Beauty Blog
Interview with Ron Betta
Beauty Blog: Body Care, Health and Fitness, Interviews
Ron Betta is a very interesting and smart person to get to know better. Ron has started doing Expert Tips for PamperYourselfDenver.com every Friday. If you have not checked them out, you should! I could tell you everything that I think is great about Ron but I think it is best if you hear it in his own words.
How and why did you become a personal trainer?
I spent years working for Disney making movies like Mulan, Tarzan and Lilo and Stitch. In late 2001, I decided I needed a change. I left Orlando and moved outside San Francisco. I took a corporate job, but I quickly realized I didn’t like that either. However, by being there, I found my calling.
Sitting on a subway in San Francisco, a guy across from me looked rested, fit and happy. He seemed to be the only happy person on the train and his hat read “Personal Trainer”. As a Trainer, I knew I could help others and eventually, create my own company with a focus on fitness. The next day, I called and secured an interview with a gym. After taking the necessary steps to get certified, I was working in that gym as a Personal Trainer.
How long have you been a personal trainer?
I’ve been a Personal Trainer since 2002. During that time I’ve worked for 24 Hour Fitness and later founded my own company called “A Betta Fit”. The key to being a Personal Trainer in my experience is inspiring people while giving them the tools they need to get fit. It’s one thing to tell someone how to get in shape, but if they don’t have the habits and lifestyle in place to support a fit body, they’re struggle greatly and may not succeed. As importantly, if I’m not fit, I can’t tell anyone else to be. I work hard to keep my body in great shape and I love the way I feel and look.
Have you ever struggled with your own personal fitness?
For the past few years I have seen a change in my metabolism. I don’t consider it a “struggle” because it’s simply the way my body works. I have nothing to compare it to. This is what I have to work with and I must master that.
The changes I’ve experienced are due to two conditions, hypothyroidism and hypogonadism. In both cases, side effects include weight gain, weakness and fatigue. My body is now slower to burn through the calories and is more likely to hold onto the fat. It’s now my job to learn how to control that and ensure I’m in great shape. This is just what has happened and there are no cures. I look at these not as struggles but as opportunities to learn. I’ve now changed my diet radically to support both conditions. I changed my goals from muscle gain to fat loss for a time to burn any excess fat, strengthen my muscles and increase alertness.
In both cases, I’m happy to share them with others. I’ve had a number of people tell me they have the same conditions. It’s great to share what I know and learn from others. I don’t consider any condition a weakness or struggle as long as we take steps to control and manage them.
What keeps you motivated?
My motivation comes from two sources, how I feel physically and emotionally and how others respond to me. I love feeling my heart pumping life-giving oxygen to my muscles. I enjoy feeling my lungs expand for more air when I run. I love the challenge of working muscles during each exercise. I can feel all those things – and it feels fantastic physically. I have increased confidence a sense of well-being when and after I exercise. In that sense, I am physically and emotionally very satisfied – though I know the challenge continues every day!
How others respond motivates me as well. I like being complimented. It is exciting to have people (men and women) say nice things about how I look. Perhaps the best part of this is being able to share my knowledge and experience with them. If my body helps others get fit, all the better!
What type of music do you listen to when working out?
I think people would be surprised to see my playlists. My iPhone is loaded with anything from classical to rap to rock. Generally speaking, as I warm up, I listen to something fast, something to get my blood pumping. After that, anything goes. I love the musical Wicked and listen to that soundtrack lately. It really depends on the workout. If I have plenty of time, I listen to classical and focus on rhythmic movements that follow the music. If I need to get my workout in quickly, it can be anything from jazz to pop. When I jog, I listen to 80s music, dance or other “upbeat” music.
I consider my workouts as spiritual, mental and emotional as they are physical. For that reason, I let my mood guide the music selection. It’s all about getting into the zone. One key point however – the music must be positive. I can’t listen to music that degrades women or praises violence –especially during a workout. Music is a form of energy – and the energy I listen to must have a positive message.
Why are you a vegetarian?
I became vegetarian for both the health and ethical aspects. Over the years however, I’ve discovered a much deeper meaning in the ethical aspects of this lifestyle. Physically, I could never return to eating meat because I just feel so much better both physically and emotionally. It’s just that simple.
Ethically, I feel closer to Earth, as though I’m more grounded and relaxed. I feel my decision to go vegetarian eliminated a great deal of anxiety and worry I didn’t even realize I had. The one word I use most to describe this feeling is “tranquility”. I just feel a sense of tranquility at having made the decision.
How long have you been a vegetarian and was/is it difficult?
I became vegetarian in 1996. It was more difficult then because awareness of that lifestyle and culture was so widely misunderstood. Back then, it was much more difficult. Restaurants didn’t have many options. Many of my friends saw it as a weakness or a flaw. I also didn’t have a lot of quality resources back then. Today there are more books and websites available, so in that sense it is much easier.
I’m also Italian – so the foods I gave up included childhood favorites. Meatballs, lasagna, salami, etc. are all foods I grew up with and have as much a cultural, ritualistic purpose and meaning. It was hard to give up turkey at Thanksgiving and cold-cuts at Christmas. However, I soon realized I could make new traditions, new rituals! Now, after Thanksgiving dinner, I still feel great – ready to exercise and enjoy the rest of the day. No napping after dinner for me!
What made you decide to write a book?
When I trained at the gym, we had people walking in all the time. Each time I got a new client I had to teach them some basics about nutrition, exercise and other fitness topics. I figured why not write a book and train more people at once. Now, when I meet people, I can hand them a copy of the book and get them started without spending all my time explaining the basics.
I also felt I could help others and reach more people with my vegetarian message as well. Many people have come to me for advice about being or becoming a vegetarian and it’s great to have a resource for them. Outstanding You has been a great asset to me as a Trainer and Speaker.
Why did you select the topic you did for your book?
As a Personal Trainer in California, I was given the more “challenging” clients. My boss realized I was good at handling the more extreme personalities. I had clients with everything from dementia to drug issues. It was good experience, but I have some unique stories as a result! While moving back to Orlando, I decided it would be fun to write down all the things people told me in a book. It would have been a sort of tell-all. Of course I would have kept everyone anonymous, but I wanted to let others know the amazing things people told me as they tried to lose fat and build muscle.
However, one afternoon, a woman asked me if I could help her tone her abs. She pointed to her legs. She actually thought her abs were her legs. It was clear that people needed my help, not a book about all the crazy things people shared with me. Sure, the crazy storybook would be fun, but that will come with time. It was time for me to help women like her and clear up the confusion she had.
In your opinion, what is the biggest fitness issue women struggle with?
The most challenging issue in my opinion is the complete over-saturation of fitness marketing. Pills, powders, machines and empty promises confuse women. We have plenty of choices and can make all sorts of great decisions about fitness, nutrition, etc. Women are faced with all sorts of extremes. Models are rail thin, wasting away on the inside. Some celebrities tout the benefits of just accepting yourself at whatever weight you are – ignoring the risks of cancer, heart attack, stroke and diabetes. It’s very frustrating for me since I want to help people and these slick marketers keep confusing the issues. The bottom line is that our bodies are designed to adapt to challenges and consume quality foods. If we do those two things, the pills, diets, machines and other fitness fads fall away quickly and we succeed.
In your opinion, what is the biggest fitness issue men struggle with?
Men struggle with pride. What worked for guys in high school and college won’t necessarily work for them when they’re 45 and carry 30 pounds of excess fat in your belly. A good number of guys will tell me they’re sticking with their college routine because they played football back then and it should work today. While there is some truth to this, there are some excellent advancements in the world of fitness.
I’ve had more than one guy tell me he won’t use a stability ball because it’s a “pregnant woman’s exercise”. Yet when I get them on the ball, they’re shocked at how challenging the workout is. It’s funny to see them struggle with 5 pounds when they thought they could handle 50.
On the other hand, I do train men who are open and willing to eat, exercise and live the way I recommend. Guess what happens? They succeed. Go figure!
What is the biggest misconception about fitness?
The biggest misconception about fitness is that noticeable results are immediate. The marketing out there is all built around speed. Results are guaranteed to come amazingly fast with little or no effort.
I tested this about a year ago. I bought a number of women’s magazines at a bookstore. One word stood out on the cover above any others. The word was “fast”. All of it was related to changing the body “fast”. It was really sad to see the pressure women are under to change their bodies “fast”.
The reality is, that your body can change immediately, but those changes are not visible on the surface immediately. If we focus less on making changes that happen instantly and focus on a lifestyle that allows us to live healthy and fit, we are setting ourselves up for success!
How do you see your business growing in the next several years?
At the moment, I’m moving away from training clients in their homes. I have started speaking to reach greater numbers of people. I’m also working on two new books and hope to have the first complete by December of this year. The first will focus on a vegetarian lifestyle, the second will focus on lessons gained from having pets. In time, I’d like to spend less time working one-on-one and more time working with groups. I believe in teambuilding to help communities get fit.
My 20 year plan includes the creation of 5 animal sanctuaries across the U.S. That is my highest goal and I’m using my love of fitness as the vehicle to help me reach that goal.
As you can see Ron is an amazing person and trainer. If you want to learn more about Ron, visit his website.
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July 13, 2009 Bookmark and Share
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