When I was a child back in the days of milkmen and 3 television channels, I came home from elementary school with a note from my teacher. She wanted documentation that my name was now indeed Mary Ann and no longer Patricia Anne. That’s correct…I went to school and told my teacher my name was now Mary Ann. Don’t ask me why, I have no idea. The only reason I know this fact is my mother still has the note from the teacher. I have my theories, one of which was as a child in the Moore family no one ever was able to actually retain their birth name, but instead bestowed some totally different name by my father. My brother Tim was Joe, I was Tricia or Sue, and my sister Katherine was Rinner. My brother David had a host of names I mostly recall the meanest one which was Bozo. We still call my sister Rinner, which is better than the original Barfy. Later in life my mother began calling me Pat, a name I HATE and my dad now calls me Trish. When I began working in hospitals everyone called me PA because there was another Patti working there already, hence began my lifetime of being known as a set of initials. Years later when I remarried and my last initial turned into a T…I was now PT. I don’t mind PT, I actually like it and in the New Smyrna Beach community if you ask about “Patty”, they will look puzzled and say “OH ! You mean PT “. The other confusing part of my name is it is officially Patricia, which throws people off. All my certifications and degrees are in that name but if you call me Patricia I feel like I’m in trouble. Patricia Anne…go to your room!
I admit that I have carried on the tradition of changing people’s names. I do this mostly because I have a really sucky memory for names. I am really good at visualization so I started calling people by how I visualized them. This is how I kept all my gym rat friends organized in my head. There was Packerman (he always wore a Greenbay packers hat), Poof-a-do (he had some super coiffed hair), wheel polishing Mike ( he owned a store that did chrome wheels ), Cement Joe ( he owned a cement company), Jane Fonda ( some chick who like to pose around the gym on the floor like Jane Fonda), and Nasty Girl who wore shorts with no undergarments and was generally gross. Then there was Helga (a “trainer” who just seemed like she left Communist Russia and went straight to Gold’s Gym ). My most recent name placement is Bosu Boy. I don’t rename people to be mean, it’s just how I see them. I should mention that before I really knew Phil, he was Buff Dude. Please note once I actually know you, I stop calling you these visualized reference names…mostly. Phil works with a guy who has a son, from day one I called him Scooter…I have no idea what the kids real name is.
What does any of that have to do with fitness you may be wondering? Well think about it, when you choose a exercise facility or a class how much of the name influences you? We visualize through words, words have power and when used in a manner to instill confidence or inspire some emotion the word can sell the product or service before you even see it. Boot Camp brings to mind intensity…it sounds challenging and strict. Body Combat sounds tough and ShBam sounds like a night at the disco. I really have no clue why or what P90X inspires other than a big question mark in my mind. I know what it is and it still makes no sense to me.
I happen to be in the process of creating a fitness program designed for small groups of 6-12 people. The components of this class will encompasses some movement skills, strength, basic ol’timey floor work and some metabolic movements to get your booty moving. What I am offering is a chance to engage in a program that is coached by me, much like a personal training session without the cost of a one on one session. I just don’t know what to name it, which considering how adept I am at renaming humans is a stumper. Maybe PT circuit…yawn…The PT PowerPak?
I could use a little help here…!
Please stay tuned, I will be presenting a FREE Movement Basics workshop at Impact Fitness in October. If you ever felt like a dork at a Boot Camp you need to attend, if you want to really understand how to manage those body weight exercises, you need to attend. It’s FREE… expert advice that you can take with you and incorporate immediately into any workout program. And it’s FREE!! Did I mention it’s FREE???
PT…Patty…Trish…PA…and mom ( my favorite )
