Do You Need A Personal Trainer?
Do You Need A Personal Trainer?
You're living on salads and water, walking every night and warding off all the temptations that come into your mind. You keep telling yourself no cookies, no cakes, and no laying on the couch all evening. However, that darn scale won't go down. What in the world are you doing wrong? Should you hit the gym or start those DVD exercise videos that are collecting dust in your cabinet?
There's so much conflicting information on the world wide web about the do's and don'ts of dieting and exercising; it can confuse and frustrate you. When you inundate yourself with too much information, you usually end up quitting before you even start. The most challenging part about the beginning is knowing what you're supposed to do. When you want to transform your body, you want the quickest, most effective way, without pain and injury. Who wouldn't?
No one wants to run for hours every day and live on salads for every meal. It's hard to get fit and transform your body, especially when you're avoiding everything you love to eat and do. The only way you'll stick with your goals is to find a balanced and doable regimen that will add to your life, not take away from your happiness. Finding a well-balanced, well laid out plan, that includes a roadmap for success, will be the winning factor in your weight loss goals.
But how are you supposed to find the perfect plan that works? Finding a qualified, experienced trainer may be the answer to all of your fitness goals. The question is, do you truly need one? Trainers can be expensive, but they can be worth their weight in gold too. You need to do your homework to find the right trainer for you.
Not all trainers are created equal. You want to find one that not only is qualified but one that fits your personality and understands your challenges and wishes. You want an educated trainer that knows how to get you to your goals, in a safe manner and a secure environment. Many trainers are a trainer only by a piece of paper that they received by merely going to a two-hour seminar to obtain a certification. That hardly qualifies them as a trainer.
You must be prepared to work hard and step outside of your comfort zone. However, you must feel comfortable enough to let your trainer know precisely where your comfort zone is and how far you are willing to be pushed in a safe yet effective manner. No one knows your body and limits better than you. You want to strive to push yourself, but not to the point of injury. A qualified trainer knows boundaries and knows what to look for when pushing a client.
So do you really need a personal trainer? Let's go over exactly what you should look for in a trainer and what to expect from your sessions. You certainly don't want to waste your time and money if it's not necessary. You want to transform your body, not drain your bank account and walk away with the same body composition!
IS YOUR MOTIVATION UP AND DOWN?
If you're like most, you're super excited to exercise and diet and out of nowhere, you hit a wall. The next thing you know, you can't drag yourself to the gym or eat another healthy thing if someone paid you. You do this over and over again. It leaves you feeling like you're not capable of being fit, and you'll never see your body change.
It happens to the best of us, and it's to be expected. However, if you're always dreaming of becoming fit and you're driving yourself crazy trying to find a way to get fit and stick with it, you may need a personal trainer. There's nothing wrong with you; you just need someone to hold you accountable.
When you know you're paying for a program, and your trainer is expecting you to do your homework, it mentally holds you accountable. It will bother you if you don't do it. Weekly check-ins are amazing tools that keep you on track and motivated to stick with the plan. Appointments with your trainer will push you to put your workout clothes on and get to the gym.
Of course, there's a level of commitment that is needed on your end. You have to promise yourself that you will commit to showing up for your appointments or completing the assignments that your trainer gives you. Hiring a trainer or purchasing a program online will not magically make you stick with fitness. You have to want it; you're merely letting the trainer layout a perfect plan that you're capable of following and guidelines in which you can reach your weight loss goals.
FEARFUL OF THE GYM FLOOR
The fear of heading into a gym is real. As a gym owner, I hear this daily. People really do dread going to the gym, for many different reasons. Some fear judgment from others. Some feel anxious about doing the exercises incorrectly. Others feel intimated by fit, lean gym members. The list goes on and on.
Whatever the fear is, the gym can feel like a very foreign land to most. You walk in, and you feel like all eyes are on you. You feel your heart race, and you pray you won't trip while heading to the locker room. The music is playing, but all you can hear is the negative voice in your head telling you, you don't belong here.
You gaze at all the different pieces of equipment and feel anxious. Your palms are sweating, and you have no clue where to even begin. Believe it or not, this is very common and can derail you from ever getting into a routine at a gym, leaving you feeling like a failure and never reaching your goals.
Here's where a personal trainer will get you past this roadblock. Leave it to the trainer to set you up with a routine and teach you the ways of the gym equipment. Let them guide you through the growing pains of starting your fitness goals.
You may need them only for few a weeks until you feel comfortable with your new surroundings. Once you find a rhythm, you can move onto your workouts by yourself. A trainer will show you, not only the proper way to use the equipment, but you'll learn to appropriate gym etiquette. How to work around others who want to use the same machine you are and cleaning up the weights, mats, and cardio equipment once you're finished.
You must also learn the proper technique of doing different exercises. Nothing will derail you from your goals more than incurring an injury when you begin exercising. Proper form is everything when it comes to workouts. Here is where a trainer will teach you and guide you in performing the exercise movements the correct way to avoid injury. Once they show you the ropes, and you feel comfortable with how to do each movement, and you begin to gain strength, then you'll be ready to tackle any workout with confidence.
ALL NEW TO DIET AND EXERCISING
I've had so many clients tell me that they wanted to hire me for months and months but felt they needed to get into better shape before heading in for a session with me. They were all new to dieting and exercising and thought that they were too out of shape to even step foot into a gym, let alone workout with me. Nothing could be further from the truth.
When you're new to the fitness world, the worst thing you could do is go about it, not knowing what or how to do it. First, you could possibly inflict injury upon yourself right away. Second, you overwhelm yourself with all the info you've read or heard from others and quit before ever seeing what you're capable of doing.
Finding a qualified trainer right away will allow you to learn the correct way to start your weight loss journey. A trainer will break your plan down into bite-size pieces, giving you baby steps to take so that you can feel yourself gaining strength and endurance. You need guidance with nutrition, so you don't put yourself on a restrictive diet, that will eventually work against you.
There's a lot of information in the world about what you should and shouldn't do when it comes to dieting and exercising. Trying to digest and decipher all of it will derail you before you even begin. Let a trainer come up with the perfect plan that gets you exactly where you want to go without you wasting endless hours trying to find your way to a slimmer body.
You need guidance and assurance when you begin to take on a big task, like losing weight. So many try to get healthy without knowing the right methods and end up quitting because they feel they're not cut out for it when indeed they are. It was most likely trying too hard to lose weight. Fitness and nutrition do not have to be grueling, and somewhere along the way, we have convinced ourselves that if we're not soaked in sweat and starving from morning till night, we must not be doing enough.
Having a trainer in your corner will allow you to break down your goals and work on them, one by one. If you take on too much, you're sure to fade out before ever seeing the new you!
TOTAL TRANSFORMATION
You've gained weight throughout the years, and you've really let yourself down. You wake up one day and decide you've had enough of feeling and looking this way. You want to transform your body and your life. You want it more than anything, but you have no idea where to even begin.
Soon you'll convince yourself that you don't have what it takes to do it. You're so out of shape, and you're addicted to junk food. How on earth will you conquer such an enormous goal when you don't even believe you can do it in the first place?
You hire a trainer! Trainers like myself, live for total transformations. I get giddy when a new client hires me with enormous goals. I can't sleep at night planning their workouts, nutrition plans, and the chance to guide them to a whole new life. It's the entire reason I became a trainer in the first place. I want to play a role, no matter how big or small, in seeing someone transform both mentally and physically.
Relying on loved ones for support is great, but can be short-lived. They want to see you succeed, but more often than not, their enthusiasm fades way before your desire to lose weight. I've seen it time and time again. Spouses want to cheer you on, but when you start spending more time working out or sticking to your diet, they become annoyed and slowly start sabotaging you from your goals. Not intentionally as they do want the best for you, but their own insecurities overcome them.
I was born to be excited about others. Nothing makes me happier than seeing my clients with big smiles on their faces when they see the scale dropping. They begin to lift heavier weights. They're able to jog for the first time in their life. They have more energy. They are all around happier with their daily lives. These victories are stepping stones to a better you, and a trainer is there to guide you to the finish line.
They build a plan, customized to your current abilities and goals, and keep adjusting the program to keep your body reacting and moving up to the next level. Their roadmap should never overwhelm you or make you feel like you're isolated from everything you love. It should be comfortable but challenging.
A trainer is there to support you both physically and emotionally. I love to push my clients to try new things, and I like to hug them when they are struggling. There are ups and downs in everyone's weight loss journey, but the ones that had sincere support are the ones who succeed. So if you doubt your abilities to lose weight, look into hiring a trainer. They have the tips and tricks to guide you every step of the way.
SUPPORT CIRCLE
Like I touched on earlier, depending on others to cheer you on and push you to keep moving towards your goals, can be risky. Their enthusiasm seems very sincere when you first approach them about your new intentions. You see them light up with excitement when you tell them you want to lose weight. You feel better knowing that you have them in your corner.
However, that enthusiasm may fade and fade quickly. Can you stick with your plan if that happens or do you solely rely on your loved ones to be your support system? You have to be honest with yourself on this one. Becoming dependent on others to continuously cheer you on and push you when you feel like quitting can make or break your journey to weight loss.
Some will lose their excitement for you simply because they're busy with their own lives. Some will do a complete turn around because you're beginning to lose weight, and their insecurities will overcome the genuine feelings they have for you. There are many reasons why the people we depend on the most will let us down, especially when it comes to being our support system for losing weight.
A good trainer will always want the best for you and will always be there to rely on. Trainers know how hard it is to set goals and stick to the plan. They, too, have had their own struggles at getting fit. They're experienced with the ups and downs that come with trying to stay on the path of fitness. They are well aware that some days you'll be filled to the brim with motivation and there will be days that working out is the last thing you want to do. It's to be expected, but a great trainer will never let you fail or give up on you.
As a trainer, I know you're not perfect. I know life will throw you a curveball from time to time. Not only am I trainer, but I'm a business owner, a mom, and a wife. Life is hard and not always as we have planned in our neat little planners. There will be good days, and there will be plenty of bad days, but as your trainer, I'm here to remind you that it's all ok and to keep with it, no matter what. A trainer knows how to keep your motivation high and your goals on point, so you don't lose focus on what you want.
“You don’t have to believe in yourself. You only need to believe in your trainer.”
Do you need a personal trainer? Let me be completely honest with you; we all need trainers. Even trainers need trainers. Trainers allow you to focus on showing up, staying on track, and meeting your goals. Trainers give you the guidelines and tools to quickly lose weight.
Motivation is hard to get and to keep, and trainers help in finding ways to keep you moving forward, no matter what happens in your life. They will always be in your corner, cheering you on when you need it. They're there to remind you why you started in the first place.
You don't need to blunder around with trying to lose weight. When you waste time jumping from one program to the next, you lose sight of the desire to transform your body and stay more focused on what's not working and what you hope will work. You want to get results without feeling like you're beating your head on the wall. A trainer will be able to lay out a plan that guides you to the results you never thought possible.
Now, just because you hire a trainer, doesn't mean you'll always need a trainer. I have clients that train with me several times a week, some train with me once a week and others come to me at the beginning every month to get a new, fresh plan. My clients know I will hold them accountable, and I will see whether they are putting in the work or not. This pushes them to get to the gym and get their workouts completed. By just having me as their trainer, they think twice about what they're putting on their plates.
Yes, hiring a trainer or purchasing an online fitness program can be costly, but the benefits are priceless. Be sure to do your homework and find a trainer that best fits your needs and your personality. You want to feel comfortable spending time with your trainer and be able to discuss with them any issues that arise.
Be sure to learn along the way so that when the times comes that you feel you're ready to work out by yourself, you know exactly what and how to do everything. Soak up all their tidbits of advice and tips that help others. Even the smallest tweak they teach could end up making all the difference in the world when it comes to your weight loss goals.
Hiring a personal trainer is an investment, but your health is everything. I always tell my clients that I'm a lot cheaper than medical expenses from not taking care of yourself. Invest in your health for a longer, happier life! You can't go wrong with that.
If you need some fun, simple ways to keep you on track and inspired, please sign up below to be on the inside loop of tricks and tools too fast track you to all of your goals. I'd love to be a guiding light on your path to greatness.
Aimee Schwinabart is the founder of The Purely Fit—online workouts, nutrition, and fitness coaching that actually work! She specializes in short (super effective) daily workouts combined with customized nutrition plans to help real people shed excess fat to reveal toned, lean muscles. The Purely Fit approach to looking and feeling great prioritizes small, steady, super efficient workouts and nutrition upgrades to help you stay with it once and for all!
