Real fitness for real people. That could be the perfect slogan for local mommy Geneva Ross, ACE Certified Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor, and her business, GroupEx with Geneva.

I recently had the good fortune of working with Geneva for some personal training sessions of my own; and let me tell you, it was exactly what I needed. Thanks to the services of GroupEx with Geneva, I have gained a realistic power to shake off the excuses which have held my hand as I’ve walked frustratedly down the path of an exercise-less lifestyle.

My Perceptions Have Changed

I wonder how many people out there hold a misconception, as I did, that all personal trainers look like that muscle-bound “stud” who walks around the gym looking good all day and act like Jillian in her “tough guy” approach. Truthfully, there have been times in the past when I’ve briefly considered the idea of working with a personal trainer; but my preconceived notion that I’d be subjecting myself to an unrealistic person with unrealistic expectations kept me believing that personal training wouldn’t realistically work for me.

Working with Geneva has completely falsified my assumptions.

* First of all, she’s a busy, work-at-home mom of young children, just like me—not the stereotypical “hunk” hanging around the gym. She’s friendly, she’s compassionate, she’s sincere… she’s REAL. And, having been working in fitness since 2006, she knows her stuff.

* Second of all, she works in her house, not some impersonal fitness center across town. Seriously, I had no idea that personal training could be done somewhere other than a gym—which is another reason I had thought personal training wasn’t for me. There has been only one time in my life that a gym membership has actually worked for me: the pre-children years. Ever since becoming a mom, I just haven’t been able to make those regular trips to the gym—and not because I haven’t tried. Three failed memberships and many months’ worth of wasted fees later, I’ve come to terms with the fact that the gym just doesn’t jive with this season of my life.

The fact that Geneva operates her business from her very own home is extremely important to me for three reasons.

1. I have access to her services without having to pay for an ongoing gym membership.
2. I am assured that her flexible training schedules will enable me to utilize her services at a time of day that realistically works for me.
3. I can have peace of mind in knowing that childcare won’t be a concern; because instead of having to drop my kids off with total strangers and germ-infested toys in the gym’s kid room, I can bring them right to Geneva’s house with me where her amazing nanny will, for a small fee, play with my kids in the warm, clean, inviting atmosphere of a fellow-mommy’s home.

* A third misconception about personal training that GroupEx with Geneva has debunked for me is that it’s super expensive. In truth, Geneva’s pricing is super affordable. Visit GroupEx with Geneva’s “Services and Pricing” page, and you’ll see what I mean.

* The fourth and final perception of mine that has changed through working with Geneva is this: I don’t like working out at home. FALSE! I just thought  I didn’t like working out at home because I equated that with workout videos (which I truly do dislike). The fact is, working out at home is extremely efficient and completely doable for me—even without fitness equipment.

After I completed a simple health questionnaire and an initial physical assessment with Geneva, she designed for me a total body workout that is tailored to my specific needs and which accommodates my limitations (including a shortage of time, a lack of access to exercise equipment, and a bad disc in my lower back). Truly, what blessed and impressed me the most about Geneva was the fact that she truly listened to me, and she never made me feel weak or inadequate because of my limitations.

Geneva worked WITH me and FOR me in a knowledgeable yet understanding way; and she successfully designed for me a personalized plan that I can easily and realistically implement at home—in approximately the same amount of time it would take for me to drive to the gym, change clothes, and drive home.

But, of course, just because a home workout is what works for me doesn’t mean it’s what will work for you. Geneva will design your plan according to your needs, your goals, your limitations, and the time and equipment that is available to you.

Watch the blog tomorrow for Geneva’s answer to all your excuses… AND a little something to leave you excuseLESS!