Coppell Personal Trainer Tip

Make a Difference

Video to come soon

October marks Get You In Shape’s 4 Year Anniversary. As I look back on where this started, I can only think of why I started it. I like to explain this because many people see Get You In Shape or see what we have accomplished and think this happened overnight. I love the phrase “little and often over the long haul” as this explains my personal journey and also the journey of Get You In Shape. Since getting my Masters Degree in Kinesiology (1999) , getting certified to be a personal trainer (2000), and getting involved with Adovcare (in 2001), I just wanted to Make a Difference.  We are all given certain qualities and gifts that allow us be used to help others in this world. For me, I did a number of things before I KNEW I needed to be in the health and fitness field. I was a teacher for 2 years at a private school for emotionally disturbed students. They were the kids that could not function in school districts so they would send them to us to help manage their behaviors and to teach them. I loved it and learned so much from it but somewhere in the back of my mind I knew I could be helping more than just the 8-10 students in my class. This was a great time  in my life as I trained in the mornings before school and was always trying to learn more about health and fitness.  I believe this is where I learned to be patient and listen to what others are saying so I can help them. The kids mostly just needed positive reinforcement (even though many times they were seeking it out through negative behaviors) and needed extra attention.  I did end up deciding it was time to move on and decided to move to Dallas.  This was 2003.

I really did not know what I wanted to do when I moved to Dallas in 2003. I did start personal training part time.  I did enjoy but I also did not want to be know as a “personal trainer”. I mainly got this persona that all trainer’s were looked upon as beef heads and so I just really did not pursue it at a high level. I did  know that I did have a gift of working with people and helping them reach their health and fitness goals. I also knew that by helping them look, feel and perform better, they also benefited in most areas outside of their fitness. I continued to train and help people for this reason, because I knew I was Making a Difference in their lives. So I did it because I loved helping people and wanted to Make a Difference to the clients I was helping.

Like I mentioned, I was not really sure what direction I wanted to do so I just stayed the course. I also did a number of other service related jobs as I was personal training and helping clients. Looking back  I believe I did each of of these jobs for a reason and they  helped me realize what I needed to focus my attention on and what I should be doing.  I got my life and health insurance license and was able to help a lot of folks save a lot of money. This was again a job that I would try to find the bet plan for people and HELP them save money on the same type of plan I was caddy for golfers on the weekends in which I was able to Caddy for some well-known people which was a great experience. In the end, it taught me more about servicing a client and how I can help make someone golf experience (or in most cases the groups) better and more enjoyable with me helping them through the round. I even did some promotional work for different companies. All through the 2-3 years of exploring, I personally continued to love health and fitness. I also continued to trainer clients. I knew I had a gift for helping people not only with the fitness part of getting in shape but all the other important parts that are more important than exercising.
In the end, some doors just opened (the fitness doors) and some doors where closed. Like I mentioned, I believe I did all of these little jobs for a reason and I think they prepared me for what ended up diving into, want I am doing today, and will continue to do.

Making a Difference is really what prompted me to start a Boot Camp in Coppell 4 years ago. My first group fitness was actually in 2005 and 2006. I did 2 summers at CCA for their girls basketball team and then a few boot camps at University of Dallas. Here is what I loved about it and why we continue to thrive in what we do.
1. I can Make a Difference (help) more people in one hour than I can with just one client. Within just a few short months, I had 50 clients that I was helping and Making a Difference in their lives.
2. The participants thrive more in fitness in a group environment.
3. The participants pay 1/6 or even less than what a private session would cost. I like to equate this to paying for 6 months of boot camp compared to only 1 month of with a private personal trainer
4. The community and being a part of something can’t be matched. Knowing that not only are the trainers a part of transforming lives but each of our participants have a roll as they make the environment that helps motivate, encourage, and inspire everyone. The stories of people changing their own health and then using their success to help inspire someone else to reach their goals.

For those of you who may want to know how the Coppell Boot Camp got started, here you go. I had a number of friends from church that wanted me to train them but could not afford it. The number was actually only 4 people. I asked if they would be open to a group fitness so they would not have to pay as much and they could all do it together. Since I had already done it and knew the positive effects the group would have one everyone, I knew it would be a success. Since I had been a part of our church in Coppell (St Ann’s), I wanted this group program to be in my community, Coppell. I put up a website (what is now www.getyouinshape.com) that had information about the times, location and how to sign up. One person saw that and signed up to make five participants before we started.  And that was the start of the Coppell Boot Camp. I contacted the City of Coppell and the Parks and Recreation and did the paperwork to partner with them become the only fitness company to offer fitness boot camp in Coppell at the time and up to August of 2011.
October 2007 only had 5 participants and we jumped to 9 by November and 14 that December. January was a big month as we moved from just the 5:30am session to adding a 8am session and the number of participants increased to 33. I don’t need to go into every single month but let’s just say the number of participants in 4 years has been over 4,500 in all our boot camps.

For me, I knew if I could help those 5 people, that everything would be good. Then those 9 people the next month. I focused on Making a Difference in the people that trusted in this program to help them. In the end, it Made a Difference in me. The more and more I helped, the more I knew I needed to grow.

We all have our own lives, our own families, our own house but in the end, we are a part of a community. My personal mission to Make a Difference in the few people that trusted me in the beginning of this journey has exploded because many others have seen the value in what taking time to improve themselves. It is now a Team effort with others jumping on board and wanting to Make a Difference and seeing that Get You In Shape is the perfect fit for them. I am very humbled by all the success of Get You In Shape but I chose to Make a Difference and as a team, we continue to choose to Make a Difference in the lives of all our clients.

I believe our best asset it that we are able to now give back in a way I would have never thought possible. Our four charity events that we put on each year is just an example of how our boot camp community and family Make’s a Difference. The four charity events are Turkey Bustin Thanksgiving workouts for CCA, Pushups For Charity for Wounded Warriors, Coppell 5k for Coppell Special Olympics, and Boot Camp 4 Backpacks for less Fortunate in CISD. It probably is close to $50k we have helped raise.

We have a few saying’s that just picked on and that we like. We liked them so much we wanted to put them on the Get You In Shape T-shirts. One Life One Body is on the front and it is just a reminder that we all have only one life to live and one body that we have been given. We should all take care of the our bodies which means watch what we put in it and how we treat it.
We recently added Make a Difference on the back. I believe this embodies what we are all about.
I       Make a Difference
You Make a Difference
We Make a Difference

Knowing you are not alone in this health and fitness journey can help you stay consistent. Make a Difference. Maybe it’s just encouraging your kids before they go to school. Maybe it is as simple as say “good job” to one of the new boot camp participants you may meet this week or someone you have not met before. You be the first one to smile and say “hi” and ask them their name. Make a Difference. If you focus on staying consistent day in and day out, you will look up 3, 4, and 12 months later and realize just far you have come. I bet you will have found out that you have now Made a Difference in the lives of those around you because of the changes you have made. Because you feel, look, and perform better on a daily basis, you are Making a Difference in the lives of those around you.

Do something this week to Make a Difference in the lives of those around you. You will not only feel better about it but you will also touch someone in a way that they will “pay it forward” and Make a Difference in another persons life.

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