Meet Karlynn Only-sydnor

We were lucky to catch up with Karlynn Only-sydnor recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Karlynn , so great to have you on the platform. There’s so much we want to ask you, but let’s start with the topic of self-care. Do you do anything for self-care and if so, do you think it’s had a meaningful impact on your effectiveness?

Self-care is really important to me. It was really hard for me to incorporate self-care into my daily routine as a mom. It wasn’t until 2024 that I put a priority on my self-care and made it something that is non-negotiable. In January of 2024 I made a promise to myself that I would take time during the day and week just for me. One of the things I started doing was intentionally moving my body in some way everyday. Even if I only had 15 or 20 minutes to get a walk in, it was better than nothing. Sometimes my workouts are 90 minutes long and if I felt I couldn’t do the whole 90 minutes I would just skip it. And it made me feel resentful towards my family, especially if they were the reason I didn’t get the time to workout. It was almost as if I had to change my thoughts around working out. I couldn’t have an all or nothing attitude about it, I had to tell myself that something is better than nothing. This way of thinking has been a game changer for me; I am more active because of it. Exercise keeps my mind clear and helps me handle stress better. It also helped me to train my clients better. I teach them that if you can’t do your full workout, think about what you can do. Even if it’s 10 squats at your desk, you will feel better about your day because you stopped to take time for yourself.

Also at the beginning of 2024 I decided to be more social. Prior to this my life revolved around my kids. I felt I couldn’t do anything regularly through the week because my kids might need me. But I also wanted some friends that were grown-ups. So I joined volleyball team with people I never met and began playing every Friday. Volleyball as always been a passion of mine but I hadn’t played regularly for 10 years. I have to admit I was a little more rusty than I thought but it all started coming back to me. I then started playing in tournaments once a month, then I added another day during the week that I play on a different team. It felt so good to get out and be social with other people, playing a sport that I love. Having those two sometimes three nights a week that I can get out and not be a mom or a wife or a personal trainer is key to me keeping my life balanced.

Running your own business and having a family is challenging and stressful but making myself a priority during each day makes that stress manageable. I am a better mom, wife and trainer because of the effort I put into my self-care.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am a personal trainer and owner of KAOS Performance Fitness focusing primarily on women’s health and fitness in all phases of life. The women who train with me get a training program that is designed to fit their goals, needs and lifestyle. All of the training programs include the workout program, nutrition guidance and access to a community of women who all have one common goal; becoming healthier and stronger. The most exciting thing about being a personal trainer is teaching the women I work with about lifting weights. Most of them don’t realize how strong they are when I ask them to lift heavier weights. I love seeing their surprised facial expressions. The KAOS Performance Fitness brand is all about teaching women how to incorporate exercise and healthy eating habits into your everyday life. We as women are so quick to put exercise or eating health last on our list of things to do, but it needs to be first. Everything else should work around your daily workout.

Right now KAOS Performance Fitness is developing semi-private and group training and will be ready at the beginning of March. We are also working on a partnership to bring KAOS Performance Fitness into the workplace.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Three of the most impactful skills for me were coaching, listening and flexibility/adaptability.

As a personal trainer your job is to coach or teach clients how to do the things that come easy to you. To do this effectively you have to be able to coach people using different teaching styles, you have to be confident in your knowledge and not worry about what they are going to think. You can’t be afraid to correct your client because that’s part of coaching. And you can’t be afraid of having the tough conversations to get your client to follow your lead.

Next you have to listen to your client. As a trainer I spend a lot of time telling my clients what to do and how to do things but I also stop and listen to them. Listening involves asking the right questions to get the information you need to train them effectively. Listening is remembering your client’s birthday or asking about their family or asking about an activity they participated in the previous day. Being a good listener adds to your value as a trainer and keeps them coming back to train with you.

Lastly, as a trainer you have to be able to adapt to the unexpected. Every client is different, and one may love tracking their food and all of the numbers, while others find it give them anxiety. How do you get the client that doesn’t like tracking calories to pay attention to their food? Having them just keep a journal of what they eat and thinking about how they feel after a meal or a workout, will help you measure their progress and minimize the stress around eating. Your client may get injured or need to have modified workouts, how do you adapt their plan so they can continue to train? Being able to adapt gives client the confidence that you are there for them and will do your best to get them to their goal even when challenges arise.

Tell us what your ideal client would be like?

My ideal client is a mom who has been putting her health and wellness on the backburner while she takes care of her family. There was a time that she had been taking care of herself regularly but her priorities shifted once she became a mother. When she looks in the mirror, she can only the flaws; remembering what her body used to look like. My ideal client gets anxiety when her kids or friends ask her to take part in things that require her to be active. She is insecure about her looks and always wears big clothing to hide her stomach or thighs. My client is afraid her partner/spouse no longer finds her attractive and she doesn’t feel confident in her own skin. She experiences back pain when standing or sitting for too long and carrying laundry baskets is challenging.

The goals of my ideal client are to feel confident when she looks at herself in the mirror. She wants to feel less pain when doing daily chores. Her goal is to participate in all of the fun physical activities with her kids and friends. She wants to wear the sexy black dress when she goes out with her partner/spouse and feel just as amazing as she looks. And most of all she wants to learn how to take time for herself and still be an amazing mom.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

KSV Fitness in Folsom, CA

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