The Enlightened Fitness Evaluation

I began my career in personal fitness training over twenty years ago. When I met new clients in my fitness center, my first question was, "What are your fitness goals?" This led to a conversation about how I could help my client to achieve these goals. Next came the fitness evaluation, which included detailed questionnaires about demographic information, health history, lifestyle behaviors, and potential health risk factors. We then took resting measures of heart rate and blood pressure. Cardiovascular fitness was assessed by administering a sub-maximal bicycle test that measured heart rate and calculated oxygen uptake.

I used skin fold calipers to measure body fat percentage. I administered strength tests, counting the number of push-ups or the amount one could bench press in one minute. A sit and reach test was used to measure the flexibility of the hamstrings. This was one of many ways to perform a physical fitness assessment. All this was done in order to create a beginning point in the program from which I could write an exercise prescription that would meet the needs of each client.

Clients who were already "in shape" welcomed this kind of evaluation. However, it was intimidating and even traumatic to others who were not so enthusiastic about exposing themselves in this way. As a result, I gradually did away with the "fitness evaluation" and instead incorporated some of these assessment strategies into my clients' regular exercise session, looking for what information I needed without risking their comfort. This was a deviation from my training and certification as a fitness instructor with the American College of Sports Medicine; however, after years of experience working with all kinds of people and all kinds of bodies, I felt confident to make that choice. In my approach today, none of this seems to be important. Now I rely more on the wisdom of the client and less on what I think I know. Of course, I have valuable information to share, but so do my clients--they just haven't accessed it yet. My job is to help a person cultivate the wisdom of his/her own body through the practice of mindfulness.

We need to honor where the body is, from one exercise session to the next, without comparison to any norms or to the person on the next treadmill. Rather than focusing solely on your body's performance, I invite you to appreciate whatever your body can do from one day to the next, without comparing. I realize this is a stretch, since you have been conditioned to undergo fitness evaluations and re-evaluations to measure your progress. You are used to personal trainers who encourage you to squeak out "two more reps" even if it means risking injury. You are used to hearing "no pain, no gain."

If you are a professional athlete, being paid for your body's performance, this type of training is surely necessary. Even so, professional athletes need time to simply "be" in their God-given bodies. However, for the rest of us, this type of training is often abusive. This is just one more symptom of our culture's addiction to performance. Although you cannot control our culture's thought process and values, you can control your own. You can choose to be a human being rather than a human doing. Being in your body rather than performing allows you to access your inner stillness, a place we don't access nearly enough. This is where we connect with the wisdom of the body. Here we let go of ego and allow the true self to come forth. And it is in this place of stillness where the benefits of exercise transcend the physical experience. It is here that the benefits become holistic, serving the needs of body, mind, spirit, heart, and soul.

Cheryl Jones-Reardon, holds a Master's degree in Exercise Science from the University of Connecticut and a Certificate in Spirituality from Saint Joseph College. She has completed extensive training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Cheryl is a lecturer in the Department of Mathematics, Science, and Health Careers at Manchester Community College. She presents wellness programs for a number of local hospitals and has a private practice as a fitness and wellness coach in South Windsor, CT. She is a continuing education provider for the American Council on Exercise and is the author of Mindful Exercise. For more information visit http://themindfulpath.com

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