Personal Trainers at Fitness Center Buugi are utilizing Firstbeat Lifestyle Assessment as a tool in their work. Lifestyle Assessment evaluates the client’s life situation, stress factors, sufficiency of recovery and effectiveness of exercise during everyday life.
Firstbeat Lifestyle Assessment (3-day measurement, comprehensive reporting, feedback, action points and follow-up) helps personal trainers truly understand their clients’ everyday lives. It also helps in addressing several of the key factors that form well-being: recovery, exercise and nutrition.
“The time when the Personal Trainer actually meets their client is very limited, for example an hour per week, and this might not always be the best possible moment for the client. Lifestyle Assessment enables us to see the client’s life more comprehensively by providing information from several days in the client’s everyday life. It takes planning the client’s training program to the next level,” notes Elina Riihimäki, Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Manager at Buugi fitness center.
Lifestyle Assessment also shows if the client recovers sufficiently and reveals the moments that facilitate recovery. The amount of rest, quality of sleep, nutrition and overall load are evaluated together with the client.
“It is easier to trust actual measurement results, instead of relying on experiences or assumptions. The results prove the assumptions right or wrong. I recommend Lifestyle Assessment to all of our clients in order to determine their true state of wellness,” Riihimäki explains.
Knowing the Client’s Background Facilitates Success
Understanding the client’s situation in life is a key element in personal training. External demands, for example work or family, affect the client’s possibility to succeed. Lifestyle Assessment makes these issues visible and is a remarkable additional value to personal training.
“Knowing the client’s background helps us support them in trying to achieve their goals. It also makes the process more human since we know what we can expect from the client considering his/her real-life stressors.”
Lifestyle Assessment also reveals the effectiveness of exercise and gives concrete pointers for modifying the training program as needed.
“The information about the client’s quality of sleep and moments of recovery during the day is valuable. Without it, it might not be possible to guide the client in the right direction,” notes Tuomo Aho-Vinkka, a Personal Trainer at Buugi.
Tailored Solutions for Occupational Well-Being
In addition to personal training, Buugi fitness center provides Lifestyle Assessment as an occupational well-being service for companies.
“Lifestyle Assessment is suitable for many kinds of customer groups. It can be utilized as an occupational wellness project for the whole personnel, or to explore the well-being of the company’s management, key personnel or a specific small group,” Aho-Vinkka explains.
He recently had a feedback session with a group of 55 people as part of a company’s recreational day.
“All employees were enthusiastic about the assessment and they received personal feedback that supports them in improving their well-being. Lifestyle Assessment (via anonymous group summaries) is also an excellent tool for the management, allowing them to take a closer look at the well-being of their personnel. It enables implementing tailored solutions that promote the well-being of the whole staff,” Aho-Vinkka points out.
Seeing the Results Motivates Change
Lifestyle Assessment reveals the effects of the client’s lifestyle and actions. People often have false beliefs on how healthy their lifestyle is. The reality is shown in the measurement results and can act as an eye-opener.
“A fitness test does not tell that much about an individual’s well-being. Taking recovery into account is extremely important. If the client’s recovery is not sufficient, the training program cannot be expected to cause progress,” Riihimäki explains.
One of the features in Lifestyle Assessment is analyzing the training effect of each workout.
“Lifestyle Assessment illustrates the benefits of exercise. If the intensity of a workout is too high, it should be adjusted to support the improvement of the client’s physical condition. Training Effect is individual. For some, walking the dog is good exercise, whereas for others, it might not be beneficial in terms of improving aerobic fitness,” Riihimäki says.
Understanding the Client’s Life Helps to Care More
The individual report reveals the link between lifestyle and well-being.
“One client had a habit of relaxing with a glass of wine. After seeing her Lifestyle Assessment report she understood that she had not slept properly in days and that she woke up in the middle of the night because of alcohol. Many clients also have false impressions about sleep: They believe they sleep a lot, but the quality might actually be poor. This might be because they are using smart phones or reading emails late in the evening,” Riihimäki notes.
“Seeing the effects of their actions in the report is a trigger to many people to make a behavior change,” Aho-Vinkka continues.
After launching the Lifestyle Assessment as part of their personal training services, Buugi fitness center has received a lot of positive feedback from their clients. For the Personal Trainers, Lifestyle Assessment means an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding about their clients.
“The more I know about my clients’ lives, the easier it is to care. After the measurement, I can ask my client, for example, if they sleep better now,” Riihimäki sums up.
Buugi Fitness Center
– 40 staff members
– Founded in 2008
– Uses Firstbeat Lifestyle Assessment as part of their personal training services
– Uses the Firstbeat Monitor in their cycling classes
Buugi fitness center in Jyväskylä, Finland has grown into a comprehensive fitness center for the whole family. Buugi provides their clients with ball courts, gym services, group exercise classes as well as sports and wellness services.
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