New Year's resolutions

Help Is on the Way

It’s mid January, and those resolutions pertaining to health and fitness have dissolved like an Alka Seltzer on New Year’s Day.  Short of enlisting in the Marines, who ya gonna call to help get you into shape?  Enter the Certified Personal Trainer. Once available only to movie stars, professional athletes and models, personal trainers are now available to you. The most important prerequisite to working with a trainer is the desire to get fit. You bring the desire, and we’ll bring:

Expertise
Industry surveys indicate nearly half the population have special medical needs, such as diabetes, low back pain, obesity, high blood pressure, arthritis, bursitis or osteoporosis.   A good trainer will work with your doctor, physical therapist, registered dietitian or other health care provider to develop and implement an effective exercise program tailored to your needs.  Important programming issues include: how much cardio?  What exercises should be done…in what order?  How many repetitions?  How many sets? When should the weights be increased or decreased?  When should a new program be implemented?

Safety
Proper lifting techniques are critical to preventing injuries as well as achieving superior results.  A trainer will spot a client during exercise as well as check for proper biomechanics.  A thorough health assessment and screening prior to a client’s first workout will increase the safety factor by assuring the initial weight settings are within the client’s capability.  Having a client work within their limitations yet beyond their comfort zone is one of the valuable services a trainer can provide. 

Time
Working with a trainer, either one-on-one or in a small group, is hard work.  But it’s like learning physics from Einstein.  It’s still hard work, but a great teacher can save time by developing a program custom tailored to leverage your strengths and shore up your weaknesses.  Another time saver is exercising with a trainer in your home. Not only is it fun, but the time you used to spend commuting to the gym or waiting in line to use equipment can now be spent working toward your fitness goals. 

Adherence
Knowing you are paying to work with a professional helps to insure you’ll stay the course.  It also means you’re responsible to someone other than yourself.  At the beginning of an exercise program when motivation is high, it’s natural to feel you can go it alone. But good intentions don’t guarantee long-term success. The inevitable plateaus, setbacks, illness and other obstacles that you’ll encounter will become detours, not dead ends when working with a pro.

Focus
Once you engage the services of a personal trainer, your view of food and exercise will change. You’ll learn about portion control, discover the benefits of taking a daily walk, and work hard to drink those eight glasses of water each day. Even after a session ends, residual benefits accrue to clients who open themselves to a healthier lifestyle.  A good trainer is like an angel sitting on your shoulder, countering the devilish temptations of poor nutrition and lack of activity. 

The old saying “Anything worth doing is worth doing right” is especially true when it comes to fitness.  The right trainer can make the difference between a safe landing and the dreaded crash and burn.  So when it comes to getting fit, who ya gonna call?  Forget the Marines and think certified personal trainer. Now, drop down and give me twenty!