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Mar 19 2015

See how she found the time for herself…

Personal Training Success Story: Liz Cale

I have known Liz since Fall of 2013. She is the President and COO of Santa Fe Properties and she was referred to my first ever structured group class “Posture Perfect” by her friend and coworker, Georgette. When we first sat down to do her consult, I instantly liked her. She is just one of those people that feels good to be around. I was really surprised to learn how many physical issues she had and the pain that she felt on a daily basis, and the fact that she was such a happy person was even more incredible! At the time she was working with another personal trainer, seeing a Chiropractor once a week and was thinking that she was going to have to get neck surgery to alleviate her pain. When she first started the class, I was actually a little worried. It was very difficult for her to get in and out of the stretches. All I could think was “I hope she doesn’t quit.” Now that I know Liz, I know that this was NEVER a possibility. I have seen Liz get consistently better over the years and she has over come some immense challenges. Liz’s intelligence, positive attitude, friendly demeanor, willingness to learn and change, and dedication makes Liz our March member of the Month and I am privileged to share her Personal Training Success story:

What made you decide you wanted/needed to start a fitness program? I had a lot of pain in my neck, Thoracic (trunk). It got to the point where I use a standing desk at my office because sitting was too painful.

What exercises or fitness programs had you tried before? I had a membership at Santa Fe Sport and Medicine and was working with a trainer. I was also seeing a chiropractor once a week to keep out of pain. But the workouts that I was doing were not what I needed. In fact they were down right dangerous for where I was and when I started the classes, I stopped with that so that I could focus on the classes and getting better.

What results have you achieved since starting your program and are proud of? I was able to not have another surgery and stopped having to see the chiropractor. And even though this was not my main goal, I lost inches and really toned my body. In fact, I was out one night and was with a group of people and one of them was a past client who I had worked with for a long time. And when we were going around and introducing ourselves to each other and it got to us being introduced and he heard that it was me, he he just stopped and said “No way!” It felt pretty good.

Do you have a favorite exercise? Least? What do you like or don’t like about them? The wall (L5-S1) is by far my favorite stretch, because it feels so good. The Frogs (series of inner thigh abductor myofascial stretches) are the most challenging of the myofascial stretches. It’s not that I don’t like them, it is that they are really challenging to me.

What are some challenges or goals you are currently working on? Creating more space in my Thoracic is a big, and it is difficult because my job is counterproductive to that. Eating regular meals has also been a challenge, and I need to make it a priority.

What advice would you give to the other SolCore Fitness members? Have a good mindset. You can’t accomplish any goal without a good mindset. If you have a good mindset, it gets you through the hard times.

What would you say to someone on the fence about joining our program? Try it! But if you do, have a good mindset and be open about it.

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Mar 16 2015

SolCore Fitness Personal Training New Personal Trainer

The New Personal Trainer On The Block

My whole goal in starting SolCore Fitness Personal Training was to provide cutting edge Health and Fitness information and coaching to as many people as I can, so that we all have the potential to live our unlimited lives. I have seen how effective this type of training is and I have been fortunate to help many wonderful people here in Santa Fe (That’s you!). I have also built a profitable business but I had gotten to the point where I needed help.

When I first started personal training (cough) 20 years ago,

I really had to figure out the business of personal training for myself. I appreciated the freedom but realized that there was a lot to learn and when I had an opportunity to hire trainers personal trainers, I would do a lot different to help reduce their learning curve. When I first imagined hiring a personal trainer, I was hoping to hire someone completely opposite of me. I had even imagine a woman with a gentle demeanor who was also an exercise nerd (like me). I launched an Ad with Craigslist back in Nov and had gotten less than desirable applicants, but I was still determined to start building my team. However, one day between sessions, I was standing at the front desk when I saw this young, smiling lady sitting in the front. I struck up a conversation with her, thinking that she was wanting to join the gym. I found out that she was looking for a personal training career, had a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and she has 4 years experience as Yoga and Pilates instructor who had experience training in a clinical setting.

So long story, shorter…..Meet Maya Cordova. Our new Personal Trainer at SolCore Fitness. Here’s what Maya has said about herself:

I was born in Santa Fe, NM in 1991. It was here that I was introduced to Native American traditions of healing and discovered a profound importance to connecting to the Earth. I have always had a strong connection to my purpose of guiding others towards a healthier lifestyle and greater sense of well-being.

As a child and adolescent I participated in every form of physical activity that I could find. This included years of tap, jazz, and African dance classes, coupled with years of soccer, volleyball, swimming, and tennis. Movement has always provided a way for me to express myself and to find joy and happiness.

After my first serious knee injury at 16 years old, I was introduced to the world of physical therapy and rehabilitation. This sparked a huge interest in me to pursue an undergraduate degree where I could learn about the anatomy of the body and learn how to heal myself and help others. At 18 years old I was determined to play volleyball at Chapman University in California. After a year of college volleyball, and another serious knee injury, I found myself slowly letting go of my identity as an intense athlete. This humbling process of letting go opened up a whole new world for learning about the human body from different perspectives. On top of partaking in a comprehensive athletic training program, I began learning more about holistic therapies and how to combine them all. I began to discover the amazing benefits of Pilates, Yoga, and meditation through my own personal experiences and extended education.

After gaining experience with teaching Pilates and private Yoga, in the summer of 2014 I headed to Peru to learn about other opportunities for healing and personal growth. I lived in Peru for almost 5 months and had an amazingly challenging, beautiful, and life-changing experience. While traveling, I was also able to teach private Yoga classes and share my knowledge of the body, mind, and spirit to locals and other travelers throughout Peru. This experience helped me to truly understand the infinite potential of the human being. I am so grateful because I also experienced the positive effects of eating healthy organic food. I learned about plant medicines and natural remedies that promote health from many indigenous people throughout Peru.

Now that I have returned to Santa Fe, I am eager to integrate all that I have learned into my future occupation. In my own life I value eating healthy and being aware of where my food comes from. It is important to me that I maintain a meditation and yoga practice along with partaking in fun fitness activities. This lifestyle allows me to be an exceptional guide for others on their journey towards better health. I have an open mind and heart and I am very excited to learn new approaches to fitness, health, and healing. I am also looking forward to continued growth as a health care professional and human being.

Very inspiring. To be young in age but wise in mind is a good combo! I am looking forward to teaching Maya all about the Soma Training way and sending her to learn directly from my teacher Guy Voyer. She has already been able to teach some of our classes and train privately and everybody has loved her. We have already started working on how to combine her Yoga and Pilates background with the Soma Training way without watering anything down. If you are interested enhancing your Yoga and Pilates Practice with a program that gets rid of back pain , strengthens and tones your arms legs and core while drastically improving your posture reach out to us for a FREE consultation.

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Feb 24 2015

How Did This Renaissance Man Change His Life?

Personal Training Success Story: Roberto Codato

I met Roberto when I first came to Santa Fe and was teaching my class at BODY. He came a handful of times, and after I changed my format and moved to Railyard Fit (formally Buddha Fitness Club) I didn’t see him for about four months.

Roberto had some challenging injuries from some severe accidents, and he was looking to finally correct most of these issues. He was a dedicated yoga practitioner and was always serious about his health.

When he contacted me about rejoining the classes in the new format, I told him it would take about a year for him to get permanent results because of the severity of his injuries and how long he’d had them. He didn’t even blink and has been a steady, hardworking and positive influence in the classes ever since.

I am happy to say that in the year he has been in the Posture Perfect class he has corrected 99% of his injuries and now has the tools to keep them corrected.

Roberto will be out of the country for a while pursuing some amazing opportunities. Congratulate him and wish him well!

Below is my interview with him on his personal training success:

What made you decide you wanted or needed to start a program?
My body was a wreck! I had been in two major car crashes and had gotten Lyme disease. I had done a lot of other modalities and had gotten decent results, but none of them really integrated the whole body like your program.

When I first read about your classes and their structure, they sounded perfect for me. And then when I first took the class I instantly knew that this was what I had been looking for. It took me a little bit of time to commit to the class because I needed to get my life in order and wanted to make this a permanent thing is my life.

What did you try before the SolCore Fitness custom-built exercise program?

Everything! No joke. Martial arts, yoga for about 20 years, kettle bells, body building, gymnastics, raw diets, macrobiotic diets, chiropractors, physical therapists, acupuncture, massage therapists—and that is just the surface. I tried a lot of really esoteric modalities. And I got some good results. I got rid of my Lyme disease with a raw diet and Bikram Yoga. I gained a lot of muscle through body building. But it never totally addressed my physical issues and in some cases made it worse. Like I said, none of it was as intricate and as integrated as your program, and that is what I needed. [Note: Roberto worked with and studied under some really high-level people. For martial arts he studied under David Carradine’s teacher. Yeah, Cane! He went so deep into yoga that Bikram asked him to be a teacher. Yeah, that Bikram!]

What results have you achieved since starting your program and are proud of?

First and foremost it has brought consistency to my life. I do a lot for work and for life and it has brought a consistent, positive presence. I look forward to SolCore Fitness’s Posture Perfect class! And as challenging as it is on multiple levels, I always feel better afterward and so much more accomplished. I move so much better now than I have since my accidents. My awareness of my body not only in class but more importantly in everyday life is so much more improved. I sleep better. My digestion is much better.

Do you have a favorite exercise? Least favorite? What do you like or don’t like about them?

I really don’t like the wall stretch (L5-S1 ELDOA). You are lying there and you expect that you are going to be supported by the floor and the wall, but you’re really not. It is very challenging to me. I really like the 90/90/90 (Obturator internus myofascial stretch) because it was really hard for me and I thought there was no way I was going to be able to do it. But now I can get in and out of it pretty easy and it always feels really good when I am done.

What are some challenges or goals you are currently working on?

Tight hips. But I guess that is just the reality of how we live our lives now. Always sitting in front of a computer. Stress is a big one for me, and recommitting to myself each day.

What do you like best about our program and having a trainer?

YOU! [You realize I totally paid him to say that, right?] You are very engaging and you keep the class fun and light. It is challenging at times, but keeping it fun really helps. There are also a lot of really interesting people in class who are working through their own things. They really inspire me to keep going.

What advice would you give to the other SolCore Fitness members?

Appreciate what you have in this program. There are only a couple of places in the States where you can get this kind of training. The others off the top of my head are New York, Dallas and L.A.

What would you say to someone on the fence about joining our program?

Sit down and take stock of your life and see what is working and what is not. Organize your life, decide what is important and write down where you want to be in a year—not in a New Year’s resolution kind of way, but real goals. This program works like nothing else. Commit yourself for at least a year. The first three months is like an introduction to your body. You get some good results, you start to feel better, your body starts to become more aware, but it is just the beginning to how good your body can feel if you commit to yourself.
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Feb 12 2015

This warmed the cockles of my heart…

I was doing my perpetual task of checking on and deleting emails today and I came across an email that made me smile. When I was training back in L.A. personal training and working at the big box gyms, I met a lot of really great people. This was probably the single greatest thing about working in those factories. Getting to know all these interesting people over the past 20 years is one of the perks of having this career and being a personal training.

And there are always some people who stick it out more than others. One of these people was Geri. I met her when I first moved back to L.A. (I know…move back…you were out!) and was working at a box gym in West L.A. She was always smiling, working hard and super friendly. We had some good conversations, but when I decided to leave that gym we lost touch.

Then about two years later I was personal training for another gym in Santa Monica, and as I was doing my walk around the gym, lo and behold, who do I run into but Geri. We struck it off as if no time had passed and she asked me if I would be interested in training her. Well, as most of you who know me would guess, I said, “Let’s have a consult first to see if we are a good fit.”

During our consult I found out what her goals were and what she was doing for her workouts. I also learned about her lifestyle and dietary habits. This is the holistic part of my personal training practice. It’s not just what you do in the gym during your workout; it’s how the whole picture fits together.

I found out that Geri had some big challenges. She had pushed herself so hard, in her workouts and in life, that she ended up with a couple of autoimmune diseases in her thyroid and adrenals. This made her goals significantly harder to achieve. She also had some physiological issues in her pelvis and spine (like most of us). Digging further I discovered that her workouts were in direct opposition to her limitations and goals. She had fallen prey to the obsessive high-intensity workouts plaguing our nation. The last thing you want to do is to overwork yourself on a structure that is compromised both inside and out. She was also stuck in a 90s diet in which fat intake is minimal and all grains are good.

I always try to explain to everybody I do a consult with what exactly it is that I see and realistically how long it’s going to take and what training will be involved. In a nutshell, for Geri it was a huge scale-down of her training ( with an emphasis on Myofascial stretching, ELDOA, and basic proper movements), plus getting more sleep and starting to eat good fats and meats (grass-fed organic, of course).

She resisted a bit—not because she didn’t believe me, but because what she had been doing was so ingrained into who she was, even though it wasn’t working. The good thing though was that she was obviously open or she wouldn’t have signed up!

And to her amazement (not mine) she started to make progress. She made progress because she was following one of our core principles of SolCore Fitness Personal Training: consistent, steady improvement. You don’t have to be perfect, you just gotta try your best to the level you can do that day, and then be happy for that and make improvements where possible.

Hi Ekemba,

Just wanted to say thank you for truly helping me improve my overall health over the past year and a half. When people say how great it is that I’m more flexible with my eating and how impressed they are when I say I’m taking a rest day, I know I really owe that to you. I am definitely a changed person and will not go back to my old ways. I’ll gladly be a reference for you as you work to build your business in New Mexico. You are a one-of-a-kind trainer and I’m glad I bumped into you and changed my equifit that day to work with you!

Safe travels. Wishing you and your family all the best!!! hugs, geri

This is the number one reason I chose this career: to see “regular” people achieve a level of well-being they never thought possible.
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