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Training Advice

Why Hire A Personal Trainer? Monarch Fitness Coaching Clients Share Their Thoughts

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Introduction:

Personal training can be very beneficial. A personal trainer can provide safe, effective, efficient training while educating you on proper form and training techniques. At Monarch Fitness Coaching, our personal trainers support you and your family every step of the way. We help you specify your goals and determine measurable outcomes. We find the right fit and create a personal training plan for you. We evaluate how you are progressing and assess what adjustments need to be made for you to succeed. Finally, we celebrate your accomplishments when you meet your goals.

Wondering what our clients say about personal training? Why did they hire a personal trainer? Why do they continue with personal training? What recommendations do they have for why you should work with the personal trainers at Monarch Fitness Coaching? We have spotlighted different clients and their unique needs.

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Buen Camino: El Camino de Santiago Portuguese Coastal Route

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Location: Portugal and Spain

Type of Travel: Historical pilgrimage covering scenic coastal and inland routes through the countryside and cities.

Ages: Teens to active older adults.

In 2015, I trained my first client, Bill, age group 60–64, to walk the El Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage that ends at the shrine of the apostle Saint James in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. When I was preparing him for the trip, I knew that I, too, wanted to experience a pilgrimage of similar importance. In June of 2024, I was able to walk the Portuguese coastal route from Porto, Portugal to Santiago de Compostela with my daughter, Honore, age group 25–29, and her boyfriend, Oliver, age group 25–29, accomplishing an almost decade-long goal. The pilgrimage offered me a chance to connect with both Honore and Oliver, while viewing stunning scenery, seeing historical sites, and being immersed in different cultural experiences. I was able to disconnect from work and enjoyed the opportunity to spend most of the day outside looking out on the horizon. Plus the food was delicious and the accommodations stunning. I love that this type of travel can be a “choose your own adventure.” Unlike a race or a hike to a specific spot, you can decide the right balance of movement, camaraderie, and culture!

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College Visit: UCLA

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Location: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Type of Travel: Visiting a college campus can be an exciting adventure, especially when one of your children is considering attending. For me it was a special opportunity to bond with my daughter, Coach Trin. We planned for lots of walking and standing.

Ages: All

When I was younger and traveling with my five children, we would often visit college campuses in the area. If it was possible, we liked going onto the athletic fields. Some favorites were Dartmouth (close to my parents house), Harvard, Boston College, and William and Mary. As the children grew older, visiting college campuses gave us the opportunity to learn about a school they were interested in attending as well as the area surrounding the school. Trin and I recently visited UCLA, a college they are interested in attending for graduate school. UCLA is located in an urban setting on over 400 acres. The weather and location meant we had plenty of opportunities to explore neighborhoods, visit the ocean, hike, go sightseeing, and learn about the campus.

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Navigating from Sport Specific Training to Training for a Healthy, Fit, and Fun Life: How Personal Training Can Support Your Transformation

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Many of our journeys with fitness began when we were quite young and participated in youth programming. We continued participating in organized athletics, often sacrificing our overall physical development. Regardless of the sport—whether it was basketball, gymnastics, baseball, soccer, swimming, or running—hyperfocusing on just one or a couple of activities limited our growth and often caused injuries.

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Why You Should Consider a Personal Trainer

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Are you looking to make changes to your fitness plan but aren’t certain where to start? A personal trainer might be the answer. Personal trainers help you accomplish your goals by creating a progressive training program that ensures you are on a path to success. Personal trainers also provide accountability, motivation, and fitness education, and they help keep you injury free. Personal training is a great way to maximize the benefit of the time you spend training.

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How To Use Personal Training To Help You Achieve Your Fitness Goals

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Personal training can be very beneficial. A personal trainer can provide safe, effective, efficient training while educating you on proper form and training techniques. But how do you ensure you are getting the most out of the time you spend with your personal trainer? How can you assess if the time you are spending is helping you achieve your fitness goals? At Monarch Fitness Coaching, our personal trainers support you every step of the way.

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Choosing the Right Personal Trainer: Finding the Right Fitness Fit

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There are so many personal trainers to choose from. How can you tell if the personal trainer you are considering working with is the right fit? If your goal is to have fun and you are enjoying your workouts, you have many choices, but if you want to safely progress toward your goals, look for a personal trainer who focuses on your education and your development.

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Transformative Paths: Exploring the History of the Monarch Method and the impact of Monarch Fitness Coaching

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Monarch Fitness Coaching celebrated its two-year anniversary on the vibrant Main-Dempster Mile this past fall. Through years of hands-on experience and countless interactions with our clients, we developed The Monarch Method. Be it embarking on new fitness goals or navigating personal wellness journeys, transformation is at the heart of Monarch Fitness Coaching. In this Q&A, Coach Heather Collins delves into the history of our methodology and expresses gratitude to the Main-Dempster Mile community.

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running shoes

Purchasing Running Shoes

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Finding the right pair of shoes can be the difference between being comfortable during your training and being sidelined. The shoes can improve alignment and prevent injuries.  Typical injuries that can occur from utilizing the incorrect shoes include: stress fractures, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, ankle pain and knee pain.  The right running shoes also improve performance.

Know the answers to the following questions before you look to buy:

1) What will you be using the shoes for?

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Get Warmed Up

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Warming up prepares you both physically and mentally for increased intensity. Properly warming up ensures your muscles, joints, and signals from the brain to the muscles are working correctly. Warming up reduces the potential for injury and improves training efficiency.

When should I warm up?

A warm up should be done before all exercises that have a greater intensity then a warm up effort.  Athletes should warm up for all types of training including cardio training,

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Break A Sweat

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Sweating is an athlete’s internal cooling system. Sweating helps prevent the core temperature from rising to an unhealthy point. The cells and organs are protected from the dangers of overheating. According to Chris Carmichael at trainright.com, well over 50% of the energy an athlete produces becomes heat. Less than 50% of the energy results in movement.

What causes an athlete to sweat?

Sweat is a response to an increase in body temperature.

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Running Outdoors—What to Wear

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Trying to figure out what to wear to be comfortable running outside may feel overwhelming.
The following guidelines should help.

Generally, dress in snug-fitting layers made of performance material. Avoid becoming chilled. You can remove the layers as you warm up.

Coach tip: If you feel cold when you start, wear more layers. Make a loop around your starting point and drop layers off as you warm up. Once you are warmed up,

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