Fitness for Retirees, Interview with Janelle Graham Fitness Trainer

Erik:                                     00:01                   

Welcome to Mastering Monday, the interview segment. Hi, I'm Erik Bowman, your host and owner of Bowman financial strategies where we provide straight answers so you can make confident decisions to live the retirement you have always dreamed up. I wanted to thank you for listening to the interview segment and this is part three of three episodes of an interview with Janelle Graham fitness trainer out of Castle Rock, Colorado's 24 hour fitness, enjoy. Janelle, what would be the one piece of advice that you would give to somebody who's currently retired or is going to be retiring soon and why?

Janelle:                               00:45                   

My biggest piece of advice would be to move. You got to move. Moving is improving and if we're not moving, then we're not improving. It's not just sitting from a desk chair into your couch or in your recliners, um, although that's much comfier than your work situation may have been. But actually getting up and being mobile and actually moving, getting outdoors, sometimes indoors, whatever it takes, but actually moving for at least 30 minutes, 30 minutes

Erik:                                     01:21                   

Each day.

Janelle:                               01:23                   

Yes, consciously moving because moving is going to keep you improving. And if you're not moving, then your body is not improving and it, it's gonna start shutting down.

Erik:                                     01:32                   

I was thinking about some of the things you probably are helping people with during training sessions. And I believe that when people are at their house and they're doing their everyday things, whatever, whatever that may be, cooking in the kitchen, doing laundry, going up and down the stairs, cleaning out their basement, all the photographs that they plan on going through, one day they're down in the basement and now they have to move boxes out of the, out of the way to get to them so they can start that project in retirement that they should be thinking about every movement when they're going down the stairs, they should be thinking about what muscle they're using, how their balance is actually being impacted by that step up or down the stairs when they're bending over to pick something off the bottom of the pantry floor that they don't just in a non thoughtful way reached down that they should think about what joints are using and the more time they get in the gym with somebody like you, that can actually start to kind of overlay, here's why this exercise is important to your normal daily life routine. And I just think that that's something that gets missed a lot of the times because they don't realize that there are ways to move the can hurt you and ways to move that can help you.

Janelle:                               02:39                   

Absolutely. Taking what they're doing on a daily basis and really making it even more efficient. Right. And making it move efficient and more balance and more stability and more strength so that they can do more. Right, and they feel like moving more because they're actually moving better, right? They're moving more efficiently. It doesn't hurt to bend down and pick up that box (right) of photos and have to carry it up the staircase because you've learned how to move. That improves your everyday lifestyle.

Erik:                                     03:12                   

Success breeds success. Whenever you begin an exercise regimen. I think some people may be concerned or be thinking about the idea that it could hurt, number one, especially if you haven't done it in a long time. So there's this progression in a way to move into it slowly but also some reality check on how quickly results come and to understand what that cycle actually looks like so they don't get maybe disappointed and checkout sooner than they should.

Janelle:                               03:47                   

You should feel a difference within four to six weeks. So you should feel that walking around your house is easier. Bending down to pick up the groceries and walk them into the house gets easier. So it's a progressional base. As you do more, you kind of oil all of your joints and you oil your body, it's going to start to move better. And those aches and pains that you used to have should start to go away within four to six weeks and you should start to feel a little bit better. And then that progresses you into the next phase to where you can start taking on a little bit more. But it's all based off of where you're at and giving you specifics of what to do written down. Um, also videotaping is another great way because then you have a compare and contrast. Like, all right, this is whenever you started at week one, how you were squatting and how you are lifting your arms up to put something into a cabinet and now you've gotten a sequence of exercises that you're supposed to be doing at home, right? And progressively, okay, now where you at six to eight weeks later and retaking a video because then you have that visual. Now it's not just a feeling anymore. You feel that you're better, you feel it. The aches and pains are gone, but what have I actually improved on?

Erik:                                     05:15                   

You don't have to ask the grand kids to open up the mayonnaise jars.

Janelle:                               05:18                   

There you go! You know it's true. It's totally the truth. So those little things speak volumes, but it's being aware of, hey, maybe you didn't even notice that whatever was aching or painful isn't achy or painful anymore and you can't figure out exactly what it was. But over the last four to six weeks, just changing up what you're doing and how you're doing it because you have a sequence of things and you know what to do to help make it successful.

Erik:                                     05:54                   

Talk a little bit about if somebody was actually seeking a trainer, what's that first meeting like? What do you talk about? What do you typically do with somebody at the gym?

Janelle:                               06:04                   

The first meeting is really just to get to know you. It's to find out about what you're doing currently. Also about your past history. So what did you do in the past? Uh, what was your job? What were some of your activities? Do you have kids? You know, what are your goals? Are you wanting to travel? So it's a lot of one on one time, just kind of getting to know you. Then we sit down and we talk about nutrition. Okay, right? How are you eating? What are you consuming? Because then that kind of gives me a baseline, um, as a trainer to know, okay, this is what you currently did. This was your past history. Here are some goals. So we try to lay out at least three goals. Now I've have your nutrition, so I'm starting to get to know you a little bit better.

Janelle:                               06:49                   

Then we take you into what we call an overhead squat assessment. I'm going to set you up and stand and I'm going to have you squat and do what your body is going to allow you to do and we look at you and different angles and take notes and that gives me a baseline of how your body is moving in time and space currently. Okay. And that gives me a direction to go and to help you to get you closer to those goals that we talked about and what you're wanting to achieve. Now that you're retired and you have all this extra time on your hands.

Erik:                                     07:22                   

And I assume that you know, based on that functional assessment that then you can determine me a more specific regimen to help address their shortfalls as opposed to just kind of a generic everybody should do. Although there are probably some exercises everybody should do, but I assume you see people with various range of motion issues and strength issues and core issues that would require a more specialized approach.

Janelle:                               07:47                   

Yes. So everyone is going to move differently and it doesn't matter how tall you are, how short you are, how much you weigh, right? It's what your body is actually allowing you to do in that time and space. And every individual that comes in is going to have a completely different plan, (right.) than the person before or after them. Even if you have 10 gentlemen and 10 ladies that are all 5'8" and they all weigh the same amount, all 10 men and all 10 women are going to all move differently. Right? (Right.) So they're all going to have a completely different exercise and cardio regimen that they need to do based off of where their body is.

Erik:                                     08:31                   

Some people may be thinking about the type of exercise they might do in their home and it sounds a little bit solitary, maybe are not that enjoyable. What are some things that people could consider that might make exercising more enjoyable or even something they look forward to?

Janelle:                               08:46                   

Yeah. And make it fun. Um, so getting together with a friend and go for a walk outside or even getting together the group of people, finding a group that's a walking group or a skiing group, if that's, you know, your interests at home, pulling up a podcast and doing, you know, what's on that podcast.

Erik:                                     09:08                   

So like an exercise podcast?

Janelle:                               09:09                   

Yeah, there's exercise podcasts. You can get stuff through dish network and direct TV. Um, they've got different exercise workouts,

Erik:                                     09:18                   

Youtube as well.

Janelle:                               09:20                   

Youtube, you can look them up on Youtube, just putting in some good old music and turn it up nice and loud and dance in your little heart out in your living room as well as, you know, take an audio book and go out and walk while you listen for two or three chapters if you're into books and reading. So then you're getting the best of both worlds, getting with friends that have dogs and going to a dog park and just walking around a dog park, taking a dog for a walk around the block. Lots of different ways to get involved in the community or with your friends to make it more fun. And more exciting. So then it's also that accountability factor as well.

Erik:                                     10:03                   

I noticed when I go to the gym, I go to the 24 hour fitness in castle rock. I know I see classes going on in the pool that looks like it may be better for people who do have some joint issues or health issues.

Janelle:                          10:17                   

Yeah. So the aqua classes are really great because they get you moving and also a resistance as well, cause you have the resistance in the pool, but you're actually able to move a little bit better. So any of those aches or pains or maybe moving on land may hurt a little bit. You get in the pool and you have buoyancy and so now you're able to actually move and work out those areas that may have a little bit of tenderness on land and you're with a group of people. So you've got that camaraderie and you get to meet new people, you make new friends.

Erik:                                     10:49                   

There's usually a little music going on in the back too. I noticed that.

Janelle:                               10:52                   

Oh yes, there's always music going on, so it kind of gives that a little bit of life to the exercise. (Yeah.)

Erik:                          11:02                   

Tell us a little bit about how if somebody wanted to get in contact with you, if they were interested in talking to you about what it might be like to work with you and have you be their personal trainer, how could somebody contact you?

Janelle:                          11:13                   

Calling 24 hour fitness and Castle Rock Colorado, leaving a message there. My phone number is [phone] is another great way to contact me.

Erik:                                     11:28                   

Janelle, thank you so much for being here today. I really appreciate you taking the time out of your day to come here and talk to my people about how they can live well in retirement, so thank you very much. 

Janelle:                               11:44                   

Thank you for having me.

Erik:                                    11:44

Thank you for listening to this last of three episodes of an interview with Janelle Graham fitness trainer from Castle Rock, Colorado's 24 Hour Fitness. If you have any comments or questions, you can leave them at Facebook or at Bowman Financial Strategies Facebook page or on our web page, at www.bowmenfinancialstrategies.com

Disclosure:                         12:10                   

Investment advisory services offered by Change Path, LLC. Change Path and Bowman Financial Strategies are unaffiliated entities.