The Personal Training 101™ staff has pledged to participate in the 6th Annual Walk for Wishes 5K on March 13, 2010, and would like to invite every client to join us! The Walk for Wishes is an event that benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Arizona, a non-profit organization that grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions. The Walk for Wishes offers both a 5K walk and 5K run; Personal Training 101™ will have staff members on each team so that you can participate in either event. It is our goal to gather as many people as possible, train for the event and get in shape, raise some money for a good cause, and have a great time!
To register, log on to http://walkforwishesarizona.kintera.org/. You can click on the “Register Here” button in the middle of the page and it will take you through the registration process. Please make sure that you choose the option “Join a Team” and select the team name “Personal Training 101™.” If you are unable to join us in the Walk for Wishes and would still like to contribute, you may make a donation by clicking “Sponsor a Participant” and entering in the name of the Personal Training 101™ team member you would like to support. If you have any questions regarding this event, please call or stop by the front desk. We as a staff thank you in advance for training with us for this event and helping us reach out and make a difference in our community.
I am excited to be the newest part of the team at Personal Training 101™ and wanted to take a minute to share a little bit about my background. I first became interested in fitness and different methods of exercising at the age of 14 and participated in many high school sports, including wrestling and baseball. Each sport I played demanded a different physical skill set, and I found that through exercise I was able to enhance my athletic abilities to compete effectively in any sport. I continued my education in college by taking many health and fitness-related courses as well as continuous practical application though training collegiate athletes in sports like basketball and softball.
In 1999 I became certified as a personal trainer and began working in a more typical gym environment. At this point my interests expanded from just athletic performance to include general wellness. As the years have progressed I have expanded my knowledge and, more importantly, my understanding of the hurdles many of my clients face. Having recently lost two family members to health related issues has only furthered my resolve as a personal trainer. My goal, more than ever, is to help all those with a genuine interest in turning their lives around and guiding them into a body that will match with their mind’s eye, be as healthy as possible, and functionally able to handle anything thrown at them.
We would like to congratulate one of our personal trainers, Tabitha Citro, on obtaining her Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) certification! The CSCS is widely considered to be one of the most respected certification for personal trainers, as well as extremely difficult to obtain. Tabitha studied for over a year to prepare for the exam, and passed with flying colors! In addition to the CSCS, Tabitha holds the American Council on Exercise (ACE) Certified Personal Trainer certification and the ACE Certified Group Fitness Instructor certification. She is also currently enrolled at Arizona State University to obtain her second degree, a BS in Kinesiology. Tabitha, like all of our trainers here at Personal Training 101™, knows the importance of continuing her education to stay at the top of her field. Well done, Tabitha!
Congrats to our very own personal trainer and fitness competitor Paige Oliver for her impressive achievement at the 2009 NPC Junior Nationals! Paige qualified for this contest by winning a regional qualifier in 2008. After months of preparation and hard work, Paige traveled to Chicago, IL from June 19-20 to compete in this prestigious event along with 21 other competitors who had also won regional competitions to qualify for this very competitive field. Paige competed in the Fitness Class A against 10 other competitors and knocked the judges’ socks off with a 2nd place showing! Paige has stayed in contest shape since then and will be competing in the IFBB North American Championships on August 28-29 in Cleveland, OH. Good luck, Paige!
We would like to congratulate our very own Stephanie Leffingwell for competing in the P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Arizona Half Marathon! Despite a knee injury mid-race, Stephanie was able to finish in an impressive 2:04:58. This was Stephanie’s 3rd half marathon. If anyone is interested in finding out more about the preparation necessary to compete in a marathon or half marathon, please speak to Stephanie, our resident expert!
On January 7th, CBS 5 visited Personal Training 101™ to interview Tabitha, MJ and John about figure competitions. The segment will air on Better Arizona, from 10a – 11a on Wednesday, January 21st. Tabitha has completed and placed in a figure competition herself and she trained and coached MJ to pair of 1st place awards at November’s NPC Western Regional Figure Competition.
While only around for a few years now, figure competitions have, in terms of popularity and participation, become the ‘new’ beauty contests in a sense. But while attractiveness is a plus, the women are judged on the conditioning, proportions and symmetry of their figures, along with presentation and stage presence. The judges are looking for muscular firmness and tone, but not the bulky or striated muscles that are desirable for bodybuilding.
If you think you might have what it takes to compete in figure shows, make sure to watch the spot on Better Arizona, then give us a call and we will be happy to talk to you and give you an honest assessment!
Chelle has been training with Tabitha Citro for two years now and has lost 60 pounds! Being an avid reader of Women’s Health, Chelle decided to send some before-and-after pictures of herself to the magazine…and they were so impressed that they will be featuring Chelle’s weight loss story in the March 2009 issue!
Last week, one of the magazine’s photographers visited Personal Training 101™ and took some photos of Chelle’s workout session. What, you may ask, were Chelle’s keys to fat-loss success? Find out in the March issue!
Do you have an HSA plan? A Health Savings Account (HSA) allows consumers to pay for qualified medical expenses with pre-tax dollars. You can include in medical expenses amounts you pay for exercise, including personal training, if it is a treatment for a specific disease diagnosed by a physician (such as obesity, hypertension, or heart disease).
You may want to ask your physician for an exercise prescription at your next annual physical, and talk to your benefits plan manager or human resources manager since the specifics vary from plan to plan. If you don’t go the HSA route, you may still be able to include personal training services directly in your medical deductions on Schedule A of your tax return.
Trainer Maria “MJ” Mandler has always kept herself in good shape but in mid-July was encouraged by Tabitha, new to PT101 at the time, to challenge herself and compete in the 2008 NPC Western Regional Championships Figure competition on 11/1/08 at the Chandler Center for the Arts. She strictly followed Tabitha’s advice (Tabitha herself placed in the 2006 Arizona Natural Figure competition) and trained under her direction at Personal Training 101™ for 13 weeks in preparation for the show.
MJ, 42, was entered in the Jr. Masters division (ages 35 to 43). She was up against some very fit women from Arizona and several other Western states, most of whom were seasoned competitors. There were about 12 women in Jr. Masters Short Class and MJ took 1st place. She also was entered in the Open class (no age limits), which was very competitive. There were about 50 women, divided into height Classes A to E. MJ was one of 13 women in Class C and again won 1st place. What a great debut! MJ plans to compete again in March 2009.
Be sure to congratulate her and Tabitha on a job well done when you see them at the studio.
