<p>I’ve decided to make a major career change and would really appreciate some help and guidance.
After working in government for many years I’ve decided to follow my dreams and become a certified personal trainer.
To pass the certification exam I’m planning to take - one needs to be well versed in muscles and anatomy -
While I’ve been a gym rat for years and know alot about exercise and fitness, I’ve never had to learn medical terms and kinesiology. So now at almost 50 I’m studying textbooks- something I haven’t done for years.
Anyone have some suggestions for learning all of the terms? So far I’ve been using a muscle" coloring book" and just memorizing, memorizing, memorizing…
Any other tips?
Anyone else out there who made a major career change once they became empty nesters? How’s it working out for you?</p>
<p>Flash cards?</p>
<p>organize some terms into sentences by their first name,
for example here’s how I remember the colors in the light spectrum:
Roy G. Biv</p>
<p>(red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet)</p>
<p>Or the planets,
lots of people make up sentences using the first lettter of the planets in sequence</p>
<p>For remembering, it is supposed to help to study something for a longer while at night, sleep on it, then wake up and review it, even very quickly, the following morning! Something about the sleep cycle helps right in the middle there, to put it into your longterm memory.
But the next-day, early morning quickie review really solidifies the memory.</p>
<p>(More power to you! Remember that you’ll have the late-stage career advantage of understanding how boomers think, so you’ll be able to motivate realistically. I retrained as an elementary school teacher at age 40, and while
I was a new teacher much older than is usual, I had the advantage of the new training coupled with some life experience to consult with parents realistically about their homework, etc. So use your age to your advantage re: client motivation. Good luck!!! </p>
<p>I’d offer you ginseng tea for memory, but I can’t remember where I put it ;)</p>
<p>Also, try posting this over in the graduate school section, where the pre-meds and doctors read and post.
(Click on “college discussion” then scroll down lower until you see the different graduate schools listed, look for premed or medical…)</p>
<p>Maybe they use more modern technologies on the computer, which could augment the textbook study??</p>
<p>Ooooh, they’re so smart over there.</p>
<p>But of course, we Parents have all the life experience over here!!</p>
<p>Try to relate the terms to the gym- eg the muscle groups being trained are pictured on the Y strength training machines I use. I hated memorizing in anatomy eons ago in medical school… To learn anything I need a reason, grouping terms logically with function can help, eg the arm muscles used to extend or flex, the leg… Good luck.</p>