Adam McManaman has been into staying physically fit his entire adult life. Adam grew up playing basketball, soccer, and lacrosse. Adam entered the world of personal training after suffering an ACL tear that ended his sports career. He found his personal training passion during his physical therapy sessions.
Volunteering has always been a significant part of Adam’s life. He’s made it his life purpose to give back to others and support his community. He finds passion in providing service to others that cannot do it themselves. Service fills Adam with joy and gives his life purpose.
Adam volunteer’s at Gainesville Health and fitness to provide his personal training skills to the developmentally challenged. The program is called “Fit for All”. Fit for All goes on Monday through Friday from 3:00-4:00 PM. The athletes have a spectrum of disabilities that trainers must account for.
Adam told us “My goal is to provide a space where all athletes find joy in physical fitness”. The most important part of personal training is providing the athletes with proper technique and advice to keep their bodies healthy.
His volunteering has created several friendships with the athletes that he cherishes. He believes that he gets more out of volunteering than anyone else involved. Adam finds happiness in seeing the progression of the athletes. Each physical activity is logged onto a spreadsheet. The trainers record what exercise is being performed, for how many reps, and how much weight. This allows the trainers to track their athletes progression throughout the weeks. This information helps in catering the proper exercise regimen for their athletes.
A great way to keep physical fitness exciting is to do group activities. Adam structures his workouts around teamwork. He challenges the athletes to push past their comfort zones and to do that with one another. Working as a team helps the athletes to create friendships and bonds. It’s important to give the athletes a place to make these types of relationships. It fuels their drive to come back to train, day in and day out.
Another important part in the athlete’s fitness journey is their diets. Adam sets aside class time to formulate diet plans for the athletes to follow. Diet strategies are plentiful and it’s necessary to find the appropriate one for each athlete. Adam recommends eliminating as much sugar out of their diet as possible. He explains “Sugar creates inflammation throughout the body, and this can be detrimental to their fitness goals”. He recommends a high protein, low-fat diet for his athletes. This is massively important for the athletes recovery. The trainers also recommend a few vitamins and supplements to the athletes diets. Such as vitamin C, Vitamin D, and protein powders. These complement a healthy diet and do not replace a healthy diet.
The last part of a healthy lifestyle that Adam preaches is getting enough high quality sleep. When people rest, their bodies go into a recovery mode. It allows the mind to sort through all of the information your mind captured that day. It’s also important in the recovery of muscles. Allowing the synthesis of nutrients to where they are needed. The three most necessary requirements for a healthy lifestyle are physical exercise, healthy diet, and quality sleep. If an athlete has all three of these categories taken care of, they will notice a healthier body and mind.
Fit for All is a great way to bring the community together. It provides opportunities for developmentally challenged athletes to train and improve their health. Adam wants to see the surrounding cities take initiative and begin their own programs.
