: www.DougJonesFitness.com
