"The Art Of Coaching & Why It Seperates The Good From The Best"

"The Art Of Coaching & Why It Seperates The Good From The Best"

While it’s true that you may research conditioning-based articles because you want to read about training techniques, strategies and exercises, I can’t help but point out to you that your ability as a coach is as much dependant on your interpersonal skills as it is on your ability in the biomotor sciences.

Sport psychology gets a fascinating amount of exposure in our industry: how to best motivate athletes? Challenge their innate senses of pride? Draw out their inner champions? etc. That stuff is great when you have a receptive athlete who not only wants to hear what you have to say on that level but also understands how to respond.

However, with kids, the magic bullet doesn’t exist. To me, the crux and primary issue of working with young athletes lies in the pedagogical science as much as it does in the training application... maybe more.

Developing relationships with your young athletes is the most powerful thing you can do in the task of helping them create their sporting potential or adhering to a lifetime of physical activity.

It’s not about "beating the drum" through vocal inspiration with all kids. One of the biggest shortcomings I have seen with many coaches and trainers is that they play the "vocal motivation coach" routine with every athlete they encounter. It’s simply not prudent. The same way that not all exercise selection, arrangement or load is a one size fits all equation, the same can be said about the interpersonal relationship building sequence called coaching.

The following categories of athletes are used to illustrate what I mean.

A. The athlete has low motivation and skill.

You know this athlete. Shy, quiet and lacking both confidence and ability (one likely begets the other). This is not the kid who is going to respond to a "rah, rah - go get ‘em" style of coaching!

In my experience, I qualify the coaching style needed in this situation as "direct." Certainly, you should take the time to make this young person feel comfortable in your group training setting. More often than not, I do this by speaking very quietly and directly to him once I have sent the other athletes on a task. Kids like this typically don’t enjoy being "spoken to" or "singled out" in front of everyone. That’s why I call this coaching style direct. Direct your questions, suggestions and tasks to this youngster personally so he does not feel "on display" in front of the group.

B. The athlete has low motivation but high skill.

Here’s where the "rah, rah" coach can be effective. The kid is good; she shows great skills and demonstrates wonderful technical ability. I have coached many athletes like this, and very often, their motivation is lost due to the fact that they lack challenge. Things may have come very easily to this particular athlete, and she just never felt challenged. The coaching system to use here I call "inspire."

In a positive and uplifting manner, challenge this young athlete to achieve more. Alter her set/rep/sequence design by adding an exercise or increasing the difficulty of the sequence. However, be wary of the young athlete who is talented but lacks motivation because she simply has no interest in this sport anymore. I have also come across that scenario many times. A promising, talented kid gets "bullied" into sports by her parents. That’s where the interpersonal skill of coaching is key. You have to know whether or not you are "inspiring" a young athlete who is just looking for a challenge or one is looking for a way out of sports!

C. The athlete has high motivation and skill.

In this scenario, you'll want to "delegate." I have seen so many coaches and trainers try to corral athletes made up of these traits, almost like they want to take credit for the child’s abilities. Sheltering kids like this and imposing your will and ideas on them is just not prudent. Kids like this need to be part of the decision cycle. Demonstrate and explain exercise selection to them. Work at perfecting technical proficiency. Have them understand the goals associated with programming and then include them in creation development.

Kids are smart people. While some need to be "directed," others can and should be part of the coaching process. Talk to kids like this and get their feedback. Empower them to comprehend matters of technique and exercise progression, and then encourage them to work with you on program design.

Now, before the emails poor in questioning me on this, the goal of coaching is to get ALL of your young athletes into this category. That is the science and art that I call athletic development. The shy and quiet kid who lacks motivation and skill needs you to artfully find a way to get him to this point. Likewise, the young athlete who has loads of skill but lacks motivation also needs you to artfully find a way to get her to this point.

D. The athlete has high motivation but low skill.

Your job here is to "guide." They want to do it. They work hard at getting better. They really desire to improve. Guide them. Work hard with them on technical skills. Match their eager dispositions with an equally energetic coaching style dedicated to helping them learning and improve their skill level.

Coaching is a beautiful art that you must strive to become better at. Far too often in this industry, we look at the scientific parts of conditioning only. With kids, that’s simply not enough. So... how does this ART of coaching apply?

Points to Consider

This is not only common but almost impossible to avoid. Whenever you bring two or more young athletes together, you are bound to see more than one personality type (and therefore, you'll need to employ more than one coaching style).

When coaching a group of two or more athletes, restrict the tendency to have each of the athletes performing the same drill at the same time. For example, during a standard warm up, my athletes will do some basic ROM activities (typically through the hips and shoulders) and then proceed on to technique skills instruction. Let’s say you have a group of four athletes. As opposed to each of them performing a hip circuit at the same time and then moving on to the next ROM activity, create four different exercises and segment them in such a way so that each athlete is performing a separate drill. To the casual reader, that may sound like a chaotic mess!! In actuality, it allows for a much simpler training session. Two important features missing from many basic training sessions are an individualized approach and ample explanation time.

Here’s the Scenario

Athlete 1 (low motivation and skill) - Method of coaching: direct
Athlete 2 (low motivation and high skill) - Method of coaching: inspire
Athlete 3 (high motivation and skill) - Method of coaching: delegate
Athlete 4 (high motivation and low skill) - Method of coaching: guide

Warm-up Routine

Hip Circuits - two sets/leg, three reps/exercise
Prone Bridge with Leg Lift - three sets, five reps/leg
Shoulder Circuit - three sets, four reps/exercise
Hurdle Walk-Over - three sets, 10 hurdles

Sequence and Flow

First off, bring the whole group together and explain what the task of the day will be. Address each participant individually by name and welcome them. Explain what the training session will look like and encourage verbal and non-verbal compliance.

Then... TEACH!

I have long maintained that every development program must begin with an introductory or assimilation phase for the young athlete. The bulk of your basic teaching should fall into this category. The teaching component at the beginning of each training session should be reminder based or build off of previously taught skills.

Take five to seven minutes to teach each of the four warm-up drills. Explain why the athletes will be performing these drills and why they are important (and yes, do this with even young pre-adolescents. You are building a long term approach to their development and need to invest the time to acquaint them with your system. Even young kids are "teachable" given the proper application of stimulus).

Once the teaching time is done, assign them each to an exercise. Now, you have the time to flow and work with each of them individually on correct body alignment, movement habits and exercise adherence. Because they are all doing different things, you can apply the proper style of coaching to each individual.

Application

Athlete 1 (direct) - Hip Circuit
Athlete 2 (inspire) - Prone Bridges
Athlete 3 (delegate) - Shoulder Circuit
Athlete 4 (guide) - Hurdle Walk-Overs

Coaching Cues

Athlete 1 - Get down to his level (which would be on your knees given the "Hip Circuit") and quietly let him know what a good job he is doing. Ask him if he has any questions about what he is doing. Chances are, if he did have questions, he would not have asked them when the entire group was together. The key here is the tone of your voice - be patient, relaxed and easy going.

Athlete 2 - Examples of things to say include, "Seriously Jenny, that is even better than last week! or "You're making this look easy. Let me show you a more challenging method because I know you can do it!" Remember, she has low motivation but high skill. Encouraging and challenging are good methods to employ.

Athlete 3 - Ask him what he thinks. "How’s it feel, Tommy?" or "You feeling good with that today or you want to switch it up a little? What do you think we could add to it?" Delegate some of the responsibilities of his training to him and help him make it work. Empower him to seek out and create new ideas.

Athlete 4 - Verbally reward her effort and work to make her understand the movement better. "That looks great, Sally! Now, you see how your left leg is pointing out to the left when you go over the hurdle? How can we fix that?"

This flow and sequence of coaching can be taken through the entire workout, even through your movement and strength skill portions. Just create and segment the exercises, include a teaching component preceding each portion, and apply the appropriate style of coaching to each individual athlete.

Keeping these coaching principals in mind, how do you ensure technical development in your young athletes?

Where to Start

A young athlete's initial exposure to a new technique is critical. It must be presented in such a way that creates intrigue and excitement within the athlete but does not overexpose him or her to too much information or stimulus all at once. There is a fine line between teaching what is appropriate and can be retained versus what amounts to too much exposure of a given task and its progressions.

Too much exposure in the beginning of a training program is counterproductive to an optimal ending. Children can easily become overwhelmed by trainers, coaches and parents when they are taught complex technical skills in one training session or short period of time. The most critical problem in the youth training and sport industry is the overzealousness perpetuated by many trainers and coaches (and facilitate by many parents) in terms of gaining skill in a given technical exercise. We must create visionary based teaching methods that are scripted and systematically progressive and work towards instilling a lifelong adherence to a particular skill or exercise. Our culture is based on a gratification system - we strive to see results now even if the act of trying to create results in the short term proves to be contradictory to the science of motor development and blatantly less beneficial than a more holistic and long term approach.

The following list is a few suggestions to remember when creating an initial lesson plan to teach a new technical exercise:

Speed, Agility, Strength and Sport Skill

Be wary of the current state of fitness your athletes possess. We often look to "run" our young athletes through new technical exercises without being conscious of how tired they may be getting. This is a common mistake I see all the time - when the CNS becomes fatigued, attention to technical merit is reduced. It becomes impossible to learn and retain a skill set under the duress of fatigue. Remember that technical development in terms of speed mechanics, agility, strength or a specific sporting skill is a process of systematic acquisition. This acquisition begins with a foundational introduction and is then progressed more specifically to adherence on a very functional level, which includes increases in speed and external environmental considerations such as opponents and teammates.

Emotional Considerations

Young athletes who are bored or too excited will not gain ability in a new technical skill on an optimal level. This is where your ability as a coach becomes important as does your capacity for creating well designed lesson plans. When the lesson plan is created with the physical skill and emotional temperament of the athlete in mind, it will have a "just right" feel to it. For example, young athletes who lack motivation and skill will not respond to being put on display in front of their fellow athletes, nor will they adhere to a skill that is presented too quickly or involving too many progressions. You want each of your young athletes to walk away from your training session perfectly comfortable and happy with what they just learned.

YOUR Physical Ability

Young athletes learn in a variety of manners. One of them is visual. Being able to properly demonstrate an exercise or skill is often crucial to a given athletes ability to comprehend and reproduce that skill. However, the key to this demonstration is the "relating factor" it has on your athletes. Far too often, trainers and coaches will demonstrate a skill in a way that their young athletes can’t relate (i.e., too fast). In one case I have seen, the trainer actually enjoyed performing skills at an increased rate as a means of "showing off" to the athletes he was coaching. Nothing positive is gained from this. Your athletes may admire you, but you have not shown them anything of value with respect to their skill development. In whole-part-whole methods of teaching, you certainly want to show what the skill looks like at high speed and with a flawless technical ability, but then you must break the skill down to its finer points and begin teaching from the foundation.

Action Steps

1. Take a piece of paper and write out where you want your athlete(s) to be in one, two or 12 months. For example, techniques they should possess, poundages they should be lifting or sporting skills they should have acquired.
2. After that, write out how many training sessions or practices you have with your athlete(s) over the next few weeks and begin creating a lesson plan for each session. In order for you to take your athlete(s) to X, what steps and skills must be taken now?
3. Create your lesson plans based on a progressive system of development and in keeping with the items listed in this article.

Good luck!

By Natalie Pyles

Fitness & Nutritional Expert, Author, Speaker

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" New Recipe Of The Week"

Recipe Of The Week

"Who says fitness girls can’t have pizza? Not us… as long as it’s this kind!"

Mushroom and Spinach Pizza



Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh tomato sauce
• 1 cup (packed) fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup fat-free mozzarella, grated
• Pizza dough (see recipe below)

Instructions:

1. Spread the sauce evenly around the dough. Next, add the spinach, followed by the mushrooms and the cheese.

2. Bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 20 minutes - the cheese should be slightly brown. Makes 8 servings.

Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup warm water, heated in microwave on high for one minute
• 1 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• Olive oil cooking spray

Instructions:

1. Put the water into a bowl and sprinkle the yeast over it. Then, add the salt and sugar and mix briefly.
Add in the flour and mix again.

2. Lightly oil a medium bowl. Put the dough into the bowl and with greased hands, kneed it gently for 30 to 45 seconds. Rotate the dough to coat the entire surface with the oil.

3. Cover the dough with kitchen towel and set it aside in a warm spot so it can rise until its bulk has doubled (1 to 1 1/2 hours).

4. Spray a large pizza pan (approximately 14-inches) with oil. Spread the dough onto the pan using the fingertips to push it toward the edges.

5. Proceed as directed in the individual recipes.

Nutritional Value (for each 112g serving)

Calories: 147.8
Fat: 1.9 g
Protein: 5.3 g
Carbs: 27.5 g
Cholesterol: 0.7 mg

Enjoy My Friends In Health & Fitness!!

" Why The Importance Of Nutrient Timing Can & Will Affect Your Fat-Loss & Weight Loss Results!"

" Why The Importance Of Nutrient Timing Can & Will Affect Your Fat-Loss & Weight Loss Results!"


You’ve probably heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. While this is difficult to refute, pre- and post-workout nutrition are tied for a close second, with peri- nutrition just a nose behind. Refueling immediately post-workout is probably not a new concept. Working out depletes glycogen (the storage form of carbohydrate) and promotes protein breakdown (catabolism). Eating the proper nutrients soon after a workout will help replenish this glycogen and enhance protein building (anabolism). Always remember that working out is merely a stimulus needed to enhance muscle growth and recovery. However, it’s the actual time between workouts when your muscles grow.

The late Mike Mentzer always used a great analogy when discussing training. Lifting weights is like digging a hole in your muscles: if you continue to train and train without allowing for adequate recovery, the hole, per se, will only get bigger. Although he was speaking more in terms of overtraining, this same philosophy can be adopted to nutrition.

If you continue to train and don’t feed your body the nutrients it needs (adequate energy via high nutrient macronutrients), the hole will continue to grow deeper. Refueling the body allows for growth (i.e., you fill the hole from training with new lean body mass). Ultimately, over time this hole will not only “fill in” but will begin to overcompensate by overflowing or growing larger by building more lean body mass. Make sense? Extrapolating this example to nutrition and what you now know happens during rest, you should be well-aware that refueling your body around your workouts is crucial for recovery and optimal performance. Since this is not a new discovery, this article will concentrate more on pre- and post-workout nutrition. Several recent studies have demonstrated the importance of this concept, so let’s take a look.

As I mentioned, training results in muscle protein breakdown. Therefore, it makes sense that the higher the baseline protein status, the less negative impact training would have. To look at this simplistically, if you start at 100 percent protein status and go down to 50 percent from training, it would be better than starting at 50 percent and going down to 0 percent from training. In the second example you would always be trying to get up to 100 percent, whereas if you consistently fed your body the nutrients it needs, you would be better off.

A recent study investigated whether ingestion of a supplement (six grams of essential amino acids and 35 grams of sucrose) taken immediately before or after a training bout would alter the net protein balance in muscle. Interestingly, the authors noticed a significantly greater increase in those taking the pre-workout supplement compared to those taking a post-workout supplement. It appears that the mechanism here is there were more amino acids (remember, these are the building blocks of protein) available for the working muscle. Moreover, this effect carried over so that there was enhanced availability of amino acids for at least the first hour of the workout. So, you ask, “What if my workouts last more than an hour?”

Well, maybe it’s time to refeed your body some more nutrients during your workout. Why should you hinder your workout because your muscles are tired, hungry and just plain beat up? Race car drivers have the fastest, top notch cars available. However, during the Indy 500, they need to stop to refuel. Think of your muscles as race cars. If you don’t give them the fuels they need, they won’t perform.

So now the question is not only if you should feed your body before and/or during a workout, but what should you feed your body at these times. As I discussed in the previous study, participants received six grams of essential amino acids (equivalent to approximately 12 to 15 grams of whole proteins) and 35 grams of sucrose (carbohydrate). In terms of protein, there are obviously a million choices. But I don’t think gnawing on a filet mignon on your way to the gym is intelligent. As you are all aware, there are also a number of protein powders available (i.e., whey, casein, soy, etc). Furthermore, the processing of these proteins differs too (hydrolysates, isolates and concentrates). Wow, this is starting to get a bit technical. Let’s cut to the chase.

Studies have shown that whey protein, when consumed independent of any other foods, is absorbed more rapidly than casein protein. Although most of the time foods are often combined with one another, it’s safe to say whey is generally absorbed more rapidly. In terms of the various processing methods, taking one over the other will not make or break your muscle gains. Therefore, if taking a protein supplement prior to a workout, it would be best to take a quality whey protein supplement. Similarly, if taking a product during or after a workout, whey would take the cake. This is because you want a protein that’s rapidly available to your muscles. You don’t want to be sitting at the gym with a stomach full of protein powder sloshing around. Try a set of squats like that! With that said, mixing whey protein with some carbohydrates (either via powder or your favorite carbohydrate product) would be wise.

There are a number of pre-designed formulas on the market. In general, it would be best to stick with a carbohydrate:protein ratio of approximately 3 or 4:1 (e.g., for every 30 or 40 grams of carbohydrate, you should have 10 grams of protein). This could be a great thing to drink slowly on the way to the gym and continue to sip throughout your workout. Then, be sure to consume sufficient energy immediately after your workout and continue to refeed your body throughout the day. Of course, whole foods provide more nutrients than any supplement can provide, but carbohydrate:protein supplements are much more applicable and easily digested, so they are useful immediately before, during and after workouts.

So now let’s get back to the frequency of eating statement from the beginning. Utilizing the recommendations from my last piece on meal frequency, plus those in this column, one would be eating about six to eight times per day for men and 5-6 times a day for women. Without getting into meal specifics, here’s an example of a day:

* Meal 1 - Breakfast
* Workout
* Meal 2 Post Workout/ Snack
* Meal 3 - Lunch
* Meal 4 - Afternoon snack
* Meal 5 - Dinner
* Meal 6 - Evening snack

Of course, when I use the word “snack,” I am referring to a nutrient dense food, such as low-fat yogurt, fruit, etc. rather than what most Americans consider a snack. As long as your energy intake is sufficient for muscle growth and enhanced recovery, but not so high it’s resulting in fat storage, you’re on the way to a new you. The best judge of that is the mirror, not the scale or anyone else. Only you can set goals for yourself and shoot to achieve those. Don’t let anyone or anything get in your way.

Your Friend In Health & Fitness,

Natalie Pyles

Fitness & Nutritional Expert, Wellness Coach, Author, Speaker

Call For Your Free Consultation Now & Get The Results & Success You Deserve!
1-800-681-9894 or Fax 623-399-4199

"Why Diets Fail Atkins vs. South Beach. vs Metabolic Typing"

As personal trainers & Nutritionist working in the health club environment or in private studios, homes, corporations, or businesses our clients often ask us questions about nutrition. Regardless of whether or not you provide your clients with nutritional counseling, in my opinion, it is absolutely necessary that we all have at least a fundamental understanding of the common diets our clients are experimenting with. As we all know, knowledge is power and transferring that knowledge to your clients in the form of verbal or written exchange will separate you from the average personal trainer who provides the generic advice of “exercise more and eat less.”

The following is an excerpt from my book The No Diet, Diet! and has been written to provide an overview of the two most common diets in America: the Atkins Diet and the South Beach Diet. I compare these diets to a third program, the Metabolic Typing Diet, which is not as well known.

After careful review and study of the South Beach Diet, Atkins Diet and Metabolic Typing Diet, the similarities and differences are summarized in this article. The South Beach and Atkins programs have many similarities. The similarities between these two programs are as follows:

* Cardiologists created each of the diets.

* Both authors advocate the consumption of artificial sweeteners.

* Neither program addresses the emotional component of eating or provides additional help through certified coaches or advisors. (Dr. Mercola states that emotional eating is the most important factor of dieting. To read more on this, visit www.mercola.com.)

* Neither program talks about food quality or food sources (i.e., organic, free range, processed meats, etc.)

* Both programs are marketed as a “lose weight quickly” diet.

* Both programs advocate eating fish without any mention of potential mercury and other heavy metal contamination.

* Both programs suggest eating whole grains, without mentioning that 50 to 60 percent of all white skin people are intolerant to gluten, a protein found in all grain products.

* Both programs support drinking pasteurized milk, which has many health risks that are often unknown by the general public. For example, pasteurized dairy products often exacerbate food intolerances.

* Both programs progress you through different “phases.”

* Both programs have specific meal plans for the initial phase.

* Both programs suggest that you will drop weight in the first two weeks.

* Neither program is tailored to the individual. Both are under the “one size fits all” model of dieting.

The main differences between South Beach and Atkins are:

* South Beach states that saturated fats are harmful. Atkins advocates large quantities of saturated fats.

* Atkins advocates counting carbohydrates, which is actually “net carbs,” defined as the number of carbohydrates minus the fiber content. South Beach does not have you count calories, carbs or anything else.

* The health benefits of Atkins are said to be reducing the risk of heart disease, controlling and preventing diabetes and lowering high blood pressure. The South Beach diet claims to improve cardiovascular health.

* The meal plans between the two diets are different. This is based on each author’s opinions about which foods will and will not help the dieter lose weight.

The Metabolic Typing Diet is different from South Beach and Atkins. Here is a summary of the key differences between Metabolic Typing (MT) and the other two programs:

* MT is a customized approach to nutrition. The individual’s “metabolic type,” which can be defined as his/her own nutritional needs, is determined through a comprehensive series of questions. The answers to these questions determine how food behaves in the body and then suggests the foods that are specifically going to support the individual’s requirements. Both Atkins and South Beach can be classified as a “one size fits all” approach, as it does not have any system of analysis for identifying one’s individual needs. These are books that anyone can read and then implement without any regard for an individual’s genetics, physical characteristics, activity levels or personality traits, all of which have a major influence on how the body converts food to energy.

* Unlike diets such as the Blood Type Diet, MT looks at the entire system, which is composed of 10 fundamental control systems including the Autonomic Nervous System, CarboOxidative, LiopOxidative, Electrolyte, Acid/Alkaline, Endocrine Type, Blood Type, Constitutional Type and Prostaglandin Balance. Therefore, Blood Type only accounts for a single, fixed variable, whereas MT is much more comprehensive and can offer clearly defined, specific and reliable test results.

* Atkins and South Beach do not address the quality of foods. For example, there is no mention of avoiding fish due to the high levels of known mercury and heavy metal contamination. Secondly, no comparison is made between free range, organic food and commercially processed food. Conversely, MT specifically suggests going out of your way to buy free range, organic food whenever possible and avoiding high quantities of mercury contaminated fish.

* Atkins has a university that offers courses on cooking, shopping and other areas of food. South Beach also has a web site that offers limited online support for dieters. Metabolic Typing has a very comprehensive certification program consisting of three intense levels. This program trains health care professionals such as doctors, nutritionists, chiropractors, C.H.E.K. Practitioners and personal trainers how to administer the questionnaires and thus be able to coach clients towards their goals using the comprehensive approaches that are outlined in the book The Metabolic Typing Diet by Wolcott and the Intermediate Level MT Certification Manual.

* The South Beach Diet and the Atkins Diet were both founded by cardiologists. Each program is based on one doctor's opinion of how everyone should eat. MT is a comprehensive compilation of over 70 years of clinical research by many different individuals, including medical researchers, physicians, biochemists, dentists, physiologists, nutritionists and psychologists. The following doctors are the main contributors of what is now known as Metabolic Typing: Dr. George Watson, Dr. William Donald Kelley, Dr. Royal Lee, Dr. Weston Price, Dr. Francis Pottenger, Dr. Melvin Page, Dr. Roger Williams, Dr. Emanuel Revici and Dr. Henry Bieler. Many of these individuals are giants in their fields and world renowned in their respective scientific and clinical disciplines. Now compare this list to the two doctors who created South Beach and Atkins. Which do you think is more researched and reliable?

* South Beach and Atkins are marketed as quick, easy approaches to lose weight within the first two weeks. MT is designed as a health program, not a weight loss program. The program describes weight loss as a benefit of becoming healthy, but losing weight is NOT the primary focus. William Wolcott, the author and founder of MT, states that the program is NOT designed as a quick fix but as a permanent way of life by knowing how to listen to the body's unique individual needs.

Conclusions and Suggestions

Based on the information and research available on these three diets, as well as the nature of the typical personal trainer/client relationship, I have found the following guidelines to be helpful when coaching clients on nutrition:

* When your client asks you about Atkins or South Beach, let them know some of the information you know to be true about these diets. Try to customize the information as much as possible to your client. For example, only emphasize certain points based on your client's current level of understanding, his/her personality and motivation to learn.

* One of the major points I always make while working with a client is to point out that ANY diet he/she chooses will typically not yield long term results, unless it is customized. The problem with most diets is that they are cookie cutter and do not take into account biochemical individuality, which is the concept of no one diet working for everyone.

* I will gently suggest the client investigate Metabolic Typing or some version of customized nutrition.

Following these basic guidelines ensures your client is well informed about these diets and yet not “oversold,” which maintains your professionalism and gives you an opportunity to educate, motivate and inspire your clients to make healthier food choices.

References:

1. Agatston, A. The South Beach Diet. New York, NY: Random House, Inc.; 2003
2. Atkins R. Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution. New York, NY: David McKay Company, Inc.; 1973
3. Atkins R. The Atkins Essentials. New York, NY: Avon Books; 2004
4. Chek P. How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy. San Diego, CA: C.H.E.K. Institute; 2004
5. Mercola J. Is Meat From Diseased Animals Safe For Consumption? Online: www.mercola.com
6. Mercola J. Is the Atkins Diet Right for You? Online: www.mercola.com
7. Mercola J. Total Health Cookbook & Program. Schaumburg, IL: Mercola.com; 2004
8. Mercola J. Twelve Reasons to Avoid the South Beach Diet. Online: www.mercola.com
9. Rivera, R., Deutsch, R. Your Hidden Food Allergies Are Making You Fat. Rocklin, CA: Prima Health; 1998.
10. Rubin JS. The Maker’s Diet. Lake Mary, FL: Siloam; 2004
11. Sears J. Why our Health & Vitality are being damaged by our Present Food Supply. Online: www.ptonthenet.com
12. The Associated Press. Study: Low-fat vs. Lowcarb. Online: www.cnn.com; November 2004
13. Wolcott W, Fahey T. The Metabolic Typing Diet. New York, NY: Broadway Books; 2000
14. Williams RJ. Biochemical Individuality. New Canaan, CT: Keats Publishing, Inc.; 1998

Natalie Pyles

Fitness & Nutritional Expert

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Heres how it works! We'll come to your home, office, place of business, or corporation, by appointment. First, we'll reasemble, re-discover, de-code, and decipher Your Hidden unique, divine DNA around your principles, values, and beliefs when it comes to Health and Fitness. If you judge that job successful, we'll continue to come on a month by month schedule. You continue to be the judge, step-by-step. You pay month by month for only what you approve, and during the next 3,6,9, or 12 months You get 1 Free session for every 12 sessions trained. For example in a typical client-Trainer-Nutritionist-Coaching program You train 12 sessions a month and add on 1 Coaching session and 1 Nutritional Counseling Session All FREE!

Like New again- With Our Break-thru Winning combination- No matter what!

We were recently called to one home where, we were hired to work with the Kids while the parents were away, the teenagers called it a " Get Fit n Play Party" the idea was to Discover the right instrument to play their own song through Physical Fitness, Nutrition, and Esteem. Let me tell you a few things will never be the same! Heres what the home owner, Mr. and Mrs. trusting parent on E. Rockingham Rd, said after our visits.

" When we saw our Teenagers after their Get Fit n Play Party, I just knew we'd have to buy all New educational Healthy & Fitness Lifestyle makeovers. I tried some other gimmikee programs I bought on TV, and it just made us all heavier, more un-healthy and worse. But in just a short amount of time, the team from Fitness Elements & Associates had us Amazingly Like New!"

Act Now- Call us today at 1-800-681-9894 or Fax 623-399-4199 and....

Code 1. Schedule Your Free Consultation & Roadmap to your Success

Code 2. Destiny Code- You choose

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Natalie Pyles/ Owner/ Health & Fitness Expert

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