Welcome!

Welcome to Mental GYMnastics. This is my first attempt at blogging.

Here goes. . .

So why am I here?

Well, for anyone reading this who may not know, I am a personal trainer in Montgomery County Maryland. (For more info about who I am, feel free to check out http://www.fdttraining.com/.) Although the fitness industry has evolved dramatically over the past decade, there is still a stigma (sometimes warranted) that trainers are "meat-heads" who like to be around sweaty people and can count 12 to 15 repetitions. While it is true that trainers generally do enjoy exercise and inflicting pain on themselves and others, the profession does require a lot of mental focus, knowledge of the human body and its functions, problem solving skills, ingenuity, and the ability to communicate complex concepts.

We spend a good deal of time contemplating the "why's and how's" of exercise. Why does that client's knee hurt when they do a reverse lunge? Why are one-legged squats better for my soccer athletes? How does someone improve their balance? Why is my client gaining or losing weight? These are some of the questions that we are asked (or otherwise need to figure out) on a daily basis. Sometimes we know the answer; other times we need to do a little research to figure it out. But that is the challenge of our profession.

This forum is to discuss some of those questions about the magnificent human body that we are faced with as we strive to push it to its optimal level of functioning and existence.

Enjoy, and feel free to comment and critique.

-Okinyi