If you’re not assessing you’re guessing….The second most important thing we learned from my time in the CHEK institute. It is the foundation to the tried and true results our clients experience everyday. There is something more important, so let me tell you how the most important thing revolutionized the way we helped ourselves and people, just like you, have a happier, healthier, and longer life.
The long and winding road…to the truth
My journey into the CHEK Institute was not a direct route by any means. I had just gone out of business with my first gym the year before, and was renting some space at another facility to train my current clients. I was bored of my job, feeling like I was just following the same programs, and counting reps. While I still greatly enjoyed working with and helping people get fit, the challenge of the job and the results were becoming rather stagnant.
I was contemplating going back to college to get my masters degree in Exercise Science. Another trainer at the gym had already gone that route and helped me see that more of the same will get you more of the same. More of the same education wasn’t going to give me the new perspective on training that I was longing for. He encouraged me to go see Paul Chek speak as he was going to be in Denver giving a seminar on advanced abdominal training. I signed up and to see Paul’s take on training the abs.
For the first hour I was sure that I had found what I was looking for. Paul demonstrated how to target the different muscle groups and fibers in ways that I had never conceived…..Then, he began to speak about bowel movements, organic nutrition, mental and spiritual development and physiological loads. It seemed the lecture had strayed into the land of nonsense. I packed my stuff up and left halfway through the course.
I went home and went to a party where I ridiculed the seminar and Paul as a waste of my time and money. Luckily, as part of the seminar, we were all given a copy of Paul’s book How to Eat, Move, and Be Healthy. After a few weeks I took the book out of my bag a flipped though it, and I read it cover to cover. Then, I read it again cover to cover.
Health results that last a lifetime
The truth slowly began to wash over me. I was the one living in the land of nonsense when it came to training. The missing piece that I yearned for was the value of holistic health and that each client must be treated as an individual. There are no cookie cutter fitness programs that work for everyone. If I did not are not assess each client based on their physiological load (the sum of all the stressors on your body: nutritional, emotional, physical, psychological, and spiritual) hone I was just guessing on how to get them health and keep them healthy.
The C.h.e.k. Practitioner difference
As a CHEK Practitioner I learned to prescribe the proper amount and type of exercise relative to someones stressors is key to getting long term results. This may also sound completely new to you as well so let me explain.
It is counterproductive to give someone with a sleep issue high intensity exercise. It is counterproductive to give someone a diet plan if they are an emotional eater. It is counterproductive to give someone an endurance cardio program if they are trying to increase muscle mass.
My time in the C.H.E.K. Institute helped me go from a rep counter to a body detective. A body detective looks at all of the clues before coming to a conclusion on how to solve the mystery and is able to change the plan upon new discoveries. If you’re not assessing, you’re guessing.
Muscle gains and gut health
OK, now the most important thing I learned in the CHEK institute, the enteric nervous system. If you research the history gut health study you will find your way to the late 1800’s and Dr. Marrion Pottenger. His book “Symptoms of Visceral Disease”. His book, now confirmed by a magnitude of studies, shows with abundant clarity that all disease begins in the gut. Why? Because the gut is where food is broken down into energy.
Once broken down you can create all the components needed for life. From blood to organs to bones to muscles, everything required for you to stay alive comes from what you ingest and your ability to convert it into cells. This process only works if you have a healthy digestive system.
The enteric nervous system is the nervous system of the gut. According to Chek’s research, there are 8 times the amount of nerves going from the gut to the brain (afferent nerves) then running from the brain to the gut (efferent nerves). This communication pathway plays a large role in mood, emotional stability, and mental clarity.
The gut is also home to the production of many hormones including serotonin and melatonin, which are major players in mood and sleep. When the gut flora (bacteria) and cell walls begin to degrade due to stress, poor nutrition, lack of sleep, improper exercise and unhealthy relationships, your ability to turn food into cells is impaired.
IF this cycle continues over weeks, months, and years your health and ability to recover becomes compromised. If you are not assessing, you are guessing. So does your current fitness system take in to account EVERYTHING; your sleep, your digestion, your relationships, your daily workload, and your goals? That is why we integrate a holistic questionnaire before you even walk through our door the first time to get an assessment. We want to begin to get a look at the whole picture, so we can help you make healthy changes that work with your lifestyle, so the change last a lifetime.
If your guessing, your results are no better than chance. Don’t take chances with your health, in the end it is the only thing that matters. A healthy life is a happy one……
