You all know how I work out. Some days I do, some days I don't, some weekends I drink and eat like there is no tomorrow and the next week I am fully focused on my fitness. Listen, it's just who I am. I have never worked out with a personal trainer so I was extremely excited when Rich Van Houten reached out. Rich is a personal trainer offering his services at Slice PT. Slice PT is located in the center of Chester, NJ, just two doors down from Pren Kitchen, two doors to the left. Yes, Pren Kitchen is where I go to eat often and particularly consume an excess amount of The Crib Bakery cake and goodies.
Anyway, Rich reached out to provide a personal training session and I of course said yes!! I love trying new things and I see people who have personal trainers and I have always wanted one but the cost deters me. Rich has a great system so it is totally affordable. Also, see below on some money maneuvers so maybe you CAN afford a personal trainer.
I walked into Slice PT and I immediately felt safe because the place was spotless. I know that many people are still worried about the spread of COVID-19, as am I. It was just Rich and I, no one else!! However, I personally think places like hotels, air planes, gyms, etc., are the cleanest they have EVER been and hopefully this will continue.
As you look around Slice PT, there are two treadmills, lots of weights and a positive attitude, which I think is most important of all. Rich is always smiling and truly encouraging. It is a black and green theme which I really liked. Rich was previously in finance and then decided to pursue his dreams of working with people to make them feel better. Rich specializes in working with those who have had an injury and need to recoup: kids, adults, teenagers, elderly, anyone. However he works with everyone! Yes, that's Rich below!!
We started our workout on the floor with some stretches, I started sweating immediately. RELAX SUSAN, I AM A SWEATY WOMAN OK. We started with abs which usually I end with but I really liked that. It is almost like you are setting up your core for success. Rich asked me if I wanted to do planks and I said NO, but then we did. Ouch. We then moved to squats. The best thing about having a personal trainer is the consistent modifications while you are working out, which can be a huge game changer on results. Keeping your head up, chest up, booty in, don't lock the knees, these are things that you forget immediately upon starting the workout.
We did both machine work and free weight workouts. We did a full body workout within 30 minutes and by the end, my arms and legs were shaking in the best kind of way. I was lifting 3 lb. weights and my arms were shaking!! It is amazing what you can do with such little weight and the positive effect it can have. I swear, the next day even my tongue was sore, sounds dirty but I think I truly got a workout from my tongue to my toes.
I will be working with Rich once a week and I wanted to bring something special to all of y'all, as I wouldn't be anywhere without you! If you go to Van Houten Fitness Instagram and shoot him a message saying you saw this blog, you will get ONE FREE PERSONAL TRAINING SESSION. I am not kidding, and you will not regret it. Take this opportunity to learn more about what Rich offers, see the facility. If you feel safe, get a feel for how much it may cost to make this a regular thing. Rich is extremely generous to do this only for Ms. Chester followers, so take advantage! See below to hear from Rich himself, you'll love him I know it.
"To truly live life with a passion, you have to be passionate about your health, mentally and physically. Ten years ago I was stuck in a toxic cycle that was causing my body to be soft, my mind to be dark, and my quality of life to be very low. When I found physical fitness and first started to see the changes in my body and then seeing changes in my mind, I realized that I found my passion. Moving my body under weight the smart way allowed me to drastically improve my quality of life and that’s what I aim to share with my clients everyday. What are you passionate about?"
You don't think you can afford personally training? Here are a few tips on how maybe you actually CAN!
Fully assess what you're spending your money on - Do you actually know? If you make a list each day, for one week, after each transaction, half the time you will see something you can change and it's actually pretty frightening. I did it, too many opportunities for quick purchases on Amazon!! Paying for a personal training session is much better for your soul than that blanket, Susan. Try this budgeting app, I used it when we first moved into our house because I was scared of being house poor.
Pack your lunch - a lunch can cost $10 or $15 per day, that's as much as $75 a week and more than the cost of a personal training session with Rich!! Of course, for those of you actually going to work again, like ME.
Make your coffee at home - When Mr. Chester and I go to Starbucks, we easily spend $10 if not more. Also be aware of the steals and deals in the world, like the free Panera coffee app!!!
BYO restaurants - a cocktail can be anywhere from $10 to even $17! Now I don't know about you, but saying no to a second drink is hard for me, stop judging Karen. Go to BYO more often than not. I guess you coulddddd not drink, but, that's a little extreme.
No online purchases every other week - I did this during quarantine, do you remember?? I probably saved a few hundred bucks a week!
Make a list, invest in what means the most to you. Your body should be pretty high on that list.