“It's a lack of clarity that creates chaos and frustration. Those emotions are poison to any living goal.”
~ Steve Maraboli
Hello and welcome,
At only 21 years of age, I was fortunate to find my true passion in life – living, breathing and teaching health and fitness. Since then I have been coaching people for more than 20 years on achieving their health and fitness goals. Just like anything you start that’s new, there is always a learning curve. It was no different for me with coaching. I had to figure out what worked and what didn’t.
Early on, I realized that my success as a coach depended on the success of my clients. In other words, my clients’ results were a reflection of my effectiveness as a coach. Of course, there were some bumps along the road. Some clients got great results and some didn’t. Why is this happening? I wondered. It was confusing because I was using the same approach (that I learned in my personal training schooling) with everyone.
Little did I know, this approach was flawed. I was so passionate about helping others that I only wanted to give them the best (whatever I believed was best). People kept asking me, “what is the best…way to lose weight or type of cardio or diet, etc. and so I strived to find it with dedicated research. Of course, all the experts argued endlessly in what they believed in. I found myself becoming even more confused. No wonder my clients were lost. They were reading the same type of contradictive ideas in newspapers and magazines (today it’s mostly online) too. Nonetheless, I would weigh and consider all the information and chose the ideas that seemed to be the soundest. But in the end, no matter how good an idea was, it didn’t work for everyone.
Therefore, I set out to discover the reason why my approach worked for some people but not others. Fortunately, I came across some great health and fitness books, seminars and certifications which focused on a different approach. I started to learn the concept and importance of individuality (we are all unique and have different needs). Most programs or ideas are based on generic principles and do not factor in individuality. In other words, what’s best varies from person to person. What’s best for me is not necessarily best for you. Therefore, it becomes clear why such programs or ideas will work for some and not for others. I needed to change my approach if I wanted better results for my clients.
Viewing each person as an individual with specific goals, strengths, weaknesses and needs began to take my coaching success to a whole new level. It was truly an amazing shift with immediate results. I quickly began gaining recognition for helping people of all types reach their unique goals. For instance, I was working with a young female to recover from a serious car accident. She was about 90lbs and riddled with pain and injuries. For my next client session, I was training an athlete for a long-drive golf competition. The golfer was 6’4”, 225lbs of solid muscle and an abundance of brute strength. These two clients were practically polar opposites and you can imagine, how vastly different my coaching had to be in order for them to reach their goals.
After several years of adopting this approach, I was often asked by young, up-and-coming health professionals about it. Mainly, they wanted to know how I determined a client’s needs. Well, it is always through evaluation. I take each person through a series of assessments and in the end, it gives me an idea of what program will be best for them. It is a simple but very effective formula – assess, design and coach. The assessments are comprehensive and include various questionnaires, body circumference measurements, body fat analysis, posture, joint and muscle range of motion testing, diet and sleep journaling, stress tests, etc. Gathering all of this information may seem excessive but it allows me to design highly effective programs.
Once the assessment and design parts are complete, I take the client through the program to ensure they understand all of the components. If I designed an effective program, it will help them evolve toward their goals. But what makes the program effective? Through much trial and error, I realized the most important quality of a program is that the level is perfectly suited for the client. If the level is wrong (too easy or difficult) compliance drops off significantly. Remember, without program compliance, there won’t be any positive results.
The V10 Health system is designed to ensure exercise, nutrition and lifestyle programs are at the right level for you. When you follow a program that is perfectly suited for your body, mind and spirit, magic happens. I’ve had clients who completed changed their lives. Did they do it in 6 weeks? No, good things take time. Following extreme programs for quick results is a recipe for disaster for most people. Extreme measures come with extreme risks and can lead to extremely negative circumstances and conditions.
How does the V10 Health system ensure your program is well-suited for you? I always like to clarify complex things as much as reasonably possible. Albert Einstein said, “If you can't explain it to a six-year-old, you don't understand it yourself.” The V10 Health scoring system consists of various health or vitality traits and ranks each of them on a scale from 1-10. For example, I designed tables which describe what a V3 sleep pattern looks like compared to a V8. I wanted people to know what level they are today and what level their goal was at (like the diagram above shows).
If you are a male with 19% body fat then you are at a V6 level. If your goal is to be 12% body fat then you need to climb up to a V9. You may think I would give you a V9 program but this would be too much for you at this time. I would give you a program that would focus on getting you to a V7 level. Once you evolve to a V7 then I would get you started on a new program toward a V8 and so on until you reach your goal.
What’s really incredible about this approach, it gives people a sense of clarity, purpose and empowerment. You know exactly what you need to do to evolve to the next level. It’s a detailed roadmap. The incremental changes are small, manageable and trackable. Whether it’s adding a few more steps a day, sleeping a few more hours a week or swapping some unhealthy foods for some healthy foods you enjoy eating, you are in control of your evolution.
What level should I be? Honestly, this is your choice but I would not recommend anything lower than a V4. At V4 or less, you are entering a zone where you are at a health risk. On the other end of the scale, a V10 is an extreme way of living and impractical for most people. Please do not think that this system was designed to get everyone to a V10. I just wanted a system flexible enough to cater to all levels. I have taken clients from very low levels of vitality (V1-3) and changed their lives completely by getting them to a V5 or V6 (where they will happily live at for the rest of their lives on a maintenance program). Personally, this is more rewarding for me than helping a V9 get to a V10.
That’s what I love about the V10 Health system most. No matter what level you are at, even the lowest of low, it will help you evolve at the perfect pace. You may be extremely reluctant to start because you don’t know how…you may have started and stopped on your health journey hundreds of times…you may have reached a plateau which you can’t seem to break through…regardless, the V10 Health system is a proven, fool-proof approach designed to get you to the level you desire. If you have any questions about how this all works exactly, feel free to reach out to me. You can also go to the V10 Health YouTube Channel and watch some videos where I describe V10 Health in more detail.
Your V10 Health Coach,
Sal Crispo