What to Look for in a Personal Trainer

Transcription:

What to Look for in a Personal Trainer with Eraldo Maglara

This episode of Talk Fitness is in partnership with The Vitamin Shoppe where knowledgeable health enthusiasts are standing by to help you thrive every day.

Lisa Davis (Host): So glad you’re listening to Talk Fitness Today and I am thrilled to have the wonderful TV host, author, personal trainer on the program. I’m a big fan of his show Healthy Lifestyle with Eraldo. Eraldo Maglara joins us now. Heh Eraldo, how are you?

Eraldo Maglara (Guest): Hi Lisa. How are you?

Lisa: I’m good. How are you doing?

Eraldo: Terrific. I’m doing great. No complaints.

Lisa: Oh good, well you look great and I love your show and you know its so funny because I started in media with a show called Health Power back in 1999 and I loved doing a show and I wanted to get to one. So, you are really inspiring me. I’ll have to pick your brain sometime about it. But at any rate, let’s talk about you. I want to talk about your career. I want to talk about how you inspire people. Tell us about when you first got into healthy living and fitness.

Eraldo: Well, I have always been very active growing up. I have always – I consider myself either an athlete or a musician. So, I knew my career path was one or the other and I actually started with weight training back in high school because I wanted to add a little more muscle, add a little more strength because my frame has always been very thin. I had some muscle definition but not too much but when I first – when I got involved with weight training obviously, I started gaining muscle mass and I started feeling better about myself and I started gaining strength. So, then I obviously, I entered into the corporate world for 20 years and I got married, obviously and I had two wonderful children. So, my career was focused just on being a purchasing agent for different industries around the country.

And then about 2008, I felt like I needed to make a change. I wanted to talk to people, reach out to people about health and fitness which was always my passion since I was in high school basically. So, that’s when I went back to school. I actually went back to school at 42, got my certification through a national personal training institute and in addition to that I went to get a certificate from – certified from the National Strength and Conditioning Association and then I started my company Fitness Training by Eraldo in 2009. I started immediately training people in their homes and from then on, I was offered the opportunity to have my own television show and in a nutshell, I’m here.

Lisa: That is so cool. You know Eraldo, I’m so impressed with that fact that you were like okay, I need a change and I think a lot of people feel like they get stuck and once they are a certain age, it’s too late and it’s never too late. You can always make a change. You know I got into the health field in my early 20s and I have stayed in it in lots of different facets of it but, I have always been in this same sort of field and I think it’s really cool to be like you know what, I want to make a change, and make it and then become so successful like you have and your TV show is great. Tell us a bit about it Healthy Lifestyle with Eraldo.

Eraldo: I love my show. It’s so – I shot two brand new episodes yesterday and every time I go to the studios, I get this overwhelming feeling that this is where I belong. This is what I’m supposed to do. So, in 2015, I had an opportunity through my PR person to have my show on WMCN and I’ve recorded 52 shows actually yesterday was my 52 episode and let me tell you Lisa, it’s just so gratifying to be in the show and be able to help individuals because that’s the crux of the show is to educate, to inform, to provide alternative solutions on how to improve your health, how to improve your self-being and how to help others as well. So, that’s the main crux of the show. And I have been so fortunate and so blessed to be able to continue for over two years now it’s been so, and I look forward to keep going.

Lisa: That is great. What are some of the things that you have learned from some of your guests that were like oh I hadn’t thought about that or oh, I’m going to put that into practice myself or did you find that you were already doing a lot of things? Talk to us about that.

Eraldo: Well I have – it’s funny because I have a number of professionals on the show. I’ll cover topics from – you know I have chefs on, I’ll have doctors on the shows, I’ll have writers on the show. I have other celebrity individuals who have done reality shows, as a matter of fact, I had Ashley White n the show yesterday, she was one of the Princesses of Long Island, I believe it was on Bravo, I can remember quite now but it was a reality show that was on. And I have had singers on, I’ve had everybody from A to Z basically. And for me, I’ve always been a big compassionate – I always want to learn. There is always something new that you learn every single day, so when I listen to and especially the struggles that some of these people have gone through. I’ve had individuals on who were very close to just saying I don’t want to live anymore, this is it for me. But somehow or somewhere they received that extra inspiration or guidance from someone that instantly changed their life. So, I can’t really pinpoint which one, but there has ben so many. It’s just overwhelming. I just, I can’t explain to you what a feeling it is.

Lisa: Oh, I’m sure it is. Alright, well let’s talk about being a personal trainer. What do people need to keep in mind when they are looking for a trainer and especially if they are new to exercise or they haven’t exercised in a long time.

Eraldo: Well one of the complaints that I get most often, and I have talked to many people. I used to belong to a Chamber of Commerce, so I did many events and just spoke to many one on one individuals. The number one complaint that I heard over and over again is that they tried exercising, but they got hurt and therefore they stopped. So, that is the most common reason why some people just completely stop exercising all together. So, if I had to make a recommendation to someone who is looking for a trainer and you want – you are placing your health in the hands of somebody who should be knowledgeable, should have gone to school, should have some form of education, some form of certification that says they have gone through – the most perfect example that I can give you is going to a doctor. Obviously, you want to go to a doctor that is the most qualified, that has the experience and has gone through good schools. Because bottom line, you are placing your health in their hands. And that’ s how I look at when you hire a personal trainer. It is important that they have the education and have the experience to be able to effectively teach someone how to go to the gym, how to effectively use the equipment, how to be careful if you have injuries and the nutrition side of it. Now I don’t consider myself an expert in nutrition, but I know enough to know there are certain foods that you should stay away from, so and then it goes into other things as well. So, I mean the important thing is to keep in mind is that somebody should be certified and should be knowledgeable of what they are doing and just don’t place your hands into any Joe Schmo out there basically.

Lisa: I completely agree. And you know yesterday, I was asking what were some of the things you wanted to talk about and one of them you mentioned was obesity. I mean there is such a huge obesity epidemic and I think for a lot of people, I would imagine, if they haven’t exercised for a while or they feel intimidated at the gym or they are not sure where to start; then finding a trainer is important and I think finding a compassionate trainer is really important as well and willing to meet that person where they are, rather than where they think they should be because I think if you push too hard, it can backfire. What have you found?

Eraldo: Well, it’s funny because I consider myself – when I train – when I get to meet my clients, and I have been with some clients for quite a while. I think the oldest one is about six years. And it is interesting because you get to know them so well. You get to know what makes them tick, what makes them – what gets them energized, what gets them motivated and you also get to know them personally on the family side and some of the struggles they go through. So, I consider someone tells me or I find myself to be a psychiatrist so to speak. And it’s good because you definitely get to know more than just to person that you are training and that to me is great because there’s just so many things you can – I can help them in so many ways. Some people just have a hard time getting out to exercise, so they will call me and say Eraldo, I don’t feel like exercising today and I’m like come on. Come on. You know you can exercise. You know you can do this. I’ll be there with you. We will push through it and then it seems to work. And I have seen it with many different of my clients so, it’s just great to know that you are able to help someone in that respect. So, to me, I consider myself a trainer, a psychiatrist, a friend. You can throw out all the titles that you want and it really, it’s really rewarding to see the transformation they go through.

Lisa: Oh, I bet. And when you’re working with people who are really heavy, I assume you approach it a different way in terms of what exercises you do first. I assume is it a walking program or what do you usually do?

Eraldo: Well, I talk to them. When I meet somebody new, I always give them a free consultation and I think that’s very important because in this consultation you get to find out exactly who they are, what they like, what they don’t like, are there any reasons or issues that you have and not just the physical condition but the mental aspect of it. Because that’s very crucially important. You are able to do things everyday because you mentally made that decision to do them. If you don’t, you are not going to be able to do them. Or you are not going to accomplish your goals. So, it’s important to understand a person that is maybe having some difficulty making some decisions, so if you are able to convince them or able to say heh listen, make that decision, do your change. First of all, nobody else in going to do it for you and second of all, the benefits are immense. Immense benefits to exercise. And so that’s the way I approach it so if you can get past that mental barrier, there is great things you can accomplish. So, I have friend who in the nutrition business and that’s extremely important obviously, so you need to have a common sense eating based program that you can start off with and one thing that I do recommend to everyone going and learning more about is nutrition. Because everything 80% base of what you do is what you eat, and you are exactly – you are what you eat. There is no way to sugarcoat that one.

Lisa: That is so true. It really is, what is it, 80% in the kitchen 20% in the gym.

Eraldo: Absolutely. There’s no other way to do it. If you eat bad and exercise, you are not going to get the results you want. You might get stronger, but you don’t get the results you want. People are very – when they look at themselves in the mirror and they see the transformation happening, that’s what gives them the opportunity – or the energy or the motivation to move forward. If they don’t see anything changing, there is really not that much. I mean you can be positively happy about it, but you still need to see that physical transformation, that’s what I call it.

Lisa: Yeah, exactly. So, sometimes when you see someone you are working with who isn’t making the progress; do you have them keep a food diary or how do you get them aware, so because sometimes people say well I am eating healthy. But they’re really not. Or they are eating too much.

Eraldo: What I recommend to most of my clients especially to ones that start off with, I like to know what they’re eating. So, it’s important for me to understand, to jot down, to have them jot down normally what they would eat throughout the week. And then normally, what they would eat the weekend because normally your eating habits change from the week to the weekend. So, I need to exactly know basically how they – what kind of meals they are having, how many times a day they are eating, what kind of foods they are eating, how much food are they eating. So, it is important to understand. And this is just basics to learn and understand because again, my understanding and I totally agree with it is if you eat more than what you burn, your body has a tendency to store it. It’s just a way your body works. Your body will fight starvation at every corner. It does not like to be starved, your body, so it will fight that. So, when you are eating, if you don’t exercise it to burn it off, it is going to store it. And when you start piling on more weight than you should, now you are falling into that category that I could call obesity. And that’s the trend that has been happening with the young children, adults and it’s been happening. It’s been growing over since back in I guess way back in the 80s or when we started first exercising, the trend has been going up and up and up. And it’s a concern. It really is a concern.

Lisa: Now do you ever work with teens or children or is it all adults?

Eraldo: I have worked with younger kids. I have worked with 7-8-year olds, 9-year-olds obviously there is a different approach with a 7-8-year-old than you would with a 17 or 18-year-old. So, it’s – when you are dealing with younger kids, you have to make it important and you have to make it fun. You have to approach it differently in a more playful way, but you still have to be able to coach them appropriately and make sure that you do exercises that are fun, that are structured for that age group as opposed to an 18-year-old or a 17-year-old. They are adults basically and some kids develop faster than others. So, there is more of a – you have more of a leverage on that particular age group because you can do more things. So, there is definitely a challenge, but again safety, making sure that you learn proper technique, learning how to get around a gym properly, knowing which equipment to work on or to leave off. It makes a big difference, so that’s why you need somebody who is qualified, who has been there and done that.

Lisa: Yeah, I completely agree. Now on your wonderful show, Healthy Lifestyle with Eraldo, you have a tip of the week, your healthy tip of the week, your healthy lifestyle tip. What are some of your favorites?

Eraldo: I like to answer Twitter questions. And that’s funny because I actually answered three questions from the Twitter feed that I receive from many individuals and that’s probably been my best one because I get to actually interact with some of the people. So, when I get questions and I get a barrage of questions from different individuals from men, women, I get them from seniors, I get them from younger adults, I get them from all categories. And it is interesting because you get to speak to them on camera about different particular issues. So, that’s one of the things that I like to cover on my Healthy Lifestyle tips. I also talk about many of the things that I’m passionate about whether it’s again, exercising, about making it a priority to get some form of exercise throughout the day, keep your body moving, are there other things that might also are spiritual needs. If there is something that you are having an issue with, if it is preventing you from doing certain things. I like to talk about that. So, basically, it’s just a one on one that I have a conversation with my audience to help them. Because that’s my strength is being able to help individuals who are watching the show say you know what, he makes total sense, that was great, tomorrow I’m changing my life, I’m going to apply what he’s taught me and I’m going to make a change in my life. So, that’s the great thing about giving a tip during the show.

Lisa: I completely agree. Eraldo, the time goes by way too quickly. Tell us all the ways we can find you on social media and especially how to watch your great show.

Eraldo: Well, Healthy Lifestyle with Eraldo is primarily shown on the Philadelphia market and in the southern New Jersey area. So, that’s where the show is mostly viewable on. It’s on Comcast, Verizon, it’s on Xfinity. If you can’t watch my show through those means you can always catch it on YouTube under Healthy Lifestyle with Eraldo and it has every single episode that I have done. And you can watch the show there. So, that’s the long way how to get there. Also, my website www.healthylifestyleeraldo.com. I have people that have been on the show previously, some of the notable guests that have been on, sponsors that have been working with the show. I have all my TV appearances that I make throughout the east coast, whether it be in New York market, the Boston market or the Washington. Those are just appearances that I make on and off throughout the month. And publications that I’ve written, articles, magazines, articles and hopefully my second book which is trying to get a publishing company to go through will also come out hopefully next year as well.

Lisa: Oh, that would be great. Well you have to come back and talk about your first book. Eraldo, thank you so much for coming on Talk Fitness Today. It’s been so great, and I hope everyone continues to check out the show. You can listen to us on iTunes, Stitcher, iHeart. You can find all the other places by going to RadioMD.com. Click on programs. Click on Talk Fitness Today. Everybody thanks for listening and stay well.

This episode of Talk Fitness was produced by The Vitamin Shoppe where trusted health enthusiasts help you thrive every day. Visit one of 800 stores across the country or head to www.vitaminshoppe.com for all your wellness needs.