PRO TRAINER SHOWCASE
MENTAL HEALTH: LEADERS FOR CHANGE Meet our PRO TRAINERS who champion overall health in their communities Jason Jones Toronto, ON Courses Taught: PTS, CPR How has your mental health been challenged in the fitness industry? As an adult living with ADHD, I had forgotten just how much access to regular exercise and human interaction was an effective treatment for me. I had to start ADHD medication, and shortly after anti-depressants, in order to cope with the lockdowns. What is the most important thing to consider when assisting a personal training client with their mental health? We can never really understand what someone
Véronique Rioux Nanaimo, BC Courses Taught: PTS How has your mental health been challenged in the fitness industry? Since the beginning of my journey in the fitness industry, I found myself being challenged by acceptance of my own body image and realized quickly that it is the same challenge for most people. How can we learn to love ourselves and empower ourselves in a journey toward optimal health instead of trying to fix, change, and punish ourselves with diet and exercise? How can I find joy in moving my body and pleasure in eating healthy food
10 canfitpro September/October 2022
else is going through, no matter how similar our experiences or how much we have suffered. It is okay if we do not have any answers. Just listening, validating, and caring can be a tremendous help. As certified canfitpro fitness professional, how can we influence our industry to change the stigma around mental health? Talk openly about mental health. Educate yourself on what others are going through. Keep an open mind and be willing to change your beliefs. Be compassionate. Stand up for those who cannot for themselves, and advocate for better mental health options and benefits in the work place.
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instead of thinking I need to restrict or limit myself? What is the most important thing to consider when assisting a personal training client with their mental health? This is a tricky question to answer as there are many answers. First, I make sure to remember what is in my scope of practice and who is in my community that I can refer a client to. Being able to hold space for my clients, to listen to them, show them empathy without giving them advice, and again without trying to fix them. Another important thing to consider is how is my journey toward my own mental, emotional, spiritual, physical health? What is
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