By Lisa Dingeman

Through your Trainer’s Eyes

As a personal trainer, I have met a very diverse group of female clientele. I’ve trained elderly women with a prescription to improve their strength and balance. I’ve helped athletes gain extra endurance to get them higher marks. And of course, I’ve worked with the young ladies that want to look their absolute best for their wedding day they have spent countless years envisioning a certain way.

Although these women are diverse in what they’re looking to get from a trainer, most of them share one thing: they don’t recognize their true potential.

I witness these same women giving it all they have during a training session, without complaining and showing up week after week. Yet, they lack self confidence when it comes to other areas of their lives. I hear complaints about their weight, the daily stresses over their diets, and questions about why they can’t fit into the clothes they once wore in high school—afterall, the styles are coming back around!

If there is one thing I could show these women, it would be what I—and others—see in them. Their beauty, their resilience, and their worth are not measured by a number on a scale, or the shrinking numbers of a dress size. They are strong women that I (and others) believe in.

As a woman, I can totally relate to the “off” days. There are mornings that I look in the mirror and realize the outfit I liked so much on the hanger doesn’t look nearly as good on me, (I like to blame it on the mirror, personally) which sends me back to try on the next item in line.

There are days that my motivation is completely drained, and I get down on myself for not weighing the perfect number that I made up in my head, or not looking like those perfectly photoshopped models in a fitness magazine. When this happens, I’ve learned how to catch it quickly and retrain my brain.

Mental Checks:

• Emphasize your good qualities. Repeatedly tell yourself how great you are, and believe it! Wear the cute but daring outfit and confidently embrace the compliments that come pouring in. Afterall, people are telling you because they mean it!
• Shed the negativity. If there’s somebody or something (like a bad habit) that erodes your confidence, kick it out! There is only enough room in your life for the things that uplift you, whether it’s body, mind, or spirit. It’s remarkable how easily one’s day mimics a smile or a frown.
• Do things that make you feel good. Are you an ice cream fanatic like me? If so, treat yourself once in awhile. (Be careful not to overdo it though, as guilt and low confidence are step-sisters.) Do your hair, smile at a stranger, get your car washed, help somebody who needs it. You’ve got all the tools to boost your confidence within your reach every single morning. Don’t let them go to waste.

Embrace Your Confidence

Don’t spend any more time trying to please others, or worrying about what someone thinks when they see you for the first time in 10 years, and for goodness sake STOP doubting yourself! The real meaning of self confidence has very little to do with its actual dictionary definition. Be confident in your uniqueness, what makes you who you are—whatever that may look like. That is what you were given, so instead of trying to tuck it away in self doubt, rock the heck out of it!

There is no better feeling in the world for a personal trainer than that of helping a client reach a goal. Women are unstoppable and when we put our minds to something, we will darn sure achieve it! If we as trainers have confidence and belief in you, you should too!

Lisa Dingeman

Lisa Dingeman is a devoted wife and the proud mother of two boys. She is a personal trainer in Bismarck and is working on doing her third fitness competition. Lisa has devoted her life to faith, family, and wellness.