Friday, January 29, 2010

How Personal Trainers Can Benefit You

By Mark Walters

Everyone knows that regular exercise is a necessary part of living a healthy lifestyle but, despite being fully aware of the benefits that come from exercising, few people actually do enough of it. There are various reasons, excuses if you like, for this this, but they can all be overcome if you are really serious about improving your health, fitness and / or body shape.

If you are one of the people who make excuses for not exercising, then maybe it is time to try a new approach - a personal trainer. With an exercise professional at your side, and a fitness regime in place, there is every chance that you will succeed where you have failed before.

If any of the following apply to you, then hiring a personal trainer is a step that you should seriously consider...

- You struggle to motivate yourself to exercise 5 days a week.

- You are bored of doing the same exercises over and over again.

- You feel uncomfortable exercising in the presence of others at gyms.

- You do not know how to use exercise equipment.

- You are concerned that exercising after a recent injury, or illness, is not safe.

- You want to be in peak condition for an upcoming event, such as a marathon, vacation or wedding.

Having established that you need a personal trainer, the only reason not to hire one is because you are unsure of how they can benefit you. There is a common misconception that a personal trainer is just like a gym teacher, who will shout at you and make you do hundreds of press-ups. However, this is not what personal trainers do at all.

A personal trainer is like an exercise buddy but, unlike just having a friend with you, they will, in addition to giving you moral support, do the following...

- Set achievable goals for you to achieve within a set period of time.

- Create a fitness plan based upon your experience, abilities and potential.

- Teach you exercises, and show you how to use equipment, that you are not yet aware of.

- Give you feedback on how to improve your technique for the exercises that do you do already know.

- Ensure that you are exercising at a level and intensity that both pushes you, but that is also within a safe limit.

Now that you know why you need a personal trainer, and what they will do for you, the next point to address is how to choose a personal trainer. Asking the following questions is a good way to assess them...

- What are your qualifications and certifications, and who are they accredited by?

- How many years have you been working as a personal trainer? Can any of your past clients be contacted for references?

- How busy is your schedule? Can you guarantee me the same appointments every week? - 29161

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