Solidifying Social Support with Samantha

Today we are joined by Samantha Jeske, long-time friend and former colleague of Mauro. They will be talking about their shared experiences working at a large corporation that deals with wellness and her line of study. 

As an athletic person, it was a natural progression that Samantha would find herself studying kinesiology and behavior changes. After graduating from York University, she went on to study health psychology at the University of Toronto. Samantha focused her research on how to promote physical activity to special communities. Specifically, people with spinal cord injuries. 

Growing up, Samantha’s family was a huge influence on her. Her dad coached her in soccer and pushed her to be active. Over time, being active became natural and an intrinsically enjoyable thing for Samantha. Rain or shine, she sticks to being active; the mental benefits of physical activity are worth bracing the cold for.

During her study, it became clear to Samantha that it is vital to have peer support to keep you motivated. You can teach strategies to help people become more active and have more independence, but establishing social support outside of your trainer will keep you inspired to reach your goals. If you are just beginning your fitness journey and wondering how to establish connections, there are many things you can try. Look into what your local community center offers for classes, join webinars, or search out a Facebook group.

After academia, Samantha joined the corporate wellness world. Luckily, her new employer shared her values and knew that it was important to look at the psychological side of fitness, not just the physical. It was a collaborative environment that lent itself to learning from different perspectives and made creating connections through virtual coaching easier. 

As for the future of coaching, Samantha believes that we are entering a new era. While COVID has definitely accelerated the changes we are seeing in the industry, Samantha and her employer were already looking at the benefits of online counselling and how it can be utilized. In terms of the next decade, creating incentivised programs is emerging as a necessary method for keeping people motivated and reaching their goals.

Being tethered to working from home has made it difficult for many people to stay active. The opportunity for spontaneous activity doesn’t appear as often and being close to the fridge is a challenge for some. Samantha’s advice is to make your own opportunities for activity, whether it’s walking around the house, stretching, or just taking advantage of the extra time in the mornings to work out. There is always some way to work activity into your routine. Be aware of your schedule and find the best ways to insert activity as it suits you.

Not everyone is motivated in the same way. Some people are naturally more inclined to be active than others. Find what works for you. Do you need community or are you more comfortable being self-motivated? Understand your motivation for starting your fitness journey and plan where you want to go. Knowing the why can make the how easier.

To end the episode, Samantha and Mauro discuss what you should know if you are new to the world of fitness and the questions you should ask along the way. 

EPISODE TIMESTAMPS:

[00:56] Samantha’s background and school work

[04:16] Living active and environmental Influence

[08:30] Meeting people and building a social network

[11:40] Where to find social support

[15:10] Future of Fitness coaching 

[17:59] Genetic counseling

[24:20] Becoming self-aware of your daily activities - take inventory

[32:50] Understanding the “WHY”

[34:42] Short term daily goals

[35:10] Integrating fitness into your lifestyle

[37:36] The blue zones

QUOTES:

“You have the opportunity to connect with a community centre or gym or even online webinars where you can interact and engage with new people who are training to achieve the same goals as you”

“I feel like we are entering a new era, I think we are ahead of the game my employer, we started the whole virtual counseling... we kinda going with the flow right now with the things happening around the world now”

“... by better understanding your own personal needs and requirements you can more clearly determine how to make fitness and diet more realistic in your life”

“Understanding the ‘why’ can help people be reminded during their journey why they need to do what they are planning to do”