Personal Fitness Professional - October 2008 - (Page 10)

protector and padding was only $45. He counted electrical outlets and gave me the option of buying cheap outlet protectors that work most of the time. Why would we need to strike additional fear in someone like Mitch? Shouldn’t he have the ability and desire to channel that anxiety that plagues him? Doesn’t he read about the correlation between a growing waistline and type 2 diabetes? Doesn’t he realize he’s deteriorating? Sure he does, but that isn’t always enough to prompt action. As our population ﬁnds mid-life and “ordinary” aging includes hypertension, glucose meds and aches and pains, doctors pay more attention to the prescription pad than to sounding the fear alarm. As hamstrings shorten and discs degenerate, there’s gradual discomfort, and the gradual onset mixed with only periodic pain leads to that stiﬂing sense of anxiety, the “maybe if I just rest it” thought process. That’s where motivation takes a hike. As ﬁt trainers, we believe the marketplace should subscribe to rational thought and realize that exercise is a need. We have trouble accepting ﬂawed thinking as genuine. We fall victim to the belief that if someone really needs help, they’ll reach out. Without fear, many remain stuck; worse yet, they have one foot leaving the land of the healthy, the rest of their bodies soon to follow. Here’s where I face condemnation. We’re trainers. We’re the good guys. We care about people. How in the world could I suggest we use such oﬀensive and hurtful emotion? We have something real. We can speak rationally. We can tell people about LDL and HDL ratios and explain how exercise can lessen risk of heart disease. I ﬁnd no pleasure in evoking fear. I do, however, ﬁnd great joy in having the power to positively impact the life of another, and fear opens that door in countless cases. Fear is a biochemical leap from anxiety, and that biochemical leap sends out powerful signals urging the aﬀected party to act Find detailed explanations of “using fear, pain, and anger” as a member of PFP+ A Glimpse at Science You’re familiar with the ﬁght-or-ﬂight response in that you understand that excitation prompts biochemical action (adrenal activity). That action creates a neurological and hormonal environment where energies are enhanced and impulse is automatic. You don’t think long and hard about slugging the attacker, you do it ﬁrst and think about it later. If you can accept that example as evidence of the biochemical link between fear and action, you can remain open to evidence supporting motivational drive being induced by peptide hormones that become elevated in plasma and cerebrospinal ﬂuid under fear conditions. Science reveals that the hormonal messenger corticotropin releasing factor (CSF) controls the intensity of fear, and it can be activated exponentially when the fear signal causes neurons in the hypothalamic nuclei to use stored memories to amplify the fear signal. Why does someone who had a heart attack, a near-death experience, OCTOBER2008 · WWW.FIT-PRO.COM 10 http://www.pfpplus.com http://WWW.FIT-PRO.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Personal Fitness Professional - October 2008

Personal Fitness Professional - October 2008 Contents Letter from the Editor, Writers Current Controversies Combating with Obesity Pilates and Yoga for Athletes New! The Balancing Act The Top Prize Building a Base of Special Populations Datebook The Success Image The Anatomy of a Fitness Assessment Branding Training Ruts Product Profile New on the Market

Personal Fitness Professional - October 2008

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