I started my career as a Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor in 1986 and have never looked back. It started rather by accident, my career that is. I started taking classes at a local gym because I wanted to tone up and lose weight, there was no interest or intention of becoming a professional fitness expert.

It started in Ruby's class; the music was bad, the choreography lacking and the motivation to get through the workout, nil. At that moment I decided if Ruby can do this, so can I and so I did.  I proceeded to get my Group Exercise Certification, although back then it was called Aerobics Instructor.

My first class was at Scandinavian Clubs in Miami for an impressive $6 per class – thank God the pay scale has gone up. I started teaching high impact aerobics in 1988 and from there became a Personal Trainer as a natural transition to become more entrenched in the world of fitness.  

When I started my career as a CPT, certified personal trainer, the world of fitness was very different. We focused on using the Cybex or Free Motion type of machines as well as barbells or dumbbells (also referred to as free weight training) almost exclusively without much emphasis on functional training.  The focus has certainly shifted in the last 20 years from machines which offer no instability to much focus on training the body in all planes and ranges.

For a workout to be considered a complete experience it must incorporate balance, flexibility, cardiovascular conditioning and muscular endurance and strength.  If all you do is train on selectorized equipment or even with free weights, you are missing out on a good 50% of what you need, namely the flexibility and balance training.  

To incorporate balance into your sessions, try standing on one leg when you perform a biceps curl or stand in stork stance position while you execute triceps kickbacks.  You can also try to work on a stability ball for an additional balance challenge.  Need to add flexibility training?  Try adding some yoga poses to your repertoire.  Triangle, downwards facing dog and high lunge are just a few poses or asanas that will not just challenge your muscles but provide a wonderful stretch to enhance your flexibility as well.

Not sure how to add cardiovascular training to your workouts?  Hold a plank position and perform mountain climbers which work your shoulders, back, abdominals, quadriceps and you guessed it, heart. You can also try stepping up onto a bench or for the advanced participant, jump onto a plyobox for serious heart rate intensity.

Training will no doubt continue to morph and assuredly it will be for the best as it has been up to now. I look forward to watching the changes and how they affect our health and wellness.