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Everyone wants to look good and stay in shape, but maintaining a good body can be a little challenging. Having a personal trainer gives you an upper hand in your quest for fitness and overall wellbeing, but before you commit to a trainer, find out what they can do for you, and what you have to do for yourself.
A personal trainer can design a workout programme for you
A personal trainer will have a one-on-one conversation with you prior to your first session to know exactly what your goals are. A customised training programme will be specifically designed for you to solely focus on your needs. This is where the 'personal' part of their title comes from. A regular follow up by your trainer is necessary so he or she can know where to adjust your programme if necessary.
A personal trainer can motivate you
Many times we get so busy with life and other things that we lose focus, become lazy, demotivated and forget our goals. With the support of a personal trainer, you can actually stay focused towards your target. Your personal trainer will be the motivating force towards you achieving the goals. He or she can also give you the skills to you need to motivate yourself.
A personal trainer can help you reach your goals
Personal trainers can actually enable you to achieve your goals by analysing your needs and fitness levels. Once the goals are set, your trainer works with you dedicatedly towards achieving your targets, and inform you if goals or techniques need to be adjusted.
But...
A personal trainer can’t provide instant results
Sadly there are no instant results in fitness - just like a baby never learns to walk overnight. Trust your trainer and stick to the programme, and you'll gradually see results. It's all about consistency.
A personal trainer can’t do everything for you
It's like learning how to drive a car for the first time. You'll be shown how to change the gears and gradually accelerate, then you'll have to do it yourself. Your trainer can show you what to do and how to do it and encourage you to follow the routine, but won't push those weights for you or run on the treadmill on your behalf. It takes work – from you.
A personal trainer can’t be your doctor
Prior to your first training session a physical activity readiness questionnaire (PAR-Q) will be given to you to fill. This is a self-screening tool to determine the safety or possible risk of exercising an individual, based upon their answers to specific health history questions. No matter how well read a personal trainer is he can't replace a trained medical professional. Your trainer is a specialist in healthy living, and can work together with your doctor to help improve your overall fitness.
Image of personal trainer from Shutterstock
(Obi Oke, personal trainer, Health24, June 2012)
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Finding a personal trainer
