During her second pregnancy, Karen Yates of Toronto had to endure months of bedrest on doctor’s orders. The result was a full-term pregnancy, along with a 70-pound weight gain. Yates was eager to get fit and trim again. To get and stay motivated, she turned to certified fitness trainer Janet Omstead. As she tells The Health Journal, it was a step in the right direction.
I started with Janet about two months after my son, Adam, was born, around the beginning of November, 2002. Her son and my older son are in the same class at school and I had heard she was a personal trainer.
First, she wanted to know my goals. My main objective was to lose weight, but I also wanted to improve my cardiovascular health because I had done nothing for about a year. I also wanted to improve my strength because I felt like I hadn’t used my muscles for almost a year either.
Then she took my body measurements. As much as she’s not one for scales, she did weigh me so that we had a starting point, and because I’m more focused on poundage than she is. She thinks that what’s more important is how your clothes are fitting and how you feel everyday. That’s one of the things I really liked about her approach. About every six weeks she would measure me again so I could see my progress. She discouraged me from talking about my weight because she didn’t think it was as important as how my clothes were fitting and my energy levels.
We started working out together once a week, usually at my home, and each week was different. At one point we targeted my legs for a number of weeks, so every session she’d come up with different exercises. One day she’d come with an exercise ball and we’d be out in the back yard. She was always mixing it up so I wouldn’t get bored like I often do at the gym. Our sessions would last an hour. She was also very accommodating and tolerant if my baby was fussy. I also did a program that she designed for me to do on my own to fit my lifestyle.
Part of her program included working out at my gym using a weight program she designed for me (with the gym’s permission) to use there. One of her goals was to teach me how to safely use the machines at my gym and that would help me achieve my body goals.
Janet also wanted me to keep a food journal. I wrote down everything I ate and drank in a day, three times a week. Sometimes I was good about doing it, sometimes not! It wasn’t really to restrict the food I was eating, but more to focus on balance, variety and moderation.
She also had me keep an exercise journal. I would write down how often I went to the club, what weight training, cardiovascular and stretching exercises I did. This helped me be aware of whether my fitness activities were working toward my goal. Both journals were a good motivator for me.
After a few months of working with Janet, she came up with the idea that I could run a 5K or a 10K. I said, “You’ve got to be kidding me,” but she said, “You can do this, I know you can do this.” And so she started me on a run/walk program, and then all of our fitness activities were focused on building up my stamina and strength so that I could run a 10K. Before long I was running 5K without thinking I was going to collapse.
Then she came up with the idea that I would run a 10K for Father’s Day in a charity run. She made up a training schedule for me and printed it out so I could see how I was progressing. On the day of the race, she even surprised me by coming and running it with me to keep me going. I made it to the finish line!
The thing that kept me going with Janet was that a friendship developed and I looked forward to seeing her. Her approach with Adam made me never feel guilty about working out. When we weren’t meeting she’d call me and see how I was doing. Especially the day after an intense work out she’d call to see how I was feeling.
I am now within a few pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight and have made it back into my old clothes. More important, I’ve improved my cardiovascular health and regained my muscle strength. What Janet has taught me is now a big part of my lifestyle.
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