NEW DELHI (AP) — India officially protested on Saturday the Canadian government’s allegation that the country’s powerful home minister Amit Shah had ordered the targeting of Sikh activists inside Canada, calling it “absurd and baseless.”
Relations between the two countries soured after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last year there were credible allegations the Indian government had links to the assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. India has vehemently rejected the accusation.
New Delhi — long anxious about Sikh separatist groups — has increasingly accused the Canadian government of giving free rein to separatists from a once-strong movement to create an independent Sikh homeland, known as Khalistan, in India.
The diplomatic row led to the expulsion of each other’s top diplomats last month.
“The Government of India protests in the strongest terms to the absurd and baseless references made to the Union Home Minister of India,” Randhir Jaiswal, spokesman of India’s foreign ministry told reporters Saturday.
Jaiswal also said a Canadian diplomat in New Delhi was summoned on Friday and handed out a letter to formally protest the allegation. “Such irresponsible actions will have serious consequences for bilateral ties,” he warned.
Canada’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison told Parliament members of the national security committee on Tuesday that he had confirmed Shah’s name to The Washington Post, which first reported the allegations. Morrison did not explain how Canada knew of Shah’s alleged involvement.
Canadian authorities have repeatedly said they shared evidence with India whose officials deny being provided with any proof. New Delhi calls the allegations ridiculous.
Nijjar was a local leader of the Khalistan movement, banned in India. India designated him a terrorist in 2020, and at the time of his death was seeking his arrest for alleged involvement in an attack on a Hindu priest in India. He lived in Canada, where about 2% of the population is Sikh, for nearly three decades.
Shah, who is 60 years old, is responsible for India’s internal security, as the country's home minister. He is widely considered the second most powerful politician in India after Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Shah has also been a close aide of Modi for decades.
Canada is not the only country that has accused Indian officials of plotting an assassination on foreign soil. The U.S. Justice Department announced criminal charges in mid-October against an Indian government employee in connection with an alleged foiled plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader living in New York City.
Vikash Yadav, who authorities say directed the New York plot from India, faces murder-for-hire charges in a planned killing that prosecutors have previously said was meant to precede a string of other politically motivated murders in the United States and Canada.
New Delhi at the time expressed concern and said India takes the allegations seriously.
FILE - Indian Home Minister Amit Shah speaks during a public meeting before Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel filed his nomination for the upcoming Gujarat state assembly elections in Ahmedabad, India, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki, File)
Irv Rubenstein holds a doctorate in exercise science and has run a personal fitness training studio for 35 years in Nashville, Tennessee. Obviously, he speaks positively about the benefits of using a personal trainer, and this goes for grizzled-gym goers as well as beginners.
“Most anybody can teach you how to do a bicep curl,” Rubenstein said in an interview with The Associated Press. "But only a few people can tell you how to do it if your shoulder's hurting.”
It can be a maze finding the trainer who is best for you, Rubenstein acknowledged.
How much should credentials and education matter, or are personality and motivational skills more important? What about the cost? And how frequently should you use a personal trainer? These are just a few of the questions anyone who is searching for a trainer should ask.
“How do you discern who is best?" Rubenstein asked. "That which works best for you is the best. But finding that is the challenge.”
In the United States — and in many other countries — there is no national or local government body that licenses trainers. Certification is typically issued by private entities, some more respected than others and many are in the business of generating income more than credibility.
The American College of Sports Medicine is the best known in the United States. In Canada, it's the Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine.
“You probably should ask if the person is certified,” said Rubenstein, who runs STEPS Fitness. “I think that's valuable, but I don't think it's essential. And you should ask about academic training.”
He also issued a caveat.
“If a person is getting all their information off the internet — to the extent you can discern that — I would avoid that person,” he said of a potential trainer.
Guy Andrews runs Exercise ETC. out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Like Rubenstein, he says trainers and clients have to jibe. Credentials are important, but a personality match is essential.
“Primarily, it's a service relationship,” Andrews said. "So, first you have to bond with the trainer. You've got to like them. The personality of me is paramount. I don’t care how well qualified someone is, how well educated they are. If you cannot enjoy working with them, the relationship is doomed to fail.”
Asking friends or gym operators for referrals could be helpful in your search. A good benchmark for a successful relationship is how many years has the referrer spent with their trainer?
“If clients have been with a trainer for eight or 10 years, that's a good sign,” Andrews said. “Looking good in a tank top is not enough.”
Rubenstein injected another truth and laughed: “Most people who are working with a trainer for any length of time will tell you they are the best.”
Another good sign when rating trainers is whether they offer a “non-contractual relationship.” Meaning, you would not lose money if you discontinue the service.
“Then you have a trainer with integrity and confidence and probably the skills to help you," Rubenstein said.
There is also a trainer's style of motivation to consider. Rubenstein repeatedly said the quality of “compassion” was key in choosing the right person. But some may want a basic training drill sergeant to push them.
“The rah-rah military attitude might work for the young, the very fit,” he said. “But for the average person that type of behavior might not be motivating or stimulating.”
Price is difficult to pin down. Costs vary by country and within countries by geographic region. In the United States you might pay $100-150 per hour in larger cities, maybe $50-75 in other areas. Rubenstein also said the cost compared favorably with manicures and similar personal-care services.
The cost can be prohibitive for some, Rubenstein said. It often eliminates the young and might favor older clients who have more spending power and need the service more.
“It weeds out the people who would like a trainer from those who need one,” he said.
Andrews and Rubenstein said that beginners should meet with a trainer two or three times per week for the first six weeks. After that, once a week might be enough, or even once or twice a month for maintenance and evaluation.
“In terms of motivation, for the average person I don't believe once a week is enough at the start,” Andrews said.
Rubenstein elaborated: “If a person is not accustomed to being in a gym, not comfortable with it or not feeling safe, twice a week with a trainer is a basic routine that will give them benefits — muscular, cardiovascular, balance, etc. Once they learn it, a person can go once a week or once a month. But that means they have to be motivated.”
So, you've found your trainer and are ready to get to work. Now what? Set some goals.
There are four main goals — depending on the client: weight management, overall fitness, special needs and overall health.
For each client, "the routines may intersect but the frequency, intensity and duration will vary,” Rubenstein said.
Setting goals in the initial interview was critical, Andrews said.
“If both parties are not on the same page when it comes to what they want, they're doomed to failure," he said.
A good trainer will recognize unrealistic goals, Andrews said.
“It's often centered on how they want to look after hiring a personal trainer,” he said. “In my experience, a client whose focus is on how they will look after training — instead of how they will feel — is setting themselves up for disappointment.”
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A participant takes part in an outdoor gym class led by personal fitness trainer Richard Lamb in London, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, Lamb works for Alan Ezen, and his company Zen Training. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Personal fitness trainer Richard Lamb, leads a group in an outdoor gym class in London, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. Lamb works for Alan Ezen, and his company Zen Training. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
A participants takes part in an outdoor gym class led by personal fitness trainer Richard Lamb, during an outdoor gym class in London, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Owner of a personal fitness company Zen Training, Alan Ezen, left, watches his trainer Richard Lamb, lead an outdoor gym class in London, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Personal fitness trainer Richard Lamb, gestures as he leads an outdoor gym class in London, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Personal fitness trainer Richard Lamb, leads a group in an outdoor gym class in London, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Personal fitness trainer Richard Lamb, leads a group in an outdoor gym class in London, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
