Are You Ignoring Your “Check Engine Light?” by Andrew Banner, CPT

            Can you imagine going a day without your vehicle to get you through your normal routine?  The answer for 99 percent of people is NO!  You need to get from point A to point B to fit every thing into your busy lifestyle.  If your check engine light pops up today, most likely you will schedule an appointment with your trusted car mechanic because it is vital that your vehicle performs for you.  The last thing you need is for your car to completely breakdown because you chose to avoid the check engine light for days.  Your body needs the same attention to perform at optimum levels day in and day out.

            When you experience aches and pains in your daily life, those are your signs (check engine light) that you should not ignore.  Therefore, selecting a quality performance coach (mechanic) is important to your health.  The best car mechanics run diagnostic tests, test drive your vehicle, and provide quality customer service.  Your performance coach should be doing all of the above when they first meet with you, if not, it is important you make a change.  Too many people waste their time and money paying personal trainers to essentially count repetitions.  Most personal trainers take a “cookie cutter” approach with their programming or lack there of, and forget that every person has their own unique needs.  Remember, every car that comes into the mechanic’s shop has different problems and so do you!  This is why the best performance facilities take the time to check your range of motion (diagnostics), test your movement patterns (test drive), and provide quality customer service.  With the combination of the three components, the performance specialists can provide you with a program that best meets your body’s needs to help you get back performing on all cylinders. 

            Listen to your body, when you are experiencing aches and pains, do not ignore them, seek out a performance specialist that tests for range of motion and quality of movement patterns in their assessment all while providing top-of-the-line customer service.  With the help of a performance specialist and a little dedication on your end, you will be back on the road performing as good as new in no time!