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Guest Post: Tina Kendall, A Nationally Certified Personal Trainer
“Every man is the builder of a temple called his body”
Henry David Thoreau
There are thousands of books on building confidence through success. Why? Because much the wisdom inside these books is true.
Success breeds confidence, and more confidence breeds more success. I can not personally speak about overcoming brain cancer, changing jobs in mid-life and becoming wealthy or helping the poor in Nepal, but I can vouch for creating success through physical fitness and what it does for women and how it builds their self-esteem.
It is more than the endorphins. More than muscle. More than discipline. More than looking in the mirror and becoming happier. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, “It is now clear that regular physical activity—bodily movement that is produced by the contraction of skeletal muscle and that substantially increases energy expenditure—reduces the risk for coronary heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, and several other major chronic diseases and conditions. Exercise, as a subset of physical activity, is planned, structured, and repetitive bodily movement done to improve or maintain 1 or more components of physical fitness.”
But, it is even more than living longer. It is living better. Getting in shape increases the feeling of accomplishment for women. This is true for many activities, from writing a book to succeeding on Wall Street, but what separates the confidence gained from getting in shape through a fitness plan is the base it creates. Getting in shape improves the body, the mind, the self-esteem and the ability to accomplish almost anything else. A better body is the foundation for success.
And those examples about changing lives in Nepal, beating brain cancer and changing jobs in mid-life? Those are my clients. All of them created a new infrastructure for accomplishment created by their physical fitness. Here are women who changed their lives. It all started in the gym.
Tali, 19: When she was 17 she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Luckily, it was able to be removed and the cancer had not spread. However, she had to undergo several rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. Both caused side effects including muscular difficulties and problems with coordination and balance. Prior to her illness, Tali was training several days per week in ballet. Six months after she was officially in remission, I started working at home with Pilates, balance and hand-eye coordination. After 6 weeks, we started working on her walking skills, and eventually jogging. As the weeks passed and she got stronger, her confidence grew. She was very nervous about being outside and running as she was still struggling with her balance issues. We started walking outside and she is now running about 1 block at a time by herself. But, the best part of this is that she never thought she would be able to dance again. She just registered to begin dance classes in the fall.
Michelle, 28: She was in her early twenties when her younger brother was killed in a terrible accident. His death put her into a deep depression. She was on all kinds of medications and was drinking to just try to deal with her loss. She was struggling through college and barely passing. One of her friends talked her into coming to one of my kickboxing classes. She hired me as her trainer, and we started working out twice a week. As the months passed, Michelle stopped taking her medications and began eating healthier and not drinking. She lost weight, and grew more and more confident and happy. Michelle has recently completed her Master’s Degree in Business Administration. In April, Michelle traveled to Nepal to work with underprivileged families. It was a life changing experience for her.
Thelma, 45: A school teacher in her mid forties, Thelma found herself 40 pounds overweight and totally out of shape. She had always been quiet and reserved. About a year and half ago Thelma started taking my group fitness classes. She followed our weight loss menu plan; she downloaded all of the workouts onto her IPod and hit the gym 6 days a week. During the 90 day period I watched Thelma lose weight, but grow inside with self confidence. She became more outgoing; she had a twinkle in her eye and seemed to be laughing all the time. When she completed the program, she had lost 35 pounds and had to buy all new clothes. She had always wanted to run in a 5 or 10k but never felt strong enough, fit enough, or confident enough to try. After losing the weight and completing the program, Thelma ran her first 5k. Six months later she is still working the program, coming to classes and now trains with me twice a week. She looks and feel s great and is planning to run a 10k.
Author’s Bio
Tina Kendall is a Nationally Certified Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor. For more than 20 years, she has been teaching Group Fitness classes ranging from kickboxing to step, weight training, power sculpting, cycling, aqua, Yoga and Pilates. If you attend any of her classes, you will find that her classes are always filled to capacity at the gyms where she teaches. Tina lives in the San Fernando Valley in California with her two dogs, Ricky and Lucy. She has a 25-year-old daughter, Jessica, who is currently attending college to become a teacher.
