I Just Want to Look “Toned”
“What are your fitness goals?” is the first question any personal trainer will ask you. How honestly and specifically you answer will determine how successful your experience becomes.
For example, before I got married I signed up for personal training sessions. What was my fitness goal? “To look toned in my wedding gown.” “Toned” is very subjective. On my wedding day I was 123 lbs. and my shape was very similar to the lady in the green bathing suit. This woman is by all measures toned. Her stomach is flat and she has soft, curvy muscle tone. And while she is absolutely beautiful, she’s not really what I wanted to look like.
By “toned” what I really meant was I wanted to rock a bikini and look ripped like IFBB European Champion Magdalena Kazimirova. Not everyone likes muscular looking women, but to me they look feminine and strong at the same time; qualities I wanted my own physique to mimic. So clearly my idea of what toned looked like was different from what my trainer’s concept of toned was.
Trainers can do a lot, but they can’t read your mind. So if you are figuring out your fitness goals, ask yourself what you really want. Look through magazines or online and find what you want your body to look like so everyone is on the same page about what your goals are.
Likewise, if your goal is for endurance, don’t just say, “I want to get in shape.” Instead say, “I want to run a marathon in three and a half hours.” Or whatever your true goal is.
The diet and exercises you do to increase speed are completely different from what you would do to enter a figure competition and the only way a trainer can really customize your program to give you your desired results is if you are both clear about what you want.
Whatever your fitness goals – go for them and good luck!
Lisa
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Truth! I also encourage my clients to think of an actual fitness goal (like you said- running a marathon, or for many, just getting through the day with energy to spare) because having an image alone isn’t enough to make most people stick to a routine. But changes one can FEEL; they are more tangible proof of progress.
Specific goals are so helpful for keeping you on track.
Now if only getting there was as easy as making the decision on what to look like! 😉
LOL – ain’t that the truth!
Can’t even describe how much I’ve come to hate the word toned! 🙂
LOL
It’s a bit like heading to the hairdressers… You want to make sure everyone’s on the same page *before* the tears…
Yes – I’ve had hair “miscommunications”…so sad.